THE KANSAS CITY ROYALS AND THE CHURCH

I grew up in Overland Park, a suburb of Kansas City.  I graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School there in 1984.  I then went to college at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.  I've gone to several baseball games at Royals Stadium (Now called Kaufman Stadium in honor of the man who got the Royals started and built the stadium for so many to enjoy.)  With the Kansas City Royals so much a part of my childhood, looking up to and wanting to be like the 1985 World Series champions, I remember the thrill of their come-from-behind win over the St. Louis Cardinals (whom I also later grew to love).  I remember specific games.  I remember idolizing the players.  I remember playing with my friends and imagining we were those players as we played our summer-league baseball games.  It was a time filled with imagination, hope, and wonder.  And it was a time when our community - which crossed cultural and state lines.  The Kansas side owned the Royals as much as the Missouri side.  The Royals were "our team."  And they united us all.  Even as I sat in our student union in Emporia, Kansas watching the 1985 World Series, we all pulled together for the Royals!  And what a surprising win that was!

Now, sitting here in South Central Missouri, "saddened" that my "other" team, the St. Louis Cardinals were not playing the World Series, I ponder the reach of unity and celebration the World Series Champions of 2015 bring to the area.  My friends and family closer to Kansas City than I are using Facebook to announce their plans to take the day off to attend the victory parade.  School Districts are closing in KC to allow staff and students alike to celebrate.  That team, the Kansas City Royals, has won more than a World Series - they have won the hearts of people for miles around - as far as their fans are across the globe!  The thrill of seeing the underdogs (at least the underdogs from the media's perspective) win by coming from behind game after game after game is something that stuns, amazes, and delights the heart - even if you root for another team.  And it unites you with the community of Kansas City! 

I say all that because I sit here also pondering that the excitement over the our "Boys in blue" is a very fleeting thing.  In a few weeks, Spring Training will begin again, and a new season will begin, making the journey to the World Series a whole new race, with entirely new contenders in the post-season, uniting their communities.  With that in mind, why is it the church sees so few victories worthy of such amazing celebration?  Or have we simply forgotten the amazing victory of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Talk about a "come-from-behind" win!  I mean, He was dead!  He was buried!  His tomb was sealed!  And still He came back!  That should have us all attending a parade!  We should all be cheering, making and wearing apparel, and lighting up social media with our pride that our Lord has won the day!  Every enemy, every opposing team has lost, and Jesus is King!  We should take a day off and truly celebrate this win!  It's an eternal win.  And it will be repeated by everyone who will follow Jesus!   Shouldn't that make us all glow with wonder, excitement, and spark our imaginations?

And that's Just A Thought for today!  

WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

Ok, you've heard it and so have I.  "The ten commandments are SO old fashioned" or something like that.  We hear all the time how the ten commandments are really taken as though they are the ten suggestions.  We don't like to consider them as binding on our lives.  After all, since they are in the Old Testament and we now live in the New Testament times, they no longer apply. 

Today, I want to challenge that thinking as being shallow, immature, and destined to destroy our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We may not find it acceptable to stone violators, but the Bible DOES say Christ fulfilled the law - which started with the ten commandments.  Proper Biblical interpretation requires us to hold the same view of the OT scriptures as the Apostles did - and they held the OT as Divinely Inspired and as part of the story of the relationship between man and God.  For the Apostles, that story was unfolding - and it is for us as well.  Prophecies are found in the Bible about what is yet to come, as certainly as what has already happened.  Christ is the way to God - and Christ fulfilled the ten commandments.  He did so not to free us from them, but to cause us to look to Him for help as we seek to follow them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about a legalistic view of them, either.  Our salvation is based on the finished work of Christ on the cross and the empty tomb.  Neither will we STAY saved by following the ten commandments.  BUT, our spiritual maturity and strength is sapped when we try to pick and choose what to follow without any help from proper biblical understanding.  That understanding demands we understand the ten commandments in light of the new testament, NOT ignoring them all together.

Over the next few days, I will be posting some thoughts about the ten commandments and how ignoring them is destroying our intimacy with the Lord and we don't even realize it.  While the ten commandments SHOULD point everyone to their need for Christ's saving work in their lives, they also reveal cracks in a believer's relationship with Jesus.  If you are hungry for a deeper, more intimate relationship with Christ, then join me on this 10 day journey starting tomorrow!

And that's Just a Thought for today!

May the Lord Bless and Keep you!


Pastor Greg

WHAT JESUS REALLY WANTS

To get the most out of today's devotion, do the following in order:

1. READ THE PASSAGE - Mark 10:21 (NKJV)  Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, "One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me." 
2. READ THE DEVOTION - My Utmost for His Highest, September 28 (Link will open in a new window)
3. READ MY THOUGHTS

Ok.  The instructions are above.  Have you followed them?  Yes?  Good.  My thoughts springboard off of today's devotion by Oswald Chambers.

