Irrevocable

Valerie Cullers 10 Comments

A few weeks ago, I was flipping through the channels and saw a pastor playing the organ at his son’s church. I was a bit shocked as this pastor had a spectacular and highly publicized fall from grace in the late 1980s. I had pretty much assumed that he was out of the ministry or at least the public eye. You know, kind of the “one and done” philosophy…one mistake and you are done.

I thought about him for a while and I realized that although that might be how the world looks at people, it is not necessarily how the Lord operates. If a person repents, gets counseling, does their time (if there is any to do), and is accountable to the church leadership and has proved over a period of time that he has truly changed course, there is the possibility that he or she may be restored to some type of ministry.

Why would anyone take the time to restore a person who had made a large mistake? This would be about love and grace, which are subjects for a different day. Besides the love and grace aspect, one would think that the Lord would just wipe his hands of someone who had blown it in a big way, but that is not true. The Scripture says that, “For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29

So, what exactly does that mean? Well, let’s look at what irrevocable means: “not able to be changed, reversed or recovered. Final.” Oxford Languages. In other words, when the Lord gives us certain gifts and calls us to do certain things, He doesn’t take them back.

What does that mean for us? Is there someone sitting out there reading this who feels like they have blown it too badly to ever be used by God again? Have you failed Him or quit on Him in a big way? Can He or will He forgive you? Do you think He has given up on you…you know, one and done?

Unbelievably, when we read the verse above, we know that God is not in the business of taking back what He has given us. Not the gifts that allow us to serve Him, nor the calling to do it. They are ours to do with what we can. Have you turned your back on God or do you think He has turned His back on you?

You are the one who needs to turn around and look into the face of God. You will find His grace and love waiting to restore you. If you are willing, He is certainly willing. Is that kind of grace hard to believe in? Do you need an example from the Bible? In Acts 15:36-41, we find two disciples arguing over John who was called Mark. He had deserted them in Pamphylia, and Paul, the apostle, was not willing to take him with them again. You know…one and done; but Barnabas wanted him to go, and he eventually took John Mark with him to minister to the fledgling church in Asia Minor.

So here’s the takeaway if that’s you. Turn around and take heart. God is not done with you yet. It is still not too late to be used by Him.

Image by Harry Strauss. Courtesy of Pixabay

Father Knows Best

Valerie Cullers 18 Comments

When I was growing up, there was a weekly television series called “Father Knows Best.” Every week, the mother and kids would deal with a problem. They would wrestle with a solution, and then the father would come home from work. He would listen to the problem and then, in his wisdom, would give them a solution. Whether they liked it or understood the answer, the family would follow the father’s advice, and things would work out. Lately, the title of this sitcom has been on my mind.

I’ve been thinking about all the prayers I prayed as a teenager. They consisted of a lot of desires; the boys I thought I wanted to marry, where I thought I wanted to go to school, where I wanted to live, etc.; typical teenage girl hopes and dreams. Looking back, I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father did not answer those prayers with a “yes.” I certainly didn’t know what I was really asking for, but He did. You see, my Heavenly Father really did know best all those years ago.

As I think through the decades of unanswered prayers, I wonder why there were so many “no” answers. I thought that what I was praying for was a good thing for my life or for the lives of others, but so many of my requests were not answered the way I wanted them to. People divorced, died and lost their homes. Businesses were lost, and loved ones went through a lot of suffering. I can’t even comprehend why my prayers were not answered, and yet by faith I must trust that my Heavenly Father knew best.

My desire would always be to be spared suffering, for myself and those I pray for. In my quest of faith, I must admit that I don’t understand my Father’s allowance of suffering in this world. Why doesn’t he just wave a magic wand and make everything better? I have no answers for any of these questions. I do know a few things, though.

I know I serve a good and loving God. I know that I live in a fallen world where there is suffering as a result of man’s sin. I know that this earth and this life are temporary and that there is an eternal life to come. I freely admit my lack of understanding, but I do trust Him because, after all, I believe that my Heavenly Father knows best.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.

A Foretaste

Valerie Cullers 7 Comments

Have you ever been at an expensive restaurant and asked about a dessert they are serving? Many times they will bring you a sliver of cake so you can taste it. This sample is a foretaste of what you will get if you order it. You may like it, and sometimes it just doesn’t sit well on your palate, so you decline to order it.

“Foretaste – a sample or suggestion of what lies ahead.” Oxford Languages

For those who have heard the predictions in the Bible about what is coming to our global society and pooh-pooh it, may I say we are getting a foretaste of what is coming now. “Surely,” some may say to themselves, “l live in a democracy and my rights will never be taken away.” Those who believe that are going to be in for a surprise!

Think about what is happening in our country right now:

Domestic Terrorists – School Board Moms are being given this label if they show up at a school board meeting and disagree with the current orthodoxy and are threatening.

