Anticipating Snow

(Don't worry!  This picture is not looking out my back window.  It was taken during a trip to New Mexico a few years ago).

Only in Oklahoma do schools close the night before anticipating a snow or ice storm.
With schools closed, I didn't have to help at the book fair and I actually sat down to write a blog.

This predicted snow storm reminds me of waiting.  The anticipation builds!  Like waiting for an exciting trip, you plan, pack, and wait.  Finally, you get to enjoy the much awaited voyage.

It also highlights “prediction.”  In Oklahoma, you really never know the actual forecast for weather.  Poor weather men.  They really try.  I guess people think they are God, the only One who can accurately forecast the weather.  One degree can be the difference between rain and ice, between snow storm and flood.  I find it ironic that people will complain about the forecasters, yet still listen to them.  I think the weathermen (and women) deserve more grace.  If everyone prepares for snow and we never get it, better than not being prepared and it comes.

With a snow storm predicted, people rush to the stores and the gas pump to prepare.  The fool doesn’t prepare.  He drives on a low gas tank daring the weather to change.  He can deny it all he wants, but it does not change the truth.  When the snow begins (when the forecaster are actually right), the fool can continue to deny the truth or change his mind and prepare.  In some cases, the snow may too quickly for him to be safe.  Better to prepare than dare.

Preparing for a snow storm reminds me of preparing for Jesus’ return.

Even though the Bible promises the day (or night) will come, some people live in denial.  The fool chooses to live lives as if they will never be judged for their actions that separate them from a holy God.  Sadly, when Jesus comes, it will be too late to prepare.  

    

Others prepare wrongly.  Everyone would laugh at the woman at the carwash the day it is predicted to snow.  Does she know the forecast?  Or does she have an obsession for a clean car?  Is she preparing correctly?

Similarly, some people believe if they just “clean themselves up”, try their very best, perform good deeds, they will be prepared for Jesus.  Are they preparing correctly?

The Bible shares the way to prepare, the only way.  Yes, one must be “clean.”  However, the Bible tells us we cannot clean ourselves.  The only way to be clean is through forgiveness.  So how can you have forgiveness?  Hebrews 9:22b says, “without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Why blood?  From the beginning of the Bible (Gen 3), God taught the penalty for sin is death.  In the garden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God.  They tried to cover their shame themselves, with fig leaves.  However, God showed them they couldn’t become clean before God in their own way.  God provided the way.  He killed animals and covered Adam and Eve with the animals’ skins.  Animals’ blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin.  Adam and Eve should have died for their sin, but the animals died in their place.  

Later, when God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, He also gave them a way to have forgiveness.  God instructed the people to build a tabernacle (dwelling place for God).  One special room, the most holy place, contained a wooden box covered with gold.  The lid, called the mercy seat, had two cherubim (angels) facing each other.  God dwelt between the cherubim.  For the people to have forgiveness, God required the High Priest to kill a perfect goat, catch the goat’s blood, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat.  

What an appropriate name, mercy seat.  Mercy is when we don’t get what we deserve.  The people deserved death for their sin (the penalty for sin is death).  Yet, God allowed the goat to die in their place.  

The name of this yearly ceremony: The Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).  A day that sins of the people were atoned, “purged of sin, wiped clean .“[1]   

Then the next day, the people would return to more sacrifices for their daily sins bringing sacrifices of animals to the altar of burnt offering (Leviticus 4).  God’s continual message:  The penalty for sin is death.  There must be blood for the forgiveness of sins.  The animals died in place of the people.

All of the lessons of forgiveness before Jesus were preparing the people for Jesus.

When John the Baptist saw Jesus (John 1:29) he proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Jesus: the perfect Lamb, sinless.  Jesus: the perfect sacrifice, a man (yet, also God) dying in the place of a man (or woman).  Jesus: the substitute for me.  I should die (spiritually separated after my physical death) for my sin.  Yet, Jesus died in my place.  

I could write pages on the details of Jesus being our final High Priest (Hebrews 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10).  I will let you read more if you are snowed in today (even if you aren’t snowed in).

Some of my favorite verses are Hebrews 9:24-26:

“²⁴ For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. ²⁵ And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. ²⁶ If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.”

