For the past few weeks, our society has been focused on the Presidential Pardons being given out at the White House. The President granted his son a full pardon and today has pardoned over 1,500 people. Some of his pardons have been controversial, and others, not so much. Like it or not, over the next several weeks, we are likely to see many more pardons.
Pardons are not something that we see happen a lot. Judges don’t usually give them out and there are not many other entities that are allowed to give out judicial pardons. Because pardons are such a rare thing, they gain a lot of attention.
A lot of us have not been in jail or prison and do not have a record that is limiting our life choices. We do not normally think about pardons in the judicial sense but we are aware of the need for them in our relationships. When we apologize for something we have done that may have offended someone, we want to be pardoned (or forgiven) our wrong. If people are unable or unwilling to forgive or pardon others, they can lead to a very difficult life indeed.
When I think about pardons, I immediately think about the fact that I was given a full pardon several years ago. I was in my mid-twenties, had lived a bit of a wild life, and needed the forgiveness of God for my sins. They were weighing heavily on my mind and I wished to make a change in the way I had been living. I learned that I was not alone and that the Scripture says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” I found out that God was waiting to grant me a full pardon; if only I would ask for it.
I was grateful that his Son, Jesus, had come to this earth to die in order that I might be pardoned for the sins I had committed. He paid the penalty for my sin so that my relationship with the Father could be restored and that I could live a new life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16.
Did I deserve a full pardon? No. Did some people not understand how I could be forgiven and begin to live a new life? Yes. It didn’t matter to me. I was and am eternally grateful to the Father and his Son, Jesus, for the full pardon.
When we think about pardons, we should look inside of ourselves and see if we need a full pardon. Let’s not look at others and think about their unworthiness but look at our own unworthiness when it comes to the ability to stand before a holy and righteous God.
After looking inside, do you feel the need a full pardon? Don’t be afraid to reach out to Jesus and ask for it. He has paid the full price for all of your sins and He is more than willing to give you one if only you will ask.
Jimmy grabbed another beer and chugged it. He was already three sheets to the wind, but who cares? Tonight was the end of the season, and they had won; this party was for them. It didn’t hurt that he was the star quarterback and had a full ride to Arizona State. This was his night, and he had enjoyed every minute of it. He looked at his watch. It was late and he was ready to go home. “Hey, Bill, Tom, come on,” he said. Bill and Tom, his linebackers and best friends, were a bit hammered also. They grabbed their coats and followed Jimmy out the door.
Jared caught a glimpse of them leaving and ran out the door. “Hey guys, why don’t you let me drive you home. It’s time for me to hit the road also.”
Jimmy turned and looked at him. “Not gonna happen, you pipsqueak.” He laughed at the thought of the smallest guy on the team driving them home.
Jared looked at his three friends. He was the placekicker for the team. He didn’t drink but just came to the party to socialize and celebrate the end of the season. He knew he didn’t have the physical strength to stop Jimmy, and so he got in his car and thought he would follow them to make sure they got home okay.It had rained earlier, and now the temperature was freezing. The road was going to be slick for sure.
Jared waited about thirty seconds before he pulled out of the parking lot after Jimmy left. He then got on the narrow road and stayed a ways behind him. Jimmy was speeding up and he lost sight of them as they rounded a curve. Jared touched his brakes lightly as he came into the turn. His car slowed as he rounded the corner.
“Oh God,” he said as he saw Jimmy’s car up against a tree. The front was smashed in and the back had black smoke coming out of it. He quickly called 911 and then jumped out of the car. He saw that Jimmy, Tom and Bill looked unconscious. He prayed, “Help me God,” as he began shouting at them to wake up. Bill was the first one to start to come around and so he ran and opened his door. He unhooked his seatbelt and began talking to him. Jared helped Bill walk a safe distance and then sat him on the ground. He left him there and returned to the car.
By that time, Jimmy was beginning to come around. He had been protected by the airbag and was mumbling something about being knocked out at the game. Jared started shouting at him to wake up. He removed Jimmy’s seatbelt and half-dragged him out of the car. “Who hit us, dude?” Jimmy said. His legs were like rubber, but Jared managed to gethim to where Bill was. He let him fall to the ground and ran back for Tom. By this time, he could see flames shooting out of the other side of the car. He knew he only had a matter of seconds to get Tom to safety.
