Real Think Inc.

Nothing is more disappointing to parent than a child going astray by his own choices. As parents we take a similar risk that God chose to take.
We take responsibility as much as we can and until we can no longer. A point of no return can be reached.

God created, and granted the freedom of beings to also be creators; possibly creators of evil and thus creators of sorrow. All sin brings about sorrow.

Lucifer rebelled against God before anyone on earth did so.

In scripture we read how God watched Adam to see what he would name the creatures. He watches us much more closely than we realize. He misses nothing.

Bertrand Russell was famous in America, known as the father of American atheism. He believed he had an iron-clad argument against the existence of a good God. He argued that a good God could not have created an existence where so much suffering would occur as has occurred on earth.

Illegitimate living brings sorrow and death. Legitimate living is like a good marriage where sex is enjoyed in intimacy, with utter loyalty and privacy. To know Christ – Messiah, Jesus – is a very special experience and is similar to knowing our spouse.

The truth is that God, like His Son, determined beforehand to endure evil for a season in order to give the opportunity for beings like you and I.

Jesus “Endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him,” (Hebrews 12:2). He desires to “bring many sons (people) to glory” (Hebrews 2:10).
Glory is that abode Jesus talked about when he said, “I go to prepare a place, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)

Heaven is where we are all invited; but we must be prepared by God the Savior: He must take away our sin. He only can do this. We cannot do this on our own. He will make us fit for heaven if we will turn to Him in the same sincerity as is found in a loyal marriage.

He is longsuffering because He is Love. But, love can be spurned. So it is with a good marriage spoiled by infidelity. Even then, God is greater in loving than we at our best.

His forgiveness involves His refusal to remember. “He casts away our sin as far as East is from West.” (Psalm 103:12)

We can be washed clean by God: “Wash me, and I will be white as snow,” cried Kind David. David sinned against God. So have we. (Psalm 51)

Jesus earned for us that which we could never have earned by our own effort. We did not self-create and we cannot make ourselves righteous, holy, pure, and spotless.

The life of Jesus is the final revelation from God to man- the triumph of His outreach to the willing. Jesus is God and Savior, and He is LORD. He says, “If you have seen me, you have seen the father” (John 14:7).

For the joy that was set before Him: His joy and mine – the Son of God –endured the cross, and He has tolerated and used all the evil on earth, but He will not continue forever to endure evil. He will come. Then, He will separate the sheep from the goats. (Matthew 25: 31-46)

“Take my heart Lord, take and seal it, seal it to Thy throngs above.”

Buddy

So, Linda and I were visiting the home show in Milwaukee. I spotted a husband and wife talking with two teen boys selling candy bars for charity purposes.

”Which would you like,” one boy asked. “A Brett Favre one or a Reggie White one?”

“Oh,” said the husband, “I like Reggie White, he’s a preacher and a fine one at that.”

“Yeah, I think he is,” replied one of the boys.”

“It is Christmas season now, isn’t it?” the husband returned.

“Yea, mister, it is, replied one of the boys.

“Well now,” the older man, “Do you know the Christmas song titled ‘Joy to The World? How does it go?”

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come,” began the boys together.

“Yes, yes, that’s it,” the older man exclaimed – has He indeed? He asked them.

“Has he what,” one of the lads asked in return.

“Has He really come?” the old man again asked.

“Well, yeah mister, He came,” the boys indicated.

“How does the song proceed?” the older man asked and then answered his own question quietly singing, “Let earth receive her King” – well now,” the man continued looking into the eyes of two fascinated teens. “You boy seem to me the kind that would not stiff-arm God; am I right?”

“Stiff-arm Him,” they asked.

“Well we either refuse Him or receive Him, boys listen to the next words: the older man repeated:

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come.”
“Let earth receive her King.”
“Let every heart – prepare Him room.”

Have you boys done that? The man asked.

“Not really,” the boys each agreed.

“Well now is a good time don’t you think?” the older man asked, “It’s Christmas time – He’s the reason for this season. He came, He surely did; but we must receive Him and we must not fail to do so.

The boys were with open hearts, listening, not too proud to be honest. The older man continued; “Do you know the next words? Again, He quietly sang them:

“And heaven and nature sing…”

“Boys,” the older man stated, “Heaven sings; that is, Jesus came for you and for me, He is very happy when we choose to receive Him. Do you know what the writer meant when he wrote that both heaven and nature sing? Jesus gave His life for us to receive Him so that His joy and ours can be alike”

“Boys,” the older man asked, “If you would not refuse Him, and if you will receive Him, won’t you do it now? Quietly now, we don’t want to raise a fuss, sing it with me.”

Right there at the Milwaukee Home Show an older man, his wife, and two kids sang:

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come.”
“Let earth receive her king.”
“Let every heart, prepare Him room.”

and then it happened; the older man led the younger two boys in prayer. They received Jesus – forgiveness and all – and heaven and nature sang once more.

Reader, it’s easy to share this hymn with someone at Christmas time– and to ask them if they would reject Him or receive Him, and invite them to receive Him now.

Many people realize that Jesus came into the world and that He spoke and lived like none other. Multitudes of church-goers would never consider rejecting Jesus but have also not been led into personally receiving Him. “He came unto His own,” the Bible reads; but His own received Him not.” We know this is so. Do we know as well that, “As many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become children of God!”
Open your heart to him, he asked. He said this to the church saying, “I stand at the door and knock. If any man will open the door, I will come in to Him and fellowship with Him.” When we do, He does, “And heaven and nature sings- yes, open the door – open the door to Him: receive the gift He gave, of Himself.

Buddy

In the truest sense everything that exists is of divine origin except sin. But sin is not the greatest problem mankind faces. Yes, it is the cause of all suffering; but suffering has value in that it should warn us individually and in society that something is amiss within our being.

Small injuries can give us advance notice of greater injury to come; that is, unless we change our ways. A smashed thumb can, for instance, awaken us to caution in handling boulders or heavy, precarious objects. “Be careful,” the smashed thumb warns us as it slowly heals.

Sin is like that; first a school-teacher; but if the pains have not their divinely intended goal, devastation lies in that path.

God warned Cain before Able was slain, “Cain, sin lies at the door” (Genesis 4:7).

A human being who does not have a relationship with God is lost, is in harm’s way. God will save any person from that destruction which otherwise cannot be avoided even while He does not at first remove us from the world.

Jesus taught that God is holy and that God is Spirit. He taught further that He was here as the Son of Man and Son of God.

Divine humans; God’s intention from before the beginning, and is alone the most, necessary ingredient for anyone to enter heaven.

Heaven will allow no Hell, no sin contamination. He must and will change us into His likeness and he will when we co-operate with Him. When we who are all prodigal sons of the Father, desire to turn fully to our God, He will assist our turning to Him with unstoppable aid. He is Savor. Never could we save ourselves.

It is Him in me. Jesus came into this stricken world so that I could be brought into His sanctuary; and there forever. Changed – by Him – into His likeness and only fully accomplished by Him

But the crowning glory I scarcely recognized. Who became the Son of Man, Who was embodied in human flesh will return visibly God among us and that forever. No wonder praise and worship will sound in heaven, also forever. And we are invited!

Buddy