Jesus’ death provided a way for us to have forgiveness of sin.  If we believe he died on the cross in our place, turn from our way of pleasing God, and ask Jesus to forgive us and take control of our lives, each of us can be prepared for His return.

Jesus provided a way and promises to return.  Unlike unpredictable forecasts, when Jesus gives us a promise, we know He will keep it. 

John 14: 1-6 says “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. ³ If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way where I am going.” ⁵ Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Are you prepared for Jesus?  Or are you preparing in your own way?  Do not be a fool.  Prepare today!

 And yes, we are now getting snow.  Reminds me of the scripture, "Wash me and I will be whiter than snow" (Psalm 51:7)

 

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[1] Mounce, William D. Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Word. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006.

Change of Heart

photo credit

Whoo! We survived our first (of many, I hope) weekend of hosting a small group of students from our church for a focused time of following after God. (I could not have done it without my awesome husband who took off a half a day on Friday to prepare for the weekend and bravely endured being greatly outnumbered!) We had eighteen six grade girls and three college girls invade our home Friday night (only half the girls spent the night, thanks to our co-hosts that live around the corner) with various activities in our home, our church, and throughout our community.
Our speaker, Ryan Blackwell from FBC San Francisco*, brought us truth from the book of Jonah all weekend.  We left challenged.  Challenged to run towards God, and not away.  The most challenging question for me this weekend, "If God answered all your prayers as "yes" over the last month, how many more people would be in His kingdom?"  There are so many stories I could share, not only from this weekend, but from the whole last week.

I could share some great opportunities God gave me this week, but I want to share a story of "what not to do."  After hearing a message from Lauren Chandler** at the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma State Evangelism conference last Tues., I was feeling pretty good about myself.  She spoke about two different "trees" from Isaiah 58.  I won't share her whole message (you should hear it sometime, though), but I left thinking I was a "humble tree" as she described, not the "proud tree."  It's amazing how quickly my heart can change from a humble heart to a prideful heart just by thinking, "look how humble I am"...pride (a huge struggle of mine) Ugh!

It gets worse.  The next day I took my girls to Target to get some new socks.  I had a battle with my nine-year-old about which socks to purchase (a whole other blog).  When she finished her "two-year-old" fit, we stood in a ridiculously long line.  By then, I had no intentions of spilling hope to anyone around me.  In fact, I was spilling a nasty, impatient attitude. 

It gets worse.  Two young ladies in their early twenties stood behind us in line.  They had bleached blond hair, dressed inappropriately for public (in my modest, judging opinion.  Oh no, I'm now judging).  Then they begin a conversation I couldn't help but overhear about the last party they attended.  I tried to ignore them until one of them used a word we don't use in our house.  I turned and glared.  I used "the look" my mom taught me.  The one she used  when I got out of control sitting in the audience in the church on a Sunday morning.  She would give the "the look" from the choir, and I would straighten up immediately (well, sometimes it took a few glares).  One of the girls responded immediately "Oh. Sorry."  I felt justified in protecting my young ones' ears.

Sadly, it wasn't until the next day when I let the Lord speak to my heart.  He pointed out that I was acting like the "proud tree" when I rebuked the young ladies.  He said, "They don't need a new wardrobe, or even a new vocabulary.  They need a new heart.  Yes, they showed what was in their heart, but so did you.  Your proud, judgemental attitude will never change a person's heart.  I want you to have a heart like Jesus, a heart of compassion towards those who don't know me.  You can't change a heart, but I can." Then I asked God to forgive me and give me a change of heart. 

Oh, and by the way.  God reminded me that I used the same word the girl used that elicited my "glare" just last month IN CHURCH.  For Christmas, we same an old version of a song that didn't use the word "donkey."  I did maintain my composure when the word flashed on the screen.  Maybe I didn't need to glare at "that word".  

What I want:
1) Eyes that see others like God sees.
2) A Heart that loves others like God loves.
3) A Voice that speaks Hope (Help Others Prepare for Eternity) into the lives of others.

 What about you?  Do you have the Hope God offers? Do you need HOPE?  If you are a follower of Jesus, do you have a heart of compassion or judgement?  Are you spilling Hope to others around you?