Vaccine Mandates – People are being forced to get a vaccine they do not want in order to work, go to school, and travel. Mind you, this is a vaccine that does not provide lifetime immunity and one can still get the illness in question. Note: I am not against the vaccine, just forcing people to get it who do not want to take it.

Cancel Culture – If a person takes a stand that is counter to the current opinion floated in the culture, they may get piled on by hundreds if not thousands of people and get canceled. They may be fired and lose their job because of it.

Group Think – The mainstream media continually bombards us with their opinions of how things are and how they should be. The unbiased truth is not given by the media. The truth is ignored in order to promote a particular agenda. The media hopes that people will fall in line and conform to whatever is being promulgated at the moment.

Double Standard – There is one standard for the elite and one for the rest of the people.

Tech control – Big tech is doing its best to control the messaging in society. If you don’t agree with them, you might find yourself in Facebook jail or shadow-banned for your opinions on Twitter.

Let’s face it. We are all being given a foretaste of what is coming. At some point, there will be a totalitarian Orwellian global society where those who disagree with the autocrats and the technocrats will be the enemies of the state. This will be especially true for Christians who refuse to bow down to the Ruler who is coming, who will demand that everyone worship him and take his mark in order to buy and sell.

How do you like this foretaste? You will be served this particular dish whether you like it or not in the future. “What can I do?” you may ask. For now, take your stand where you need to but don’t die on any unnecessary hills. The time will come when we all need to stand for our convictions and pay the price, however heavy it may be.

Photo by Oleksandr Pyrohov. Courtesy of Pixabay.

“Of Whom the World Was Not Worthy”

Valerie Cullers 14 Comments

Yesterday, when I was doing some sewing for my husband, I thought, “Gee, I would love to call the woman who taught me this skill.” Later on in the evening, I Googled her name and saw her phone number. I knew it was a God occurrence because I had tried to find her many times over the past several years and was unable to do so.

So I called her and we talked for about a half an hour. She shared her life with me and it impacted me greatly. She had followed her profession and then had gotten sick. She returned home until she recovered. At some point after that, her father became ill and her mother couldn’t care for him by herself. She chose to help her mother care for her father and then later when her mother couldn’t take care of herself, she chose to help her until she passed. Throughout the years, she had some difficult health issues to deal with also.

What struck me about her was her attitude. She had the same sweet innocence about her that she had when I knew her decades ago. She is a strong believer in Jesus and has relied upon Him to take care of her all of these years. After we hung up, I thought about her for several hours. When I got into bed, I continued thinking about her. She is certainly one of those people that doesn’t fit in any kind of a mold. I was praying about her and the phrase came into my mind, “Of whom the world is not worthy.”

This phrase is from the Hebrews 11:38 in Scripture where the writer is describing those who followed God and how the world mistreated them; i.e. “the world was not worthy of them.” They are people who followed their faith to the end and suffered persecution and deprivation because of their beliefs.

In a world of selfishness, greed and self-centeredness, those who lay down their lives to help others stand out. Those who manage to maintain their innocence in the midst of the evil in this world stand out even more. I have only known one other person like this in my life. To describe it in a different way, these people are truly pure in heart.

What is the takeaway for us? Romans 16:19 tells us to “be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.” If we want to be pure in heart, we must turn our eyes, minds and hearts away from what is evil in this world. It is everywhere but we must set our hearts to not participate in it. I don’t know about you, but I would love to be “wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.” At the end of our lives, our character will be a reflection of the choices we have made. Lord, help us to choose the good and not the evil!

Image by Prigarci. Courtesy of Pixabay.

What if Our Conception is Wrong? — Mitch Teemley

Valerie Cullers Leave a comment

My Featured Blogger this week is Gordon Couch, aka „Rocky,“ of The Fractured Rock. Rocky is a retired businessman, world traveler, and longtime teacher at his church. He and his wife of 50 years have the foothills of Tennessee’s spectacular Smoky Mountains for a „backyard.“ The story below, by an anonymous writer, has apparently been […]

What if Our Conception is Wrong? — Mitch Teemley

The Days of Noah

Valerie Cullers 14 Comments

The other evening, my husband and I were clicking through the channels on the television, looking for something to watch. We happened to scroll by the local news, and it had a special report on. Locally, the hospitals are full, and they were asking people to wear masks and be careful to social distance. We kept it on for a few minutes and listened as one of the hospital administrators was describing what it was like in the hospital. He talked about expanding the morgue because they needed the space for more bodies. It was a pretty bleak picture.

The next day we went to the store. We expected that there would be lots of people wearing masks and following the directions given on the news. Surprise, surprise, it was not so. Hardly anyone was wearing a mask, and at one store, even the checkers were not wearing masks.

