To Be Least

I have nothing but my honesty to give. What else can I say? Only the deepest desires of my heart come to mind, and only these will I write.

I want an earnest, heartfelt desire to discover more deeply the love of God in my short life. I long for knees calloused from long hours of prayer to my awesome Creator. Rather than spending my precious time on selfish pursuits, I desire to read and to search the scriptures for God's never changing truth. Each and every day, my deepest wish is simply that Christ's love would be shown through me for the entire world to see.

Lord, listen to my plea. I long to know you more.

The food aboard the ocean liner was exceptional. Fit for a queen, the waiter had told her that night as she ordered her dinner. That statement could not have been closer to the truth. With heaps of mashed potatoes piled on her plate and the steak done to perfection, she could barely contain herself from digging into the beautiful arrangement.

It was then, while she was enjoying her delicious supper, that it happened without the slightest warning. A loud crack, like that of several shotguns, could be heard echoing through the ship’s structure.

Panicked and frightened, she walked quickly to the deck, hoping to find what had caused the loud noise. Once she reached the frigid air, it did not take long to learn the truth. A large iceberg had torn a gaping hole on the starboard side of the ship. There were only a few more minutes to live before the ship would go under to its watery grave. Glancing about, she saw that many mothers with their young children were rushing towards the last few life boats.

Following these families to the boats, she remembered. Her priceless jewelry was still in her room with the rest of her things. Living without them would not be an option. She must get them back somehow.

Turning quickly around, she almost began to go back when she noticed the water. It was rapidly rising, threatening to swallow the entire ship at any second. Turning again towards the life boats, she climbed quickly in.

Her life was worth too much to risk on some personal valuables.

In the same way, if anyone wishes to follow Christ for salvation, they must give up everything they have. If they do not, they will drown in the waters of sin.

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:32)

Stop.

Take a rest from your selfish thoughts and look at all the people that surround you. Do you see the bodies that pass you by on the paved sidewalk? Glance at each face. Do you see anyone you know?

There, behind that man, you’ve seen that lady before. You remember her, don’t you? She lost her husband two weeks ago in a tragic car accident. He didn’t feel a thing, they said, too fast and too sudden. Sorry, we could do nothing to help.

Of course, you knew what had happened. How could you miss it? She was your neighbor. Glancing out your kitchen window, you knew all that went on. The funeral and the families dressed in the dark colors of mourning. You saw all that, didn’t you?

Yet, somehow out of the pity of your heart, you ignored her. You pretended like nothing was wrong. Couldn’t you have at least looked at her as you passed each other going to your separate churches? Her eyes were streaked with painful tears, but you did not notice.

My friend, you did not love her as Christ loved you. You turned your shoulder to her misery and left her wailing in the dusty ground. How could you do such a thing? Sure, you gave fifteen percent of your wealthy income to the church, but you ignored Christ’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” You have failed to obey the one you so proudly called your Savior in the walls of your church.

However, here you are standing before this widow. Greet her and offer her some comfort. Turn from your sinful past in order to receive God’s forgiveness.

Simply love this woman as Christ has loved you.

I paid the ultimate price for you
Beaten and whipped I bled till my back was red
Hanging upon that old tree for you
For hours I hung, until my last tears I had shed
Even until death I remained ever true
I lived, thus was God, yet most never knew

I was there when Jesus bled. Wrapping the dangling cords of torture around my hands, I smiled with sincere joy. Before me, Jesus laid trapped in a huddled mass of beaten flesh. I saw his brown eyes look up at me with love. I turned away.

Sinewy ropes flew through the silence. A cry responded and the blood spattered far. Nothing, not even the cry of an innocent man would stop me. Again and again I let them fly, digging them deep into the wounds, only to rip them out once more.

Many hours later, I led this Jesus through the streets of Jerusalem. Crowds pushed for the chance to strike and people shouted hoping their mockery would be heard. I saw out of the corner of my eye what they thirsted for. Before them and God, I spat down on Jesus’ tearful face to receive cheers and loud applause from the crowds that surrounded us. Eventually, we made our way out of the city and to the wretched place of the skull.

It was upon that skull that I had my greatest joy yet. Reaching down deep into my pockets, I clasped a rusty nail.

It was time.

Jesus fell upon the cross beams and I sliced through his palm sending pain screaming through his body. Again, his eyes stared deep into me, probing my inner soul. Again, I looked away. When all was done, I lifted the structure of Roman torture high and strong. Against the sky, he could be seen gasping out forgiveness.

I killed Jesus, the King of the Jews.

It was my sin that cut deep lacerations into his body and it was my sin that crucified him on that day. Every time I lied, or lusted he wept with the pain of torture. Every sin was a nail through his hand and a tear from his eye.

Yet, it was for me that he died.

I was there. A young teacher of the law, I stood in the beautiful garden of Gethsemane that Passover night. Amid the flickering torches and the whispering voices I saw him. Jesus, the man who claimed to be the Son of God, was standing with his disciples, not fleeing from the scene or even defending himself. He just stood still, waiting what was too come. Somewhere next to me in the silence of the night, a voice was heard.

"The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him."

Through the shadow of the night, I saw the kiss and the scramble that ensued. In the midst of the chaos, an ear sliced open and a healing followed. Yet, my heart was so hard that no miracle could break its calloused shell.

That was many years ago. I always wondered why my heart was so hard during those years. How could have I not heard that powerful shout of God for my attention?

