Absolute Goodness

 

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

-Romans 8:28

 

We, who have responded to God’s call on our hearts and have believed in Jesus and have the promised hope of our future resurrection, know that God makes all things work together for good. That “good” is not what we know in and from this world. It is pure, undiluted goodness that comes from the character of God. 

 

We Christians know, because we have God’s gracious promise of salvation and resurrection, that God makes all things work together for the absolute good of His children, who He calls to Himself for His good and grand purpose—the purpose of salvation, telling others about the gospel of His love, and discipling them.

 

God’s goodness does not hinge upon what we do. Goodness, by definition, comes from God’s character. God is absolutely good and does only good. When people believe in Jesus for salvation, they receive God’s goodness expressing His love through salvation, which is redemption from the stain and guilt of their sin. Nothing in the world is good except what He has redeemed for Himself. 

 

God’s calling to us (His creation) is all about His plan and love. We are sinful people who are stuck in the mire of a fallen world. Without God’s calling us, we would be blind and deaf to Him. We would be without hope now and for eternity. Our hearts, minds, and spirits would despair and languish. We cannot and did not give ourselves ultimate hope because we cannot see beyond this day and moment what actually will be. But God can and does. 

 

So because we know God only does good and only His absolute purpose prevails, we can understand, know, trust, and hope with absolute certainty that as we daily walk with Him on this earth, He makes all things work together toward that good for His children, those who love Him and are called for His purpose of salvation and eternity with Him. We can know the truth of what Paul wrote further in Romans 8.

 

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

 

“For your sake we face death all day long;

    we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

 

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39, CSB)

 

Nothing stops God’s goodness or good plan.  Once you believe in Jesus, you are permanently part of His goodness and good plan. You are called His, not Satan’s. What’s your part in this plan as God’s called people? Have faith. Have hope. Grow in your faith. Tell other people about Jesus and God’s love. Help them grow closer to God and more like Christ.

 

Don’t lose hope. God works all things together for His purpose for the good of those who love Him and are called His. 

 

Are you called God’s child? What keeps you from His goodness and love?

The Pebble and the Stone

 

 

“And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”

— Matthew 4:3-4

 

Satan recognized Jesus is the Son of God and has the power and ability to transform stones, which are used for building or putting someone to death by levitical law. Jesus, though, had no need for these stone since He’s the Chief cornerstone, upon whom everything is built, and He’s the bread of life, which He will give to all those who believe in Him. He is the chief cornerstone and the bread of eternal life. Build your life upon Him and be sustained solely by Him. Jesus didn’t need the stone; He is the most important stone and is the bread everyone needs to have and live eternally. Jesus caught Satan in his own philosophical trap.

 

Man does not live on bread alone, the round flat bread a body needs for sustenance in this mortal life. He needs what Jesus gives, the sustenance for eternal life. Satan gives what will pass away. Jesus doesn’t. Jesus gives the word of life, Himself, the Word of life for living in this mortal world and for living eternally. What Satan gives will end. What Jesus gives will last forever. 

 

Do you want bread that will rot or the living bread, Jesus, that will give and sustain your life eternally? Do you want to build your life on many small stones or upon the cornerstone that is immovable? God allows us to choose our life. Will you choose immediate satisfaction or everlasting life, peace, and love with God now and forever? Don’t choose the stones and rotting bread that will kill and separate you from God. Choose the living bread and Jesus as your chief cornerstone and live life to the fullest for now and eternity.

Turning Troubles

 

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.”

— 1 Peter 5:8-9

 

“Stay alert” means be free from the illusions (influences) of sins. Be always cautious, watchful, and on guard, always alert for Satan’s trickery, deceit, trouble. Be calm about it and know he is out there wanting to tempt God’s children away from Him. Satan walks around you like a lion encircles sheep, looking for the weaknesses of one or more of them. He is waiting to devour you and your testimony about God to discredit you and your faith so others will not believe in Jesus. Satan wants to disconnect your close relationship with God so you live in misery and despair. 

 

The first two commands—stay alert and watch out—could be passive activities, just watch and take care. Or they could include action, like a soldier walking on top of a city’s walls continuing to see if an enemy approaches. In verse eight, Peter meant the latter. Actively stay alert and watch out for Satan. How does a Christian actively stay alert to Satan’s attempts to intrude into his/her life? Keep growing in your relationship with God. Keep listening to and obeying Him. 