*Ryan Blackwell, Senior Pastor at FBC San Francisco, CA
**Lauren Chandler





Linked to: Cornerstone Confessions, A Holy Experience

Left Behind

 

photo credit

It finally happened.  I got the phone call I thought would never come.  Friday afternoon my daughter called me from school.  She didn't have to say a word.  I knew what she needed.  Before she could say anything I said, "You need me to pick you up from school.  Don't you?"  (I only pick her up on Fridays.  She rides the bus the other days).

Her response broke my heart.  With tears she said, "Yes.  I've been waiting."

I know I've disappointed my girls before, I'm not perfect.  But I've never forgotten them.  I felt terrible! 

I jumped into my van and obeying the speed limits, couldn't get to her school fast enough.  My rejected daughter waited alone on the bench in front of her school, watching for her irresponsible mother to rescue her from middle school.

I picked her up, apologized perfusely, and drove her to Sonic for a drink and cheesecake bites.  Nothing could make up for my mistake. 

We began talking about being forgotten, or rejected.  I had many stories of rejection to draw from (however, my mom never left me), but I chose stories from the Bible.

We talked about Jesus being forsaken by His Father on the cross.

 I can't imagine what God the Father felt when He had to reject His Son because of my sin.  I felt bad enough picking up my daughter thirty minutes late.

We talked about Jesus feeling what we feel.  Jesus understands what it feels like to be rejected.  He empathizes with us.

Even though Jesus forgave those responsible for his gruesome crucifixion (Luke 23:34), I didn't feel it would be appropriate to point that out.  I didn't want to belittle my actions and say, "Just forgive and forget."

I did, however, ask her to forgive me.

She said she forgave me. (But, I doubt she votes for me as "Mother of the Year").

We also talked about Hagar and Ishmael (I'll have to save that for another blog)



I'm linked to my friend Kathy Gossen's blog cornerstoneconfessions


     

Easter Memories

Easter Sunday holds a special place in my heart for several reasons.  Yes, first and foremost I celebrate Easter as the day our risen Savior, Jesus Christ, conquered death, the reason for my hope.  But to my family, Easter has other significant memories. 

Easter eleven years ago, our first-born came into the world.  Thankfully she came in the evening so I could wear my highly debated new, maternity dress.  I taught second grade Sunday school class as usual, sharing the great news about Jesus coming to save us from our sin.  We worshipped in "big church", timing contractions and singing along.  We went to my in-laws house for Easter lunch.  When we arrived, I thought I should start with dessert, just in case I had to leave for the hospital.  My contractions, now much longer and stronger, deserved my attention.  My husband wasn't sure if we should go to the hospital, or not.  We had already been the week before, only to be sent home.  Finally, my Father-in-Law said, "Son, I've seen that look before.  I think you should take her to the hospital."  I'm forever grateful to my Father-in-Law.  After waltzing into the maternity floor and taken to a room with no equipment, the nurse says, "You are going to have this baby today."  I'll spare you all the labor details, but at 8:19 p.m., our beautiful, forever life-changing daughter announced in her own way, "Happy Easter!"  My husband, with tears running down his face, opened the door to family awaiting the unknown announcement.  "It's a girl!"  I will never forget this special Easter Day.

Fast forward nine years. My "Easter surprise", now a third grader, gave us one of the most memorable Easters ever.  My family, my husband's family, and friends watched as the Pastor of our church baptized her.  She had already made the most important decision of her life, to follow Jesus, on Christmas night a few months previous.   She believed Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose again to take the penalty of her sin. She accepted Jesus' gift of forgiveness, trusting Him to be her boss.  The book of John (Chapter 3) described this as the second birth or being born-again, a spiritual birth.  So, Easter morning her baptism told everyone about what happened in her heart.  My sweet girl, born on Easter, demonstrated through her baptistm that she was"born again."  What an Easter!