So we get in the car and I say to my husband, “What gives? Am I living in an alternate reality? Is what the man said on television true or not?” He didn’t have an answer but as we drove home and I looked around, I thought, “These are like the days of Noah.”

You see, when Noah was building his ark, he was preaching to the people about the coming flood. He was warning them but they were not listening. It was as if he wasn’t speaking at all. Jesus described it this way, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24: 37-39

Most people have heard about the Lord’s return. They have been warned that they should get ready, but they are not paying attention; they are not listening. They have heard about it so much that they have grown dull of hearing. They are going about their business as usual, either unaware or unconcerned that, in fact, there will come a day of reckoning with the Lord.

Are you like that? Am I? Do we think that just because it hasn’t happened yet, it will not happen at all? Have we even become so hardened to the message that we have become scoffers? The apostle Peter talked about a time when men would become like that: “knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3-4

It’s easy to hear a warning and ignore it. It’s easy to ignore something we have heard over and over again and think, “Not going to happen to me. Probably not going to happen at all.” Let’s not be like those during the days of Noah. Let’s be ready for the Lord’s return.

Image by Hany Alashkur. Courtesy of Pixabay

Groaning

Valerie Cullers 18 Comments

Have you ever been in the delivery room and heard someone groaning in the next room? You know when that happens, the person is in pain. They are suffering and laboring to deliver a baby.

Likewise, we look around the Earth and we see earthquakes, volcanoes, fires, floods, hurricanes, typhoons. So many of these occurrences are setting records for frequency and intensity. Let’s face it, the Earth is groaning.

When God created the Earth, it was perfect. The Scripture says, “Then God saw everything He had made, and indeed it was very good.” Genesis 1: 31 The Lord placed man in a garden, and it was a beautiful, wonderful place to live. The Earth was in balance, and man was in balance with nature. There was no sin, death or decay in the world.

Eventually, man sinned and everything changed. Sin brought death into the world. The beautiful creation suddenly lost its perfection. God said to Adam, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.” Genesis 3:17-18

Man became more wicked and sinful, and eventually the Lord decided to destroy the Earth with a flood. He sent rain upon the Earth for forty days, and all life was destroyed on the Earth. One family (eight persons) was saved in an ark. When the water receded and they came out of the ark, God again spoke to a man, Noah, about the earth. “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and all the fish in the sea. They are given into your hand.” Genesis 9:2

Fast forward several thousand years. Again, like I said, the Earth is groaning. We see signs of it everywhere. Is this caused by Climate Change or Global Warming? Is this just a matter of too many greenhouse gases in the atmosphere? Hardly. The Scripture explains to us what is happening. “for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. FOR WE KNOW THAT THE WHOLE CREATION GROANS AND LABORS WITH BIRTH PANGS TOGETHER UNTIL NOW.” Romans 8:19-22

That’s right. The Earth is groaning, awaiting the time that it will be renewed and restored as it was in the beginning when God created it. It will be beautiful, balanced and all creation will be in line with the perfect will of God. The Lord will return to the Earth and set things right. Let’s look at what it will be like at that time:

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like an ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah 11: 6-9

So the next time you take a good look at the Earth and start reading the stats about the frequency and intensity of earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, and fires; don’t start wringing your hands and wondering what we can do. The Earth is speaking to us. It is in labor and we are past the first stage. We may be in transition or moving towards the final stage of labor, delivery. It’s groaning alright. Can you hear it?

Image by Wikilmages. Courtesy of Pixabay

The Last Call

Valerie Cullers 19 Comments

Have you ever taken a train trip before? When you are in the station, you wait for your train to be called so that you can board. After it has been announced a few times, you hear, “Last call for Train #35 going to Torino.” That last call means that if you are in the station, you have a very short time to get on board before the train leaves. There will be no other notice that the train is leaving. You will hear the air brakes release, and then the wheels begin to roll. If you are not on board, it leaves without you.

I look around at our world today, and I believe we are hearing “The Last Call.” Everywhere I look, there is violence, war, pestilence, plagues (including Covid), and the disintegration of societies. I do not see our world moving in a positive direction. I cannot imagine that man, after all he has done to mess up this world, is going to make it a better place. Those who believe that man is capable of creating “an ideal society” are sorely disillusioned. Believe me, if man could have done it, it would have happened a long time ago.

Jesus talked about a time like this on the earth. He said, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” Luke 21: 10-11.

Surely, anyone who is listening and looking around can hear the announcement: “We are nearing the end of the age as we know it. It is time to answer the call. Jesus is coming soon for his people. Turn to Him before it is too late.”

Have you heard the call? Are you just waiting for another and then another announcement, unaware that soon there will be no more, and it will be too late to get on board? I hope not, because surely what comes next is not going to be pleasant, and no one wants to be around for the final act.