Jared opened the driver’s side back door and started shouting at Tom. Tom opened his eyes and looked at him. His eyes were glazed over but at least they were open. Jared unhooked his seat belt and pulled him out of the car. He fell to the ground and Jared helped him get up and Tom slowly limped to where the other two were.
Jared set him down, stood, and turned around to look at the car. At that moment, the car blew up and burst into flames. A piece of metal hit Jared in the chest and he was knocked to the ground. He put his hand to his chest and could feel warm liquid coming out where the metal had hit him. He started to lose consciousness and the last thing he heard was the sound of sirens coming to where they were.As the blackness was overtaking him, he thought, “Thank God my friends are safe.”
An hour later, Jimmy lay in the emergency room. He was finally awake and had sobered up enough to know where he was. His parents were there talking to the doctor. They looked worried, and he wondered if he and the other guys were going to be okay. When the doctor left, he said to his parents, “Am I going to be okay? How are the other guys?”
His father had a serious look on his face, “They’re going to keep all of you overnight for observation. The doctor said you can come home tomorrow.”
A few days later, Jimmy lay on his bed. He and Bill had been released the day after the accident and were being watched for symptoms of a concussion. Tom was still in the hospital with a broken ankle and Jared…Jared didn’t make it. He started to cry. Jared, the only sober one at the party, had risked his life to save them from the burning car. Not only had Jared saved his life, he had saved him from causing the death of his friends in the car.
The next morning, he forced himself out of bed to attend Jared’s funeral. He watched as Jared’s parents wept as the pastor spoke comforting words to them. He knew he was going to have to speak to them and tell them how sorry he was for his foolish behavior. But he knew that he would never be able to make it up to them for the loss of their son. The only innocent person that night was Jared, and he was the one who paid the price for his bad judgment. He started to cry; it was not fair, not fair at all.
We can all agree with Jimmy that it wasn’t fair that the one person who was innocent in this story was the one who paid the price for Jimmy’s poor decisions. I hope this parable somehow conveys the truth of what Jesus did for us. The Scripture says, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die, yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ” Romans 5: 6 -8. That’s some kind of love, isn’t it? And it’s there just for the asking.
I had a dream a few nights ago. My husband and I had moved to the coast, and we were standing on the shore. I looked up and there was a thirty-foot wave coming towards the beach. Someone yelled, “Everyone get to higher ground!” People started running. My hubby and I walked as fast as we could up the hill, and when we got there, the people had gone into a church. It was getting dark, and the lights were on.
Certainly all of my dreams don’t have a deeper meaning, but I think this one did. I have thought about it a lot. I believe difficult times are coming. They may be economic, viral, or environmental; I don’t know, but I think the best thing we can do to prepare for them is to get closer to the Lord and his people. So many people quit attending services during the pandemic because they just got out of the habit of going. They feel like they are doing fine and are watching the services from home, but it isn’t the same as participating in the body life of the church.
My hubby and I know about this firsthand. After his strokes, we didn’t attend church for at least a year. Like others, we watched the services from home but felt very disconnected from the body of Christ. Now that we have started going again, we feel much closer to the Lord and to his people.
Scripture tells us in Hebrews 10:25 to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together and even more as we see the day approaching. What day would that be? He is talking about the return of the Lord. Even those who are not believers can see that the earth is on a collision course with disaster. Nations are at war with each other, and the Middle East is at a boiling point that could spill over, affecting many nations. The economies of several countries are barely holding onto their monetary systems, and others have already imploded. It just takes one EMP to detonate in the atmosphere to paralyze any country in the world. The viral labs are again working on gain of function, and who knows what virus will escape, causing yet another pandemic. I am not a pessimist, but the future does not look bright and rosy to me.
If any of these disasters do pan out in the future, we will need a large support group. What better place to find one than in the church where people will love you, pray for you and help you when you need it. Now is the time to get connected so that when difficulties come, you are fully supported by the body of Christ.
Most of us are aware of the pushback that came after the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. People were especially outraged at the parody of Da Vinci’s Last Supper. To paraphrase the Art Director of the ceremony the day after, he basically said that we should all just have a good laugh and move on. The pushback continues, and now he has come out and said it wasn’t a parody of The Last Supper at all. It was supposed to represent a 17th century Dutch painting, The Feast of the Gods by Jan Harmensz van Biljert. Really? It only took him four days to come up with that explanation. If it was the truth, why didn’t he set the record straight initially instead of talking about how he accomplished his goal of inclusivity at the Opening Ceremony?
