"Then, They Cried Out!"

"Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses."
(Psalms 107:13)

 Why do we let it go on for so long? There are a few more "O's" yet to come, but the most contrasting thing that those "O's" represent is the circle that we continually keep walking in. There is this one verse from a song by Daniel Amos, called "Safety Net," and it says, "Shot like a bullet till kingdom come." That is how I see God working in my life: He loads me into His musket, fires me off by the power of His Holy Spirit; yet I somehow stop moving in His power and into my own, and fall to the ground. Then He comes and picks me up again, loading me into His musket and firing me out again. If only I could remain in His power always! To be perfectly honest, I could really stand to remain in His power through an entire day; but something always happens to get me thrown off; some tree pops up out of nowhere, and there I go, down on the ground. Obviously I can get a little dramatic at times, but there is some truth to the circle of life, especially when in comes to our spiritual life. I am not kidding when I say that the children of Israel illustrate the normal Christian life; God has given us this to illustrate His unconditional love for us, and to show us that He will never stop accepting our plea for forgiveness, ever! Listening to Pastor Mike and Pastor Leo yesterday, they seemed to get several calls about "loosing our Salvation." There is only one way that I believe we can loose this gift that we have been freely given, and that is to reject everything Jesus has done; much like trying to say that He never really saved us, that it was just a stunt and a farce. I am not sure that I can see that happening, but if it were going to happen, that is where I could see it making a difference. Otherwise, if you are born into the Kingdom of God, guess what! You are stuck there forever! You cannot undo what Christ has done! If you choose to throw away all that He has promised and live the way that you want, without any concern for what God wants, shame on you, you will reap what you sow. I don't know how that will all work out, but I do know that there is an Inner Court and an Outer Court in Heaven; so you can read into that what you will. As long as we have breath in our lungs, there is always a choice, to cry out to God...

"But now this is what the LORD says: "Do not weep any longer, for I will reward you," says the LORD. "Your children will come back to you from the distant land of the enemy. There is hope for your future," says the LORD. "Your children will come again to their own land. I have heard Israel saying, 'You disciplined me severely, like a calf that needs training for the yoke. Turn me again to you and restore me, for you alone are the LORD my God. I turned away from God, but then I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.' "Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?" says the LORD. "I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That's why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him. Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Mark well the path by which you came. Come back again, my virgin Israel; return to your towns here. How long will you wander, my wayward daughter? For the LORD will cause something new to happen -Israel will embrace her God."" (Jeremiah 31:18-22) NLT