It was only after my miraculous conversion did the answer come to me. I was reading in the book of Ezekiel when I came across this verse. "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." (Ezekiel 36:26)

Before we knew Christ, our hearts were captive to sin. Our continual acts of sin caused our hearts to become hard and calloused. I was dying of this condition before Christ saved me. It is only by His Spirit that my hard heart became one of flesh.

I thank God for this blessing.

Writing has also been a source of pleasure. I have always loved sitting in my father’s leather chair with a notebook, a sharpened pencil and some hot tea in hand. There has always been something about words that brought enchantment to my inner soul. While relaxing, the sound and the rhythm of the written language slowly play through my head until it is in perfect harmony with the ideas that force my pencil to the paper.

This simple love of the written art has led me to begin a collection of my favorite works.

Before I go on, I must point out that this idea was not planted in my mind by my own initiative, but from the “True Diarist” blog. So slide on over there and give him a friendly high five for his inspiring idea and writing.

That said, I have decided to write up a couple of short stories, essays and some poetry to include in the collection as well as some of my favorite posts from this blog.

Please wish me luck as I begin on this endeavor and I will finish with God’s needed help within the coming month.

God bless all you. See you tomorrow.

I saw a young man with his entire life before him. Below where his still body stood, a swirling, foamy mass flew underneath him in a hurry. The shadows of evening approached as the dying sun nestled lower in the horizon. Even the birds, which normally filled the air with their cries, were silent in anticipation of their needed sleep.

The sound of a tired voice could be heard. Bent over the safety railing, the man was sobbing, letting each salty tear drop into the waters below.

“I’m so sorry God,” he cried. “What have I done? When is this cycle of agony going to end? I want to be freed from this burden of sin that weighs down on me more each day.”

He stopped, hoping that no one had listened in on his conversation with God. When only silence was heard from the surrounding hills, he continued his prayer.

“I can no longer rescue my sinful self from the death that I have written out word by word. I am a sinner. No longer do I want to be a slave to the sin that deceives me at every turn. Jesus, you are the only way. I turn to you for my salvation and submit to you for your strength.”

“Lord, accept this humble offering.”

Atheists claim that there is no God and agnostics say that we cannot know Him, yet followers of Christ know differently. Through our experiences, we know that communication with the powerful Creator of the heavens and the earth is available to all.

One word is needed. Prayer.

This word expresses something truly amazing. The idea that God would want to hear our selfish pleas and our troubled thoughts truly shows that our God has a loving and kind heart. However, it does not stop there. Not only will he listen, but he will also answer.

Need I say more?

I normally don't do this type of thing, but my sister just started her own blog. She is a nine year old girl and loves to write.

Please check out her blog and say hello!

Thanks and God bless.

My eyes seem to drop lower every second that passes. Today, unlike my restful winter break, drained every ounce of energy from every muscle in my body. But, I have a lot to be thankful for, especially for my sisters.

My father and I were driving when the cell phone rang. As it turned out, it was for his business and talked for a while. After he had hung up, he called home to the family.

That was when the world fell away from us in a dizzy spiral.

My sister was kidnapped.

Dad and I started to pray as we sped down the streets frantically trying to get home where our remaining family was.

Faster than a roller coaster that dips and turns without warning, my mind raced trying to comprehend what was happening. In a couple of days she could end up dead along a highway. There I could see her lying. She was raped, beaten and dead. Outwardly I was composed, but my soul wanted to scream in pure terror of the possibilities.

Seconds seemed like hours that slowly ticked away. As we neared our home, the cell phone rang once again.

Picking it up, my dad answered in hope and fear. My sister was found, they said, she never was kidnapped. With a huge sigh of relief, I knew it was a false alarm, a mistake that could happen to anyone.

Needless to say, I thank God more for my sisters now. What a blessing.

We are in a battle, and America is the battle ground.

Unlike in other countries, the battle here is not against communist leaders who are guided by the forces of evil. Nor do we have the police knocking at our door for our arrest. What we do have is a television bringing sin and other filth into our homes daily. People are dressed without the slightest hint of decency and walk our streets. Pornography on the internet is crushing the souls of many. It grips them and never allows them to go free. It has become nearly impossible to see a movie without being attacked by messages that promote sin.

I could go on, but I do not need to. There is a war and a struggle waging under our very eyes. "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12)

In these sinful times, it is easy to become entangles in the sin that surrounds us. Before we know what we are doing, we can fall into Satan's trap. This battle will determine the destination of many souls, both for our own and for others.

What must we do to prepare for this battle that is already on our own doorstep?

"Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." (Ephesians 6:13-18)

I am ready for the fight. Are you with me?

You all know the story. Saul was a devout and fervent Jew who persecuted Christians. He was there at the stoning of Stephen and gave approval. Thinking he was in God's will, "Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison." (Acts 8:3) One day he decided to go to the town of Damascus and persecute the Christians there.

"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?'

'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked.

'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied." (Acts 9:3-5)

Although Saul was now blind due to the light, Jesus still instructed Saul to go into Damascus and find a Christian man named Ananias. When Ananias and Paul met, Ananias explained to Paul what he had seen and heard. At that moment, something like scales fell from his eyes and he could see.

From that day forward Saul preached the gospel to all men with out fear.

Again I ask the question. Why did God intervene in Saul's life?

God knew Saul's heart. He knew that Saul wanted to serve God and love God. God, in his great mercy, showed Saul that he was persecuting the very God that he thought he was serving.

I hope you had a great New Years Eve and will have a wonderful New Year. It is my prayer that during this new year we would draw closer to our Creator and learn to submit more completely to his perfect will.

God bless you all.