"The Journey Onward" - To

 "Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool." (Ecclesiastes 10:3 KJV)

  "Obviously, the law applies to those to whom is was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are." (Romans 3:19-20 NLT)

 Looking at the previous victories which God has taken us through, I have nothing that compares to what Jesus went through; nor do I have any victory that come even close to the victory Jesus accomplished and finished, as the result of what He suffered through on that cross! We really have nothing to complain about, because we can never ever come close to the suffering and humility that Jesus, the Creator of Heaven and earth, went through, giving Himself as a sacrifice for our sins! 

 There are only a few things we can do that justify us becoming a fool, one in particular is to commit our whole lives to the Lord, not expecting anything in return. Of course, we will not be seen as a fool in the eyes of the Lord, but we will be mocked and put down by this world, that much is certain. 

 Witnessing the devastation down in Southern California, it hurts my heart to think about some of the homes I might have once seen and inspected, admiring the amount of money that went into the building of some of those amazing structures. But now they are just ashes, wasted piles of memories. 

 Listening to Mel Gibson last night, he lost things that are never going to be replaced, books and paintings, which date back hundreds of years; things which were once thought to be safely kept, are gone and just piles of ashes. We really can't imagine what some things taken might feel like; it just leaves a giant whole in your heart, which just makes it feel like such a waste! 

 As crazy as it might sound, the best things we can do when things like that might happen, is to give ourselves away! If you pour out everything you have to others, then your treasures do not get taken, they will multiply, and you will be satisfied in all that you have done. You might look like a fool to some; but to some, you will be a saint!  

 'Lord, please cause this to be an opportunity for love and hope to be established, where there was once apathy and faithlessness. Let your church come alive in that place, and saints to be made new; giving and caring for each other, that the world can witness the love that remains, from those ashes! Amen'... 

"For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law." (Romans 3:25-28 NLT)