 

Peter wrote commanding believers in Christ to stand firm against Satan. What did he mean? Standing firm means resisting and opposing, refuse to be moved from your faith in God—Father, Son, and Spirit. Publicly and conspicuously declare your convictions about Jesus. Don’t let go of those convictions and the faith and salvation God gives you. Be faithful to God remembering He is faithful to you. Remember who He is, what He’s done, and how He’s intervened in your life. How does one remember this in the heat of the battle? By being so closely connected to God that you know Him and cling to Him with your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This close relationship comes by prayer, reading the Bible and studying, and meditating on it. A close relationship with God also comes by worshipping God and fellowshipping with other believers and by listening to preachers and teachers who rightly proclaim the word of God.

 

Standing firm is active opposition and requires daily preparation in anticipation of Satan’s attacks. Satan will attack, undoubtedly. So prepare yourself by growing stronger in, by, and through the LORD. Remember, you are not the only one Satan will or has attacked. All believers worldwide face his relentless attacks. Jesus did not fall to the temptations Satan put before Him. We each can stand firm as Christians knowing we are not battling on our own. God gives us His wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and strength to endure. His hand never leaves His child; no one can snatch us away from Him. Look to your believing brothers and sisters and recognize they, too, battle Satan. He is not choosing only you to attack. 

 

Use the opportunity of attack to grow closer to God. Use it to grow your faith. Use it to testify to onlookers about God’s love for you and them and the salvation God gives through the death of His Son, Jesus. Spin the attack to be a positive experience and let your life proclaim about Jesus.

 

Stay alert! Be always watchful! Stand firm! Actively prepare and fight, then your relationship with God will grow stronger and other people will hear about His love and the salvation He offers.

Rowing Without Paddles

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1 [NASB])

In Genesis 15 and Psalm 91, both writers speak about the terror of night. What does this mean? For David, the man God appointed to lead His people, Israel, and a commander of an army, the terrors of night might have meant an army sneaking up and taking him and his army by surprise during the night. It could have meant the depression of the minds of his men as they awaited the battles of the next day. Or, in looking back on his life as King, it could have been the time David awaited his and Bathsheba’s son’s death. He feared it and understood the punishment was because of his sin with Bathsheba. David’s sin caused the death of the child. For Abram, the terrors of the dark night could have been the kings he and his allies defeated to get his nephew, Lot, out of captivity. The terrors that day showed his fear of not having an heir.

Terrors and fears begin in the hearts and minds of people. Satan puts the terrors and fears in our hearts and minds to distract us from the One who casts out darkness and brings light and truth to a situation and to life. Paul stated in 2 Corinthians that Satan “blinded the minds of the unbelieving so they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” In 2 Corinthians 11:14, he said, Satan must disguise himself as an angel of light to trick people, to “blind” them. Satan is not from the light of God; he is darkness and brings darkness.

This state of mind need not happen; people can avoid being tricked. How?  John said in 1 John 1:5, “This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness.” We can choose to follow God and have His power to defeat Satan and the darkness in which he tries to envelope us. God is more powerful than Satan and that is why Satan must resort to trickery. He knows the goodness and love of God will win people’s hearts and minds. John said in John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.” The darkness could not break through the light, but God’s light casts out darkness. Darkness cannot exist where light is.

What does this mean for us? How do we defeat the terrors of night and live the life for which God gave us the vision? With hope. With belief in God. Abram’s biggest fear as of Genesis 15 was that he would die with no heir. That was his darkness, the “terror of his night.” As Abram rested that night, God told him He would give him an heir and descendants too great to count, just like the stars in the heavens. Abram was in God’s presence. God’s Spirit came in the form of a smoking oven and flaming torch to seal His covenantal promise to Abram (Genesis 15:17). Abram dwelled in God’s presence and slept with His peace.

David defeated the terrors of the night and the arrows that flew by day by being in God’s presence, too. He said in Psalm 91:1, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” David had learned from experience that God was his refuge and fortress. He had learned to live in the presence, in the shadow, of Almighty God. David was like any other person born; he sinned. Still, David recognized God as His Lord and repented when he sinned. He trusted God over all things.

David knew from Whom to seek shelter, comfort, provision, guidance, and protection. He recognized Who was almighty. David had learned to dwell in the shelter of the Most High. He had learned to live in the shadow of God. David didn’t worship God on the sabbath then live the rest of the week solely in his own strength and with his own wisdom and reasoning. He had learned how to live while being with God. Abraham lived while being with God, too. These men recognized God as being sovereign over the world and over their lives. What terrors could defeat them? None, not with God as their strength, hope, refuge, and fortress.

