For the past several weeks, our church has been considering this topic.  The idea is based upon the doctrine of God’s omni-presence as it is presented in Psalm 139.  “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;  Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. (Psalms 139:7-10)”  God is always near!

  Jesus told a woman in Samaria that the time had come in which “…true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)”  Perhaps you would like to join us—to maintain a conscious awareness of the presence of Eternal God.  First, there is the matter of sin that must be dealt with through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, to purchase your forgiveness.  I would be thrilled to talk with you about what He has done to reconcile you (restore you to friendly relations) with Himself.  You can reach me at the number below.

  If you are already a believer, let me share the steps that you can take to live in the light of His presence.  First, you must simply want to (desire it).  Secondly, you will need to confess and forsake all known sin.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1John 1:9)”  Third, you will want to set aside a time every day to read God’s word, pray, and think only of God—a quiet time with Him.  Fourth, you will need to remember, through every event of every day, that God is near, and talk to Him often.  “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)”  Lastly, you will want to completely surrender all that you are and have to Him.  Simply let Him be Lord of everything in your life.  “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1)” You will discover that surrender to Him, is the Victory you long for!

  Back in 1982 a new home computer hit the market and became one of the best selling computers of all times.  It was called the Commodore 64, or C64.  The 64 in its name represents its 64 kilobytes of RAM memory.  To put things in perspective, an entry level Apple Watch today has 512 megabytes of RAM—8,000 times that of the C64.  One might say that computer technology has advanced or matured dramatically over the past few decades.  Today, perhaps more than anything else, technology defines who we are.  It has reshaped our culture, business, industry, agriculture, etc.  But is all of the reshaping good?

  Did you reminisce lately?  Do you remember when you spent less time with gadgets and more time with people?  Do you remember when learning, for people of all walks of life, was the result of exploration, experimentation and conversation?  Do you remember when morality was an absolute, when people did not have the misconception that they were entitled to their own truth?  Do you remember when it was okay to express your opinion even if it was not the same as your neighbor’s?  Do you remember when there was a semblance of government for the people and by the people?  My, how times have changed—and not always for the better.  These, and many other so called “advancements,” were undeniably effected (caused), at least in part, by our love for technology.  Technology has been very instrumental in making it easier to be captains of our own fate, an “advancement” that is proving itself fatal.  What should we do?

  Jeremiah was inspired by God to admonish Israel of old, “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.” (Jeremiah 6:16).  As a result of their hard heartedness, Israel lost its identity and was taken captive by other nations.  

  We don’t have to make the same mistakes.  Rest your thumbs, stand still  and look around!  A Return to the “Old Paths” will insure our continued deliverance in this evil age.  These paths are illuminated in the pages of Scripture—the Bible.

  In the days of wooden sailing vessels, the word “shipwreck” struck horror in the hearts of those who lived and worked by, or on, the sea.  Oft times survivors told their stories of the storms and hidden dangers that caused the demise of their ships and crews.  Fierce storms that last for days have been known to slowly destroy the integrity of pristine sailing vessels, diminish the hopes of brave and stalwart men, and leave them shipwrecked.

  Interestingly, the writers of scripture were inspired to utilize these common tales of unfortunate seafaring men to illustrate a parallel truth pertaining to the voyage of some who have lost “faith and good conscience” on the tempestuous sea of life, and become shipwrecks.  In his letter to the young pastor, Timothy, at the church at Ephesus, Paul tells of two such men. 

  Paul writes, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, …that thou mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience…” 1Timothy 1:18-19a.  Timothy had already proven himself faithful, standing, like a soldier, for good and against evil, and God was using him mightily at Ephesus.  Such was not the case with two other Ephesians; “…some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1Timothy 1:19b-20).

  It appears that these men had been accepted as a part of the family of faith there at Ephesus, but now, they blasphemed God, His truth and His people. The word blaspheme suggests that they now spoke slanderously of the God they once professed to worship.  Though close enough to taste His goodness, they had ultimately rejected the Way, the Truth, and the Life that God had offered.  They were spiritual shipwrecks.

  You too have heard the truth; perhaps you once sought to embrace it, but the storms of life have caused you to put away faith and a good conscience and you have become a spiritual shipwreck.  Since you are still able to read this, you could yet be rescued.  Jesus Christ, the Deliverer, is near!

  When something is about to happen, or could happen at any moment, we call it imminent.  In 1972, I watched the implosion of an eleven story hotel in Winston Salem, North Carolina.  I had a birds-eye view of the event from another office building just a few blocks away.  I can still remember thinking of how I needed to stay focused on the doomed building so that I would see the impact of the first of many blasts that would reduce the old wood and brick structure to a pile of unrecognizable rubble in a matter of seconds.  I was afraid to blink because the action was imminent.

  As excited as I was to be so close to the making of history that day, it pales in comparison to the excitement that is stirred in me when I think of the ultimate imminent event that still lies ahead—The Rapture of the Church.  Though many will scoff, because they don’t know the God of the Bible and have not read the Book of God, there are those of us who personally and  effectually know Him, and have mused over His Word and marveled at the accuracy of prophecies already fulfilled.

  We believe God when he says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1Thessalonians 4:16-17).

  To you who may question the sanity of one who would embrace such a promise, I would repeat the words of the Psalmist, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8).  I have often marveled at those who insist that they don’t like something while they readily admit that they have never tasted it.

  I challenge you to lay aside your preconceived notions about God, His Word and His Promises, and exercise your capacity to discern truth.  Jesus told His disciples, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)  Later, He prayed for them,“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17).

  Though they are not as common in this world of high tech measuring devices as they once were, most of us can remember and appreciate the functionality of a balance.  It is a T shaped instrument with a pivotal cross member (like a seesaw at the park), each end containing a suspended tray.  On one tray a specified weight (e.g. 1/4 lb.) was placed, and on the other tray a commodity (e.g. sugar) was added until the cross beam of the balance became level.  At that point it was certain that the weight of the commodity was equal to the specified weight in the opposing tray. (i.e. 1/4 lb of sugar).

  It is a horrifying reality that most people in most cultures where there is a God consciousness, believe that someday they will be judged by God using the principles of a balance.  They believe that on “Judgment Day” God will place their bad deeds on one side of His balance and their good deeds on the other.  If their good deeds are more plenteous (heavier) than their bad deeds, God will be pleased and let them into His Heaven.  On the other hand, if their bad deeds outweigh their good deeds, God will reject them and cast them into the fires of Hell.

  The analogy may seem plausible, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  In God’s way of reckoning, we were all born with a sinful nature, and as we drew our first breaths we became sinners by choice.  Since bad only produces more bad, if God were to use the balance method to determine where we would spend eternity, we would have nothing to place on the “good deeds” tray.  No one would go to Heaven.

  But there will be no balance on Judgment Day.  God sent Jesus into the world to live, die, and be resurrected from the dead, to pay the penalty of your sins and mine.  For those who will exercise their faith and call upon Him for help, He offers forgiveness and reconciliation (restored fellowship) with God.

  Jesus Christ offers to take your sin upon Himself and give you His righteousness instead.  God’s justice is then satisfied because the wages of sin have been paid—your sin.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)”