I love those mountains; they’re so restful, so…enduring, and timeless.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Kilrone)

    “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.”
              –Psalm 16:9 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (ESV)

Recently I have written about how to have fellowship with God and how vital it is to our walk, and to our survival in this evil world.  We must understand God, we must seek God, we must contemplate God, we must desire God!  One of the easiest ways to keep God in the forefront of our minds is by music.  Take a break from the cares of this world, rest in the the words of the songs below.

         A friend of Jesus, O what bliss,
         That one so vile as I
         Should ever have a friend like this,
         To lead me to the sky.

         A friend when sickness lays me low,
         A friend when death draws near,
         A friend as through the vale I go,
         A friend to help and cheer.

         A friend when other friendships cease,
         A friend when others fail,
         A friend who gives me joy and peace,
         A friend who doth prevail.

         A friend when life’s short race is o’er,
         A friend when earth is past,
         A friend to meet on heaven’s shore,
         A friend when home at last.

                      Friendship with Jesus,
                      Fellowship divine,
                      O what blessed sweet communion,
                      Jesus is a friend of mine.”
                             –J.C. Ludgate (“Friendship With Jesus”)
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         What a Friend we have in Jesus,
         All our sins and griefs to bear!
         What a privilege to carry
         Ev’rything to God in prayer!
         O what peace we often forfeit,
         O what needless pain we bear,
         All because we do not carry
         Ev’rything to God in prayer!

         Have we trials and temptations?
         Is there trouble anywhere?
         We should never be discouraged,
         Take it to the Lord in prayer.
         Can we find a friend so faithful
         Who will all our sorrows share?
         Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness,
         Take it to the Lord in prayer.

         Are we weak and heavy laden,
         Cumbered with the load of care?
         Precious Saviour, still our refuge,
         Take it to the Lord in prayer.
         Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
         Take it to the Lord in prayer;
         In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
         Thou wilt find a solace there.
                   –Joseph Scriven  (“What A Friend”)

Rest today–the battle will still be there, but take time to ponder the words of these great songs.  Remember, as you walk through this life you need a Friend–you have a Friend, know that Jesus is with you.

There was a special feeling as the wind blew across those miles of grass, a wind so cool, so deep down inside you that every breath of it was like a drink of cool water.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (The Sky-Liners)

    “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
              –John 3:8 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (HCSB)

Several years ago I attended a church where some strange phenomenon was happening.  I talked with the Pastor and he said that this is the “new wine,” a new work of God.  I replied with a question, “Are you telling me that this is a ‘third testament’?  So this is a new, new wine?”  It didn’t go over so well, but I said that to warn against the mystic.
    Mysticism definitely is involved in Christianity, however, I said that as a warning for it can go overboard.  Much is done in the name of the Holy Spirit that isn’t very holy.  The person that says he has a new and fresh message stay away from him.  “The danger of mysticism is to concentrate so much on the Lord’s work in us that it forgets the Lord’s word for us.”  (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)  One thing that is easy to see regarding the mystic is their view on the doctrine of sin.  Rarely are they strong on the doctrine of sin.  They want short-cuts to great experiences.  This is not the true “mystic” in the Church for they will spend hours of meditation and solitude waiting for a clear word from the Lord.

         “The mystic tends to come and say, ‘Look here, you have nothing to worry about.  If you want to know God just as you are, you have to start getting into communion with Him, and He will speak to you and will give you all the blessings.’  They never mention the doctrine of sin in the sense that the guilt of sin is such a terrible thing that nothing but the coming of the Son of God into the world and the bearing of our sins in His own body on the cross could ever enable God to speak to the soul.”
              –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

    Those that follow the “mystics,” those who have a “new way,” rarely regard the holiness of God.  They may nod their heads recognizing that He is holy, but forget that they are to be holy as He is (1 Peter 1:15)  People need to start with themselves and get rid of self-centeredness, they need to focus on God.

         “They [cults, etc.] tend to come to us in terms of our need.  That is why they are always so popular and so successful; they seem to be giving us the thing we want.  We have our needs, and they seem to offer us everything just as we want it without any pain or difficulty.  There is no more thorough-going test, therefore, of the truth of the faith and of the religion that we may be concerned with than this.
         Primarily, the initial test, the characteristic of the revelation of the Bible, the first crucible, in a sense, of the Christian faith, is that it starts with God.  We are silenced, we are put into the background, we are not considering man first and foremost.  It is God, it all starts with Him.”
              –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

    The person who is truly seeking God and hungering after His righteousness will be one who thinks of God.  There must be contemplation of God in three ways:  first, to know Him through His Word; second, we need to see ourselves in sight of God; and third, we need to be confronted with the truth of God’s Word.

         “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord…  For our God is a consuming fire.”
              –Hebrews 12:14, 29 (NKJV)

    The way we are to be guided in this world, the way in which we must be guided is by the light of the Word of God.  “We either regard the Bible as authoritative, or else we trust to human ideas.”  When we turn to human ideas there is nothing but confusion and chaos.