What terrors haunt you? What causes you fear for your future or for now? If you are a Christian, you know Jesus as your Savior, the One who redeemed you from Satan and the power of sin and death. You already have the victory because Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus said in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage, I have overcome the world.” When you are a Christian, you already have victory from the terrors of darkness and the arrows that fly by day. Remember that. Believe God will protect you and don’t allow the darkness of Satan to creep into your mind. If you aren’t a Christian, you can have this peace and hope. You can have redemption from sin and death and take refuge in God when Satan tries to force darkness upon you. Believe Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior who died for your sins, so you can have eternal life with Him in heaven. Give your terrors from the darkness to God and let Him be your light and refuge.

As we each live our lives and live the vision and calling God gives, we must live in His presence, under His wings. Don’t leave to do His work, instead do the work He calls you to do while you are with Him. Abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

You can’t row a boat without paddles. You can’t live life as God’s child without God.

God’s calling doesn’t mean we leave His presence to work.

It means working WITH Him.

Lord, I’m a mess. I say I am Your child, but then I later find I am not with You. I have walked off living my life by my own reasonings. In my busy-ness, I forgot to stay with You and live life with You as my guide, refuge, and strength. I trusted You with my life, but then I took it back. Lord, help me remember to live in Your presence, to live life as You lead and provide. You know all things and are all-powerful. I know only the small part of my life that is in front of me now. I cannot see the past or future and so I really don’t know how to live as You want me to live. Lord, forgive me for walking in my own way. Forgive me for taking control of my life. Forgive me for making my heart, mind, and body my gods instead of You. You are merciful and kind. You are faithful and continue to love me. Lord, I give my life to You. Please guide me with each breath I breathe and each beat of my heart. Amen.

Take Courage

"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Luke 21:28 [NASB]

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and followers. He had just told them about what would happen before His return to earth. It began with telling them the stones of the temple would be torn down. The things they called beautiful would be no more.

What Jesus told His disciples and followers distressed them and they questioned Him about the signs of when these things would happen. Jesus listed several things that would occur before His return in Luke 21. He said people would come proclaiming they are the Christ. Nations and kingdoms would battle. Great earthquakes, plagues, and famines would rock the people of the earth. Terrors and signs from heaven would happen. People they knew and people they loved would persecute them. Some believers would die because of people who hate Jesus’ name. Armies would surround Jerusalem. The Gentiles would trample Jerusalem under their feet until their “time is fulfilled.”

Each of these horrible things are enough to scare most people. To hear them all put together as a string of things that would happen before Christ returns is horrifying and would have been even more so for the believers of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the city of God, Zion. To fathom the city of God as being laid ruin was hard for them to imagine.

Today, we experience or hear of things hard to fathom. Why would a friend say slanderous things about you at work? Why would a family member betray you and say you mean nothing to them? How can our nation be so much under the influence of Satan? What is happening with the world? So many places are in ruins because of wars and terrorists. Why must I live in fear wondering if a bomb will explode near me or my family while at work, school, worship, or play?

“What is happening to our world?” you may wonder. Jesus explained it in Luke 21. He said,

There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:25-27 [NASB]

Because these things occur, does that mean we should be afraid, run, and hide? That is the natural instinct of at least a third of the people, according to psychologists. They say people either fight, flee, or freeze when confronted with something horrible/scary. Jesus did not tell people to do that. What He said gives us courage and hope. Jesus said, “But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) The reaction Jesus told His disciples and followers to have completely contradicts what psychologists consider normal. Straightening up requires having courage in the face of difficulties. Jesus’ followers could have courage because Jesus is the overwhelming conqueror of the world-over Satan, sin, and death. These things Jesus said would happen before His return to earth are what He conquered. Satan causes them and, thus, Jesus is the Conqueror. Believer’s in Jesus Christ can have hope because our redemption is near. As believers, Jesus redeemed us from slavery to sin and death when we confessed Him as our Lord and Savior. He will redeem us when He returns to earth to take us to His heavenly kingdom.

Today we face horrible things. Bombings occur often around the world. Countries antagonize each other and prepare for war. Children rise against parents and parents against children. Friends betray friends to religious activists to save themselves from torture and death. Famines, plagues, floods, and earthquakes happen more than in history. These things make people wonder if the end of the world will happen soon. They cause fear to rise in the hearts and minds of millions of people. As Christians, we can remember Jesus’ words. We can gain courage and hope in Him, and “straighten up and lift up our heads” because He told us these things would happen and that He would come to redeem us. The day of His coming is nearer with each day. Hold on to hope. Keep the faith. Find joy in knowing Jesus knew these things, is Conqueror, and is coming to take you with Him.