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say ‘peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5: 2-3

Please, I beg you, answer the call before it is too late!

Are You Instrument Rated?

Valerie Cullers 16 Comments

A few weeks ago, we were sitting at lunch with a newly licensed pilot. He was sharing an experience that happened to him several days before. The valley we live in has been socked in with smoke from forest fires for about a month. Sometimes the smoke is heavy and the visibility is almost nil. He decided to take his plane up because the control tower told him he had six miles of visibility. It seemed like that would work for him since he wasn’t Instrument-Rated. He and his wife flew around for a while and then decided to return to the airport. As they were coming into the valley, they couldn’t see the airport. It was socked-in with smoke from the forest fires. Because he wasn’t Instrument-Rated, he could not get his bearings. He sent a distress call to the tower and waited for instructions. After what seemed like an eternity (which was probably only several seconds), he received the heading that brought him in line with the airport. Within a short time, he could see the airport and was able to land safely. After he landed, he decided to not go up again in those conditions until he was Instrument-Rated.

On the way home from lunch, I thought to myself, “What a fitting metaphor for life.” Many times, we get in situations where we cannot see our way ahead clearly. At that point, we must rely on information we have gathered to keep us moving forward in the right direction. What happens to us, though, if we don’t have sufficient information to keep us on course (like the pilot who was not instrument-rated)? We can crash and burn if we aren’t able to get our bearings.

So how do we get Instrument Rated for life? First, we must find a source of information that is timeless, eternal and true. For me, that source is the Bible. I know that no matter what happens to me, I can rely on God and His word to get me through it. The Bible describes what God is like in hundreds of verses and gives us His promises to help keep us grounded and get us to our destination safely.

For instance, His word tells us that God is love. (1 John 4:16) We can be assured that a loving God will be there to help us no matter what comes our way. It also tells us that He is a merciful God and that His mercies are new every morning. (Lam. 3:22-23) We can rest assured that He will give us mercy in the midst of our difficulties. It tells us that all things will work out for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) We can trust Him no matter what happens, knowing that He is working our situation out for our benefit. And then there are the coordinates for zero visibility: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6. These verses will take us home every time.

Think about the last time you were in a difficult situation when you couldn’t see your way clearly through it…how did you react? What did you rely on to help you navigate in the midst of the problem? Were you Instrument-Rated or did you crash and burn? There is a way to get Instrument-Rated for Life. We can check out the Bible and see what bearings we can get from the Ultimate Control Tower. Better to do it sooner than later when we find ourselves flying blind in the midst of another difficult situation!

Image by LimatMD Anf. Courtesy of Pixabay

Say the Word

Valerie Cullers 22 Comments

Every few weeks, my older brother calls. We talk about several subjects, and then the conversation moves to the topic he spends the most time on, the breakdown of civil society. He is a businessman and constantly dealing with people. He cannot believe the way people behave. He decries the corporate greed, the stealing that goes on, and the inhumane way people treat each other.

Mind you, I am not talking to any right-wing conservative. He is a far-left leaning liberal who cannot comprehend the moral breakdown in today’s society. It is a rare day if he mentions the word “God” and I have no idea what his religious beliefs are.

I, in turn, answer him pretty much the same way, phone call after phone call. “We, as a society, have lost our moral compass.” In previous centuries, most of Western society has based its laws and public morals on the Judeo-Christian ethic, i.e., a belief that some behaviors are wrong. Lying, stealing, adultery, usury and sexual perversion are examples, to name a few.

Since our society decided to cast off a belief in God, then of course, His word and the values that are attached to it have lost their significance. Behaviors that were once considered morally wrong have now been accepted. Not only are they accepted, but now they are flaunted. Relativism has taken hold, and all behaviors are judged relative to the situation in which they occur. Situational ethics is the term used now to describe this phenomenon.

Take stealing, for example, it was once considered wrong. Now, corporations can charge astronomical prices for goods, and it is an accepted practice. Credit card companies can charge exorbitant interest fees, and it is legal. Individuals feel free to walk into stores and steal as much as they can get away with, and feel no sense of guilt or shame.

You know we have reached a tipping point when universities have to teach classes in ethics in various disciplines because students have no idea what right and wrong are anymore.

There is a word that is no longer used in today’s society. It is a moral term: sin. Sin is defined as: “an immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.” Oxford Languages.

And really, why would we use the term anymore? If as a society we no longer believe that there is a divine law, then there can be no moral transgression against it. However, just because that moral law is no longer accepted as a societal norm, does not mean that it does not exist.

There is a God, a divine moral law, and consequences for breaking that law. Look around you. We are watching those consequences manifest themselves in practically every arena in society. If we want to describe this breakdown in a moral context, we must say the word sin, for it most certainly is the best way to describe what is happening. Sin against self, sin against others and most of all sin against God.