I’ve thought a lot about it and to say I was disappointed at the display is an understatement. My spirit was grieved that again Christian symbolism has been upended to make a point for those who wish to display their sexuality in a public in-your-face performance.
Those who put on that performance probably had a good laugh that night and several good laughs since then. But how do you think the Lord felt about the performance? Was he up in heaven wringing his hands and saying, “Oh dear, Oh dear!”?
I don’t think so. He knows those who oppose him and his moral laws, and he knows what their end will be. To quote Psalm 2, verses 1-5, “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One. “Let us break their chains, they say, and throw off their fetters.” The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.Then He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath.”
Take comfort, there is coming a day when those who oppose the Lord will have to face him and it will be a very sad day indeed. Better to come to him now while it is possible and the Days of Mercy and Grace are still before us. His hands are always held out for those who will turn from their wicked ways and come to him. No sin is too great for him to forgive. Come while there is still time.
“Brou Ha Ha – A noisy and overexcited response to something.” Oxford Languages
Were you distracted this Easter weekend by the brou ha ha that went on because of the proclamation the White House made? I made the unfortunate decision to check the news before I went to bed on Saturday night and I saw it. Do you wonder why the President’s staff made such a decision? If they had to make a proclamation for that Sunday, surely they could have chosen Easter. After all, it is no longer a religious holiday but a secular one with eighty-one percent of Americans celebrating it. To many people, it is just about the Easter bunny, coloring eggs and chocolate.
I listened to the talking points of why the White House chose that particular proclamation but they truly rang hollow to me. They made a deliberate decision to disrespect Christians in America and say, “We’re here. We want the attention. Notice Us!” I’m sure they said to themselves, “How many news cycles will we have to endure pushback?” and the answer was, “Two maybe three.” And of course, they were right. Not many subjects stay in the forefront of the news for more than a day or two.
Hopefully next year we won’t have to deal with all the nonsense. Many will say that the outrage was because the proclamation was about Transgender Day but you can bet there would have been a lot of blowback if they had chosen National Bunsen Burner Day, Oranges and Lemon Day, National Tater Day, Prom Day, Crayon Day, Cream Cheese Frosting Day or Neighbor Day, all of which fall on March 31st.(These are actually national holidays.)
For those of you who were worried about the Lord, don’t be. He has his own view of those who like to shake their fist in His face. One only has to read in Psalm 2: “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.“
Next time some politician or prominent person makes a point of exalting themselves or their agenda above the Lord’s, don’t worry or be distressed by the brou ha ha that follows. Remember the Lord just laughs at them and holds them in derision. He is still on His throne and nothing can change the truth of that.
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” Jesus ~ John 11:25
This coming Sunday, the church will celebrate Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people were praising him, saying , “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21: 9 But did you know that Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem was predicted almost five centuries before?
The Book of Daniel was written around 530 B.C. In it, many prophecies were given to Daniel about the people and land of Israel. They are so accurate that many don’t believe he could have written it. Some scholars believe it was written in the second century B.C. I, for one, believe it was written exactly when it says it was written.
Daniel had been studying the book of Jeremiah to try to figure out how long his people would be in captivity in Babylon. He realized that Jeremiah had spoken about seventy years. As he was praying for his people the angel Gabriel interrupted him and gave him more prophecies concerning his people Israel. One of these prophecies specifically speaks to Palm Sunday. “Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks; the street shall be built again , and the wall, even in troublesome times.”Daniel 9: 25
Prophecy experts know that each week is a week of years, i.e., sixty-nine weeks equals 483 years. The Jewish year has 360 days, so the total days would be 173,880 days. These numbers are certainly staggering. The decree went forth to restore and build Jerusalem by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 B.C., and Jesus rode into Jerusalem on April 6, 32 A.D., exactly 173,880 days later. This includes 116 leap days and 24 days between March 14 and April 6. (Information in this paragraph provided by Koinonia House, Chuck Missler 2004)
When you celebrate Palm Sunday this year, know for a fact that Jesus the Messiah’s entrance had been predicted centuries earlier to the exact day. Even though the people didn’t realize what was happening at the time, Messiah the Prince, did come to them on that very day.
This is just one example of predictive prophecy in the Bible. There were over three hundred prophecies that were fulfilled at the first coming of Jesus. You can be sure that the over two hundred prophecies that pertain to his second coming will be fulfilled in the same way. Nothing is random with the Lord. They will be fulfilled at the exact time; and on the exact day, they are supposed to.