Consider what Jesus said as recorded in John 16:33.

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulations but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

Take courage. Have Hope. Lift up your heads. Jesus is coming.

Lord, forgive me. I get lost in my personal storms and forget to look to You. I allow the trials, setbacks, and disappointments, in my days to distract me and I take my eyes off You. That is when the storms become too violent in my mind and I cannot see where to go or what to do, then I give up. Please help me keep my eyes on You, my Savior, and not on my storms. Help me straighten up and hold my head up because You are my Hope, my Redeemer, and the overwhelming Conqueror of the world. Give me the strength, perseverance, and faith to keep walking with You when I feel blinded by the day’s trials. Guide me through those days, Lord. Help me not to faint and stand back, but to keep holding Your hand and looking at You. Nothing can overwhelm me when I keep my eyes on You. Thank you for being God and being greater than anything that comes against me. Thank you for loving me.

Taming the Tongue: A James 3:8-10 Devotional

8 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.” (James 3:8-10 [NASB])

James included in chapter one teachings about the tongue. He taught disciples to bridle their tongues or else they would have deceived hearts and that would prove their religion worthless (1:26). Before that, in verse nineteen, James taught the people they must be slow to speak. In both these instances, he taught Christians to control their mouths because the words people speak reflect their hearts and who they really are.

For James, bridling one’s tongue is an action and James taught continually about faith and actions going together. Jesus taught this, too, when He said it is not what goes into a person that makes him or her defiled, but what comes out of his or her mouth defiles them (Matthew 15:11). Each of these men understood what is in a person’s heart and mind is reflected in what a person does and says. Because of this, James taught that faith without works is dead because a true faith would show a new person indwelled by the Holy Spirit who did the actions God led him or her to do. Without the changed heart, evil would continue to dwell in the person’s heart and mind and at times would be evident in the person’s words and actions. For this reason, James taught a Christian could be noted by his or her actions and words that reflected his or her faith in Jesus Christ.

When James spoke in James 3:8-10, he emphasized that no one could tame the tongue. He spoke truth. Without the power of the implanted Holy Spirit in our hearts as Christians, we would continue to periodically speak or do things that were not righteous, but evil. Our emotions, heart, and mind would still be led by the whim of Satan as we battled him in our own strength. At one moment, our mouths could pour forth beauty upon a person for their accomplishments or offer encouragement, solace and hope to someone who needs sympathy and at other times, it could speak profanities and swear about God. A person who speaks both good and bad words is not under the power of God. No human strength is great enough to defeat Satan’s in our lives because we are sinful and unrighteous. God is stronger than Satan and offers His strength and power to Christians to combat the power of sin, the temptations Satan hurls at believers.

Blessings and curses should not come out of the mouths of Christians. Bridling the tongue shows ones faith. It is an action. The power to control one’s tongue comes from the power of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. The Holy Spirit has the power to change the heart and mind of the person. By accepting and using the power the Holy Spirit gives, a person can bridle his or her tongue. In that way, the person is acting out his or her faith and growing more Christlike. With each step of walking in the power of the Spirit, a believer grows stronger in his or her faith and is able to thwart more of Satan’s attempts to trip up and deceive him or her.

Bridling the tongue requires a changed heart, a heart given to God through faith in Jesus Christ. It also requires the Christian to enact the power the Holy Spirit gives him or her to hold one’s tongue and words in check so that only holy and loving words are spoken. Faith requires mental assent and action and results in righteousness, love, and peace. Only God can do this for people, for without Him humans are sinful and prone to fall to the temptations Satan puts in their ways.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Have you allowed the Holy Spirit He implanted in you to give you power and strength to combat Satan and temptation? Have you acted upon the power of the Spirit to live your daily life? If you have, then you will see fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, and self-control.

I urge you today to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

I urge you to walk with the strength and power of the Holy Spirit acting with His power to bridle your tongue so God’s goodness and His glory are made known.

Romans 5:20b - 6:14 A Devotion

5:20 Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

6:1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. [NASB]

Points to consider from this passage –

1. God’s grace is greater than the amount of sin people commit. His grace abounds. He gives righteousness for every sinner to cover all their sin through Jesus Christ.