And now, this Easter.  My youngest daughter, age six, has asked many questions about Jesus coming again, heaven, hell, and becoming a Christian over the last few months.  Easter Sunday evening we attended Truth Baptist Church that meets at an apartment complex in our city.  The Pastor served the Lord's Supper and wanted us to come up as families to observe the meal together.  (Jesus gave us instructions for the Lord's Supper when he gave the disciples instructions the night before he was crucified.  The bread represented Jesus' body, that was torn apart for our sin.  And the wine represented his blood he gave on the cross.)  Our youngest had never eaten the Lord's Supper meal because she had never trusted Jesus for herself  (or so we thought).  She continued to "bug" us about taking the meal.  As quietly as we could, we argued for her to wait until we could talk to her after the service. When we got home, she wanted crackers and apple juice.  She would have her own Lord's Supper.  We talked to her and realized she understood that her sin separated her from God.  She said she had already prayed to ask for forgiveness, but hadn't told us.  We told her to wait until next Sunday and tell the Pastor about her decision.  She couldn't wait.  "No.  I want to tell someone tomorrow," she said.  So, Monday I called our children's minister and set up a time for her to talk to her about following Jesus.  Wow!  Another Easter blessing.  Now, all of our girls are followers of Christ.  Easter never gets old.       

Do you have any special Easter memories?
He is Risen!

Spring Cleaning: New Carpet

(I'm sorry I haven't finished "Truth, part 3".  I took a Spring Break)  Here are some spilling thoughts of hope...

My much needed Spring Break with the girls ended today when I dropped them off to school.  We had a great week of time with family, friends, and SPRING CLEANING.  The girls, not as thrilled as I, endured cleaning their closets and rooms.  One project led to another, including tearing out old carpet to have new carpet in the girls' rooms.


I.  Why new carpet?

We moved into our current house 3 1/2 years ago.  The former owners replaced the carpet with the cheapest they could find to avoid giving us a carpet allowance.  We let the girls wear the carpet out!  When I had the carpets cleaned the week before last, the carpet cleaner asked if we had dogs.  "No, but our previous owners did."  Come to find out, in one of the rooms, they only replaced the carpet, not the pad.  Gross!  It only became evident when they wet the cheap carpet to clean it.  Needless to say, we are getting new carpet today! 

II.  How to get new carpet?

This reminded me of my how I used to take care of my stains (sin; choosing my way, not God's way).  My life, like the carpet, had stains from "accidents" (sin) that left a nasty look and atrocious smell that God could not accept.  He only accepts perfection, because He is perfect.  Instead of getting rid of the stains, I tried to cover it with carpet of good deeds (cleaning my room when told, letting go of my sister when told, trying my best in 2nd grade) church going (every time the doors were open).  I thought the more I went to church the better the carpet, right?  However, the Bible says we cannot get rid of sin by DOING more. (CEV) Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own.  It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about."  So how could I get rid of the stains?  Only forgiveness gets rid of the stains.  So how can I have forgiveness? (CEV) 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 says, "God has done it all! He sent Christ to make peace between himself and us, and he has given us the work of making peace between himself and others. What we mean is that God was in Christ, offering peace and forgiveness to the people of this world."   We can only have forgiveness through Jesus, who died on the cross to take the penalty for our sin, death.  He died to offer us forgiveness.  When we trust in Him, God tears out the old carpet and pad (sin) and gives us new carpet, Jesus carpet (crimson red, from His blood).

III.  How to keep clean carpet?

God only accepts Jesus carpet in our lives to go to heaven.  Jesus carpet, the perfection God demands, is stain resistant.  Does that mean I will never sin again?  No.  But, every time I have an accident on the carpet (sin), the sin is already covered, and easily cleaned. I noticed the day after I had my carpet cleaned, how protective I became to keep it clean. That is how God wants us to be with our lives. (CEV) Romans 6:1-4 says, "Should we keep on sinning, so that God's wonderful kindness will show up even better?   No, we should not! If we are dead to sin, how can we go on sinning?   Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death?  When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father."  God says, don't keep sinning carelessly because you have Jesus.  When I have another accident, I need to tell God about it, so the carpet (my life) remains clean and useful. (CEV) 1 John 1:9 says, "But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away."

So, what kind of carpet do you have in your life?  Carpet you choose stained from sin? Carpet you try to keep clean with your own efforts, never removing the stains?  Or crimson red carpet God provides through the blood of Jesus? If you already have Jesus carpet, are there areas of your life you need to tell God about?  You only have to ask God for new carpet (forgiveness) and he will do the rest.

Verses taken from  the CEV (Contemporary English Version).