When our oldest son was about three, we met some friends up at a lake. I was standing on one side of the boat ramp, and my husband and his friend were standing a few feet away on the other side of the ramp. Our son wanted to come over to where I was, and my husband said, “Sure.” He took off, and my hubby just assumed he was with me. He was busy chatting with his friend, and since I was in plain sight, he didn’t give it a second thought.
A few minutes later, my husband came over to where I was and he didn’t have Shawn with him. Shawn had walked right past me and was who knows where. Inside of me, I began to panic. There were lots of people at the lake that day, which only added to my consternation. My friends took off down the path, and I just stood there frozen. I could barely breathe. If something happened to my son, I knew I would not be able to live with myself. Second after second ticked by as I fought back hysteria. Thankfully, a few minutes later, our friends found him following the path along the lake, looking for me. To say I was relieved would be an understatement.
The Lord brought this incident back to my mind recently. When I think about the way I felt about my son being lost, it may, in some small way, reflect how the Lord feels when He looks down at His children and sees so many of them lost. I do not believe the Lord is panicked or hysterical, but the thought of losing them forever must be heart-wrenching. Millions are looking for Him, but because they are on the wrong path, they will never find Him. They will just continue walking until they walk right past Him into a Christless eternity.
Luke 19:10 says: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That means that if you are lost, if you are looking for some sort of meaning in this life, some sort of God, some sort of something but don’t know what; He is looking for you…right now. He wants you to stop, turn around and look for Him, Jesus, the One who can save your soul and give your life meaning.
He cares for you more than you can ever know and He has no desire for you to spend eternity without Him. He will be crushed to lose you, a precious part of His beloved creation. No matter where you are, what you have done or where your search has taken you, it is not too late to find Him, the One your soul is ultimately looking for. His name is Jesus Christ and He will more than meet you half way. Turn around while you still can, while you’re still safe and while you still have hope.
Delusion – 1. a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions. 2. the action of deluding or the state of being deluded. Oxford Languages
I have had a deep concern lately about deception, especially about the deception that will be coming on the world in the near future. I have already talked about AI. The advancements it has made in the past year are staggering. I have recently seen videos that have been produced by AI that are realistic and almost impossible to tell they were computer generated. For a point of reference, think about the movies you have seen in recent years with their computer generated images. Didn’t the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park seem real? What about the scenes in Star Wars? Those movies were made decades ago and think about the advancement that has been made since then. Now with AI, soon you could watch a person on a newscast with a computer generated image give you the “news,” and you will not be able to tell if it is real or not. Sound too futuristic? Believe me, it’s coming.
Yes, yes, yes, you may say to me…so what? I would say to you that that is just one level of deception that is on the horizon. There is even a deeper level of deception, i.e., delusion, that will affect the people of the world. As many have rejected God and His word, they will be open to the delusion that God Himself will send upon them. As they have rejected the real Savior, they will readily accept the false Christ that is coming to “save the world.” As we read in 2 Thessalonians verses 9-12, “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for thisreason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
How scary is that…that a holy and righteous God will actually send people strong delusion to believe the lie? And what lie is this, you might ask? Well, there will be one coming who will look like a man of peace, a man who can solve all the world’s problems, and people will believe him. At one point, he will declare himself to be the God and Savior of the world, and he will be satanically energized and show the world all power, signs, and lying wonders with all unrighteous deception. Sounds pretty far out, doesn’t it? But just think about it.
Already we have people searching for someone who can bring peace to the world; one who can solve all the world’s problems. At the moment, they are thinking in political terms. Where is the person who can bring peace to the Middle East, stop the war in Ukraine, solve the food shortages, put an end to the violence, and have a solution to the economic problems? I know people who are looking at certain political figures and believe their guy is the one who can do it.
When we are looking for a human to provide the world’s answers, we are only a step away from accepting the man who will come on the world scene, one who looks and acts the part. It is not too far out to think that people will fall at his feet. Think about what Paul-Henri Spaak, former Belgian Prime Minister and Secretary General of NATO said, “We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and be he god or devil, we will receive him.” He made this statement decades ago before the world was in the state it is in right now.
This man is coming on the scene, the world is looking for him. The Bible says he will come, and I believe he is alive today, waiting in the wings to fulfill his role in the end times. It is important that we know these things ahead of time so that we can make the right choices now while we still have the chance.
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”Jesus
Valerie Cullers 