2. Does that mean we can keep on sinning because God’s grace will forgive us no matter what? It is your decision to live the life Jesus Christ died to put into you.

a.    If you continue to sin because you say grace will always cover you, you are making yourselves slaves to sin again instead of living the freedom Christ gives to you through His resurrection.

b.    When we accept God’s gift of grace, we accept forgiveness and salvation as well as newness of life – escape from the old life of sin, which entangled us in sin from which we could not escape on our own. This new life is united with Christ Jesus so we have the power of Christ to overcome temptations and sin to be free from the entanglements in which Satan wants to keep us.

c.    So we understand since Jesus Christ rose from the dead to which Satan thought he banished Him with crucifixion on the cross and since we have accepted His gift of grace and salvation which gives us new life, we know we, too, are raised from the dead and are no longer slaves to sin and the resultant death it brings to us.

d.    We have the power to beat Satan and His schemes. We are alive to God in Christ Jesus.

e.    So do not obey sin and its lust so that it continues to reign in your earthly bodies, but give yourselves to God as alive from the dead. With God, sin will not be master over you.

3. Then we can say with Paul, “Thanks be to God that though you [I was] were slaves of sin, you [I] became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you [I was] were committed [the teaching that enslaved you to sin], and having been freed from sin, you [I] became slaves of righteous [which is freedom and results in sanctification, the being made holy and pure by God].”

Considering this passage from Paul and knowing he spoke the truth as revealed by God and experienced by himself, will we continue to choose to sin after we have been freed from it, from its enslavement. Make no mistake, choosing to sin imprisons you. One step towards it leads to another and then another, then you become blinded to the truth of God by Satan’s deceptions. Do not make that mistake. Take on the new life Christ died to give you, the life of truth, grace, love, and life. Do not let sin entangle you, then you can give thanks to God as Paul gave thanks to God for the Roman Christians who gave their lives to Christ. The life Christ died to give you is the taking on of His freedom of sin and receipt of eternal life as well as His attributes. It is the becoming more life Christ with each day. We each have to choose whether we will accept this gift from God or if we will continue to walk in the blindness of Satan and sin still more.

What will you choose –

God’s love, grace, forgiveness, and eternal life through Jesus Christ, who gives freedom from sin

or

Continuing in your old life of sin, which leads to slavery to sin/Satan and death?

Choose life. Choose freedom from sin.

Choose to live the new life Christ died to give you.

Fact or Fiction?

        I have heard from people that becoming or being a Christian is not logical. People choose to believe in what can be seen, touched, and heard. In history, this thinking is often seen. This is what Thomas the disciple expressed? Thomas would not believe until he touched the nail scars in Jesus’ hands and feet. Even Peter could not fathom Christ's resurrection and had to run to see the empty tomb for himself. Paul wrote to Timothy saying people will gather around themselves "one teacher after another...chosen to satisfy their liking and to foster the errors they hold" (2 Timothy 4:3-4 Amplified Bible). People will turn away from the truth and wander into myths and fabricated fiction. God desires you to get out of this fiction and live the real life He made for you. 

Why is it hard to believe in God? Further still, why is it hard to believe Jesus Christ died for our wrongs? We believe we are fallible and make intentional errors as well as unintentional. Being sinful is a part of being human after the first sin committed by Adam and Eve. Even, at times, we blame our errors/sins on the devil. If we believe a devil exists, why is a gracious God hard to conceive? God exists, creates us in His image, and desires to restore us to our original, sinless nature so we can be with Him now and forever. The disciples believed in the power of the Lord Jesus and observed His majesty with their own eyes. They did not believe Jesus and His power and grace was a mirage or figment of their imagination. The disciples gave three years of their lives to learn from Jesus and He gave them three years of His life to show beyond doubt He is the promised Messiah foretold by many prophets (2 Peter  1:16). Thousands of eyewitnesses observed Jesus’ earthly ministry. Writers during Jesus' time and after documented His time on Earth. Historical scribes wrote several accounts of His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. 

Why does salvation have to be logical? Why do Jesus and His salvation plan sound like folklore to so many? Believers in Jesus know salvation does not come from human logic, but comes from the blood of Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for our sins. Are we going to allow Satan to continue to confuse us? We choose to believe or not to believe in God’s gracious salvation. Satan wants to keep you confused. If you believe a devil exists, then, to have a logical balance, there must be an anti-devil. This anti-devil is the triune God (more powerful than the devil) - our maker, once-for-all sin sacrifice, Savior, Father and King. If this logic fails for you, try calling out to Him and wait to hear how He answers. God wants you to return to Him. He will respond to you. Talk to Him today and wait; He will answer you.