         “Our thoughts lie open to thy sight;
             And naked to thy glance;
          Our secret sins are in the light
             Of thy pure countenance.”
                  –John Greenleaf Whittier

Do your duty; defeat evil where you see it and go with God.”
              –D.C. Adkisson (Mal de Ojo)

    “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
              –Romans 8:11 (NASB)
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I believe that the three most powerful and important words were spoken on that first Good Friday when Jesus hung on the cross.  “It is finished!”  The work that Jesus came to do was finished on the cross.  He fulfilled His purpose; He completed what He was sent to do.  
    Redemption–it was finished, mankind had been redeemed.  Propitiation–it was finished, the sacrifice of Jesus satisfied the wrath of God.  Atonement–it was finished, man’s sin was covered with the blood of Jesus.  Reconciliation–it was finished, there was now a way back to the Father.  Substitution–it was finished, Jesus took man’s place on the cross, He died where man did not have to.  Justification–it was finished, the Judge of Heaven pronounced Jesus guilty instead of you or me. 
    It was the cross that satisfied God.  It was the cross where Jesus took ALL the sins of the world, past and present, upon Himself.  It was the cross that made the earth tremble, made the demons cheer, and the skies darken.  Jesus, the Son of God, man perfect upon this earth now became sin and He cried out when sin came upon Him in all its horror and terror–It is finished!
    However, there were a few things to take care of before the complete mission was fulfilled.  The three silent days we know little about.  Things took place in the spirit world, the gates of hell were broken, but what actually happened we don’t know for sure.  Then. . . another shaking of the earth, then another shaking in the spirit realm and Jesus walked out of that tomb.  Death, sin, and hell had been defeated, now–the mission was complete!
    As Jesus completed His mission, so He expects us to complete ours.  We are given work to do; duty to follow the steps of Jesus.  No, we don’t have to die for our sins, Jesus did that, but we do have to pick up our cross and carry it.  Each of us play a different part in the mission, therefore, each of us have a job to finish.  There are battles to face, but that does not mean the mission is over.  I think of D-Day, June 1944, which insured the defeat of Germany, however, the mission was not completed until May 1945, when the Nazi government of the Third Reich surrendered to Allied forces.  Your personal mission will not be over until Jesus says, “well done, good and faithful servant.”
    Please take some time today and throughout the weekend to contemplate those words, “It is finished!” (see John 19).  Then be ready to shout in victory as V-S Day came about.  (Victory Over Satan/Sin)  It is finished, the victory is won!  Throw your shoulders back, hold your head high, for Jesus Christ brought about the glorious victory.

To a fool time brings only age, not wisdom.”
              –Louis L’Amour  (Sitka)

    “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good.”
              –Psalm 14:1 (NKJV)
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This is not a joke, this is just something I don’t understand.  How can people of sound mind say that there is no God when “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1, NKJV)?  This is purposely remaining ignorant.  To look into the majestic sky at night seeing all the stars and thinking, “it just happened” –what foolishness!”
    How can people see what Jesus did for them on the cross and refuse to accept His sacrifice and redemption?  This is the height of foolishness.  Why choose a devil’s hell when Jesus paid the price so that each person could go to heaven?  Arrogance and foolishness!
    “Life hath been set before you, the joys of heaven have been opened to you in the gospel; the certainty of them have been manifested; the certainty of the everlasting torments of the damned hath been declared to you,” wrote Richard Baxter.  There is a choice for all to make, it is complete foolishness to choose the road to perdition.
    Yet many will not turn.  They will choose to go their own way, therefore it is not the fault of God that they are condemned, but because of their own willfulness and refusing the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary.  
    This is the atheist’s holiday–April Fools’ Day–April 1.  Let’s look at what a fool is from the Book of Proverbs.  In the New King James a fool is mentioned 78 times in Proverbs.

         “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (1:7)

         “For the turning away of the simple will slay them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them.” (1:32)

         “The wise shall inherit glory, But shame shall be the legacy of fools.” (3:35)

         “Forsake foolishness and live, And go in the way of understanding.”  (9:6)

         “The wise in heart will receive commands, But a prating fool will fall.”  (10:8)

         “To do evil is like sport to a fool, But a man of understanding has wisdom.”  (10:23)

         “Fools mock at sin, But among the upright there is favor.”  (14:9)

         “The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.”  (15:2)

Here is enough to give us the idea of the heart and course of the “fool.”  Foolishness, folly is the choice of many which will lead down the road to destruction.  Heed the advice of our Lord Jesus, seek to find the narrow gate, follow the difficult way, and find life everlasting (Matthew 7:13-14).
    We may laugh at the foolish pranks done today.  We may smile at the puns or the jokes, but the way of the fool is no laughing matter.  He is to be pitied and witnessed to, if he will listen.  I like what Charles Portis wrote in True Grit, “What have you done when you have bested a fool?”