Forgiveness in the Car Line

Dear elementary car line participants,

I sincerely apologize for holding up the drop off line Friday morning.  I hope you understand my embarrasement.  Actually I hope you never have to empathize with the drama that unfolded.  What you did see...a wild, out of control mom, with a strong-willed child, refusing to walk into school.  What you did not see...the hour and half battle that began when the weary, eight-year-old "bear", surfaced out of her cave that morning.  She decided she did not want anyone to look at her, sit by her, or breathe on her.  During "Hot Chocolate and Holy Word" time, we (other girls and I) laughed about needing a "reverse" miracle.  Instead of wine, Jesus needed to change "the bear's" (and now mine) "whine" into water.  "The bear" just growled.  I tried to make her laugh with no avail.  I remained in control with twenty minutes of choosing a shirt to wear, twenty minutes of deciding what to eat for breakfast, and making everyone late for school.     

Now that you get a picture of what you did not see, does that justify my anger with my daughter?  No.  I get so frustrated when I can't remain calm and spirit- controlled.  Instead, self takes over and results in scenes I wish I could erase.  I had to apologize to my daughter for losing my temper (again).  I had to ask God to forgive my crazed reaction (again).  I also asked God for wisdom, which he promises to give freely to believers that ask.  I told my Moms in Prayer group, that met thirty minutes later, about the incident and asked them to pray.  Even today, a friend at church said, "I saw you in the drop off line Friday.  I prayed for you." My first thought, a sarcastic "Nice".

Don't you hate it when people see you "walking in the flesh" in public?  It ruins our "Sunday masked, perfect" image we hope everyone notices.  Or does it show that we need a Savior, a life-changer, a Holy Spirit to control us?

When sharing with others, don't wear your mask.  It's ok to share the ugly side that we are not proud of, but trying to overcome with Christ's help.  It shows others three sides of us.

1) We are "real".  We deal with the same issues other people deal with.  We are not perfect people, just people saved by grace, striving to become more like Christ.

2) We are "repentent".  We need God's forgiveness and CHANGE.

3) We are "reliant".  We NEED the Holy Spirit, the person of God living in us, to live our lives.  

Do you need forgiveness in the car line?  Do you need to take off your "perfect" mask?  Do you need a change, forgiveness, that only Christ can give?

My Lifegiving Rescue in Light of a Breathtaking Rescue

Remember these pics from 10/13/10 in

Santiago Chile?

          Everyone loves rescue stories: in books, movies, and life.  It’s been a year since over one billion viewers held their breaths as 33 men in Chile, trapped for 69 days, finally surfaced from a collapsed mine a half -mile underground.  The last of the 33men found freedom about 22 hours after the first.  What a miraculous story!  From surviving 17 days without contact with the outside world, surviving on food enough for two days, to surviving the actual assent to freedom, each step of survival amazed the world.

I have a rescue story, too.  Even though my rescue has many similarities to the miners’ rescue, we see one major difference.  Like the miners, I needed a Savior.  However, my need was not for my physical life, but for my spiritual life.

I’m sure the miners thought they could die during several occasions over the sixty-nine day event.  Similarly, I remember as a second grader coming face to face with death as a reality, and even feared death, when I lost three grandparents in six months.  I heard about heaven, vaguely understanding the concept, but knew I wanted to go there when I died.  My parents explained that my grandparents were in heaven after they died.  We last saw each of my grandparents’ bodies at the funeral home.  My youngest sister, four-years-old at the time, thought Baggerly’s Funeral home in Edmond, Oklahoma was actually heaven.  These events made me question my own spiritual condition.  By understanding the other similarities and differences of our rescues, you too, can experience a life giving rescue.

First, understand another difference.  Unlike the miners who knew immediately after the collapse of the mine that they needed help, I originally didn’t understand I needed help.  As a young girl, I thought… I’m a pretty good girl.  I go to church every Sunday with my family; I’ve never murdered anyone, even though I’ve been mad enough at my older brother to kill him J.   I try to be nice to my two younger sisters and older brother, and I usually only hit them if they hit me first.  Well, ok.  I start some of the commotion myself J.   I do the best I can in school.  I think God will love me because I’m not as bad as other people.  But through God’s Word, I learned that my bad actions, bad thoughts, bad attitudes were called sin.  And even one sin was enough to separate me from the perfect God of the Bible.   Because God is perfect, he does not allow sin into heaven.  I may not have been trapped under a mile of rock, but sin trapped me, separating me from God.  I realized I needed to be rescued. I needed a Savior.

