Repent or Perish

In Luke 13, Jesus tells us about the Tower at Siloam which fell and killed 18 people. Jesus asks the question, "do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?" Jesus then answers His question, "I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."

There are some who believe that disaster is the result of sin. Consider Job and his three friends. When disaster struck Job, his friends were certain it was due to some sin that Job had committed.

Jesus, in His response, tells us that no one is mo of a sinner than any other. We are all sinners and Jesus calls us to repent - otherwise we will perish, just like the people at Siloam. However this is not just a physical death. This is a spiritual death - complete separation from God for eternity.

We are all facing death and what we learn from the people at Siloam, is that you may not have time to repent. So you must repent now. To delay will mean to perish.

Our Redeemer Lives

The Book of Job is perhaps one of the oldest books in the Bible. Now Job, is a wealthy farmer with thousands of sheep and cattle. Job is an upright and blameless man who prays for his family continuously.

Satan however is unimpressed accusing God of blessing Job to obtain Job's worship. A contest ensues and Satan attacks Job's possessions and then Job's health. Throughout this ordeal, Job refuses to "curse God and die." Even Job's so-called "friends" accuse Job of sinning.

Eventually Job inquires of God as to why these things have happened, but God turns the table, submitting Job to a series of questions. In the end, Job realizes the answer - we must learn to trust God. His purposes are beyond our understanding. God allows human suffering for His own purposes. In all things, we must know, as Job states, that "Our redeemer lives."

God Can Use Anyone

The Book of Ruth is one of only two books in the Bible named for women (the other is Esther). Also, when you read through Jesus' genealogy, you will find Ruth mentioned along with four other women (Tamar, Rahab, Bathsheba, and Mary are the others). Women were not usually mentioned in the genealogies at that time. But this only shows how God does the unexpected and chooses the unlikely to fulfill His plans.

So, why is Ruth mentioned in Jesus' genealogy? After all, Ruth is a Moabite. Now, a Moabite is a descendant of Moab. When Lot and his family escaped the destruction of Sodom, Lot's wife turned to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. After the destruction, there were no men around, so Lot's daughters devised a scheme. They each got their father drunk and 'lay with him.' The resulting pregnancies and births of sons resulted in Moab and Benammi. The Moabites and the Ammonites respectively. These two groups of people, the result of incest were cursed by God.

Which brings back to Ruth. Ruth is the daughter-in-law of Naomi. Naomi is becomes a widow. The Naomi's two sons die. This leaves Ruth and Orpah also widows. Orpah moves on to look for a husband while Ruth stays with Naomi saying, 'Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.'

Ruth eventually meets and marries Boaz. They have a son named Obed. Obed then becomes the father of Jesse, who is the father of David.

In Ruth we find that we can trust God to provide what we need, when we need it. In Ruth we find that God can use anyone - no matter who they are or their situation.

For Such a Time as This

When we find ourselves in difficult situations, it may be to accomplish something good. This is a lesson we learn from a young Jewish girl in the Old Testament book of Esther.

Esther, is a young Jewish girl who lives with her uncle, Mordecai, after the death of her parents. When King Ahasuerus is looking for a new queen, he commands that all beautiful virgin girls be brought to his harem. Esther is among those chosen and soon finds favor with the king. Esther is made the new queen.

Haman, the an official in the king's court, dislikes the Jews and plots to have all of them killed. Mordecai, upon hearing of the plot, contacts Esther and asks her to speak to the king. Esther, realizing that perhaps she has been placed in this situation, "for such a time as this" goes to see the king. Seeking an audience with the king can mean death if the does not grant the audience.

This time, the king listens to Esther and puts an end to the plot and orders Haman to be hanged. The Jewish holiday of Purim, celebrates this story.

Always remember, that in any situation, no matter how dire, God can use you to accomplish something good.

Second Chances

When we fail God, does He give us a second chance?

For our answer, we need only look as far as Peter in the New Testament. In Matthew 26, we read of Peter's declaration that "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away." Jesus then tells Peter that he would deny Christ three times which we read about in Matthew 26:69-75. When Peter denies Jesus for the third time, "he went out and wept bitterly."

Fortunately, that is not how it ends. God provides Peter and us, with a second chance. In John 21:15-19, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love Me?" Peter responds, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you."

Yes, God gives us second (and third) chances. God's desire is to take us from where we are, and bring us to where He wants us to be. In the face of failure, don't give up - God is not finished with you.

Easter Message

In John 20, we read about a tomb. This one is empty. Jesus has been crucified and He has been buried. Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb only to find the stone removed and the tomb empty. In John 20:11 we read, "but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"

When we are faced with some crisis, when our walk with Christ doesn’t seem especially joyful, it in some ways it might have felt like how Mary felt looking into the empty tomb. It may seem like things do not make sense. We may even ask the question, “Why does God allow this to happen?” We must remember that God is working out all the details and He makes no mistakes.

As Christians, we are often tempted to be discouraged or depressed when faced with situations that may seem insurmountable or uncontrollable. But Paul tells us in Philippians 4:4, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" And he wrote this while in prison.

Perhaps like Mary, we peer into an empty tomb. But that can be a good thing. When we are discouraged, look to the tomb. Instead of weeping, we should be rejoicing. The empty tomb is a sign of our hope. It is the sign of our new life. It shows us that nothing can prevent the plans of God.

Two Crosses

When Jesus was crucified, there were two other men crucified alongside. The first criminal hurled insults at Jesus stating, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" The second criminal rebuked him saying, "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." (Luke 23:39-41)

The first criminal did not acknowledge his guilt and remained in his sin. The second criminal recognized his guilt and reached out to Jesus saying, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:42-43)

Each man eventually dies and stands before God to give an account of himself. The first man stands alone. The second man stands with Jesus as his substitute.

Just as each of these two men, each of takes our place on either side of Christ. The one that we identify with, the one that represents your view of Christ will indicate where you will spend eternity.