Now understand the first similarity:  Just think what would have happened if the miners thought they could escape on their own.  They all would have perished.  I also used to think I could free myself from my sin.  Maybe if I just do enough good things, go to church regularly, give money to the poor, then I could save myself from my sin.  Ephesians 2:8-9  says…For by grace you have been saved through faith and not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works so that no one should boast.  Just as impossible as it would have been for the miners to escape with a small hammer, it is impossible to work our way into heaven.

The second similarity:  The miners didn’t “deserve” to be rescued.  The miners hadn’t “earned the right” to escape.  They merely experienced the new joy because people that loved them wanted them back.  Therefore, people whom they never even met worked to make it happen.  Likewise, I didn’t have to “do” anything to deserve God’s grace.  Only because of God’s love for me did he display His grace to me by rescuing me in spite of my sin.  The Bible says God came and rescued us “while we were sinners”.  We don’t have to make our lives look better and then God will accept us.  He accepts us even when sin traps us.

The third similarity:  Like the miners only had one way out, God gave us one way out.  God sent Jesus.  John 3:16  For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.  John 14:6  "I am the way, the truth, and the life!" Jesus answered. "Without me, no one can go to the Father.  Why would God send His only Son to die for us if there was another way?

The fourth similarity:  For the miners, it was not enough for them to KNOW ABOUT the escape route, but they had to demonstrate their faith by getting into the escape capsule.  How absurd would it have been if the miners decided to stay where they were and not be rescued?  But they did have a choice to escape, or not.  The miners had to place their faith in the rescue effort.  Once they stepped out in faith into the escape contraption, they did not have to put out any effort of their own to ascend to the surface.  They totally relied on their rescuers.

I remember realizing that my grandparents could only go to heaven because of their faith in Jesus.  They each had to decide for themselves if they would believe.  It didn’t matter if they were born to believing parents.  It didn’t matter if they had perfect church attendance.  It didn’t matter if they knew the great stories of the Bible or the nice songs about Jesus.  If they didn’t believe it for themselves, they would have died in their sin, separated from God.

Similarly, one night we had a speaker at our church (a good ole’ revival service).  God helped me understand that I needed to place my faith in Jesus, God’s only rescue effort. The Bible tells us, the penalty for my sin is death, separated from God forever.  But Jesus died in my place. God accepted Jesus’ blood on the cross as a payment for my sin. I told God I trusted Him and wanted to have Jesus save me by forgiving my sin.  Once I trusted in Christ, I turned from my self- effort of escape to rely only on Christ for my escape.  I couldn’t “do” anything else to help my escape.  It was by faith alone that I God rescued me. 

My life giving rescue changed my life that night.  God gave me freedom from trying to be perfect to deserve His love, which I could never do, to resting in what Christ did for me.  God accepted me the way I was, warts and all.  I no longer lived separated from God, but began a relationship/friendship with God.  I no longer fear death because I know that if I were to die, God has made a way for me to go to heaven.  God not only promises heaven after death, but promises to make life on earth worth living.  God gave me purpose in life, to honor Him all my days. 

The final similarity:  Even though the miners went from darkness to light immediately, they still had to adjust their lives to the change.  They wore sun glasses to protect their eyes.  My life also changed from spiritual darkness to light when I asked Jesus to forgive me, but I am continuing to adjust to my new life in Christ.  God isn’t done with me yet.  He’s fixing me, warts and all, to be more like Christ. 

I praise God everyday for my rescue story.  I would be nothing without Christ.  Life would be futile trapped in sin’s dark mine.   You, too, can have a Life giving rescue story.  Have you realized you are trapped?  Are you trying to work your own way out?  Have you accepted God’s only rescue plan, Jesus?  If you have questions, you can call 1-888-JESUS-2000.

Final challenge for those already rescued:  What if only one man in the mine knew the rescue plan, but refused to tell the others about it?  Suppose he left in the middle of the night, leaving the others to perish.  If you know the plan, when was the last time you shared the plan with someone else?

My rescue was only the beginning of my journey.