Total abandonment to, total reliance upon, total trust in Jesus Christ - that is the demand of Jesus upon our hearts, minds, and lives.  No mere human is worthy of such devotion, or able to rightly make such a demand upon another.  Marriage is about as close as we can come, but it falls short.  Neither husband nor wife can be as fully trusted, perfectly able, or eternally strong enough to successfully NEVER let us down.  And so we need someone above that - and Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God, is the ONLY one with the character, power, and knowledge to be trusted to our entire being, our soul, and even life itself.

So what keeps you, o soul, from giving to Christ your total "self"?  What doubts, fears, or worries keep you from giving your whole being to Jesus?  

• Do you fear other people?  Could it be that you worry they might mock you?  Will your popularity ratings drop dramatically?  Could persecution be in your future?  
• Do you fear the loss of material comforts?  Do you need your electronics, nice bed, air conditioning/heating, automobiles, and nice house?  Do you need a pantry full of food?  Do you need the latest tools, gadgets, and the like?  Would following Jesus with total abandonment mean the loss of these things?  
• Do you fear emotional rejection?  Do you need constant approval, someone to always be by your side?  Do you need someone else to be your purpose for living?

If Jesus said to you, "It's me or other people."  What would be your choice?

If Jesus asked you, "Do you trust me to provide your needs?"  What would be your answer?

If Jesus asked you to rely upon Him for your emotional well-being, could you?  Would you?  

Would abandonment to Him give your life a purpose higher than even life itself?

Place yourself NOT in the "Holy-Roller Self-Righteous Church" of the rich man who has kept every part of the law, and in the mean time, kept himself from abandoning everything to have a dependent relationship with Jesus Christ.  Instead, join the "Abundant Abandoned Living Church" that lives with and serves Jesus without obstacles!

And that's Just A Thot for today.

Your comments are welcome, and encouraged.  Please share today's devotion with anyone who might be blessed by it.

ARE YOU A DISCIPLE OF JESUS?

Acts 9:26 (NKJV) And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.

When Saul (later, Paul) first became a Christian, the Believers in Jerusalem could not believe it!  They were afraid of him.  After all, he was one of the chief persecutors of Christians in that area.  He had Stephen stoned.  He was, by admission, the chief of sinners.  But he was also, among the people of the land (not the Christians), considered to be one of the best Jews there were.  He was educated at the feet of the brightest - Gamaliel.  He led others in the fight against this new Christian movement.  He was one of the most zealous fighters for keeping the "traditional way of life" of all.  Who could believe that he had been converted into a Believer in Jesus Christ? 

What did it take for them to accept that he had become a disciple?

The answer to that question is the point of our Thot for today, and it lies in the word "disciple." 

What is a disciple? 
A disciple is a person who is under the tutelage and discipline of another.  The key word is "discipline."  It means learning to think, act, and value the way the teacher thinks, acts, and value what he values.  A disciple of Jesus was disciplined to bring his life under control of the Holy Spirit, and to reject the ways of the world as a governing power over one's life. 

Are you a disciple of Jesus? 
Disciples of Jesus don't just subscribe to a creed of ideas they like and agree with; they practice living the way Jesus lived.  That doesn't necessarily mean walking everywhere, dressing in ancient middle-eastern clothing, and the like.  It DOES mean learning to care for others, relate to the Father, and serve Jesus with a whole heart.  It means doing good for others rather than serving self.  It is a transformation of heart and mind that cannot help but change the way one acts and the things one does. 

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you will let the Bible be your guide, studying it to get to know it; you will spend time each day in prayer; you will love the church (Christ did, and teaches us He died for her, so we should love her as much); you will submit to the authorities in the church and out (unless any require you to go against God); you will care for others, even when that's hard to do.  These things are all actions that come from the heart, not the head, if you are a disciple.  If you are a disciple, you won't be able to keep from sharing your faith with others.  If you are a disciple of Jesus, you will not quit on Him; if you do, it will only be temporary - you won't help but come back to Him and His church and His way of life.

Are YOU a disciple of Jesus?

Is there enough in your life to convince others that you are a disciple of Jesus? 
Like Paul (Saul), at first, your life needs to change.  This takes time.  The moment you ask the Lord to be your Savior is a great moment.  But it's not the evidence people need.  God is convinced - He judges the heart.  But the rest of us cannot see the heart.  We can only see the outside.  We, the people (we, the church) need evidence that you've changed.  That evidence comes by a changed way of living and doing things.  Does that evidence show up in your life?  How? 

This is a great challenge for all who take it seriously.  Those to whom we profess to be a Christian will be looking for that evidence (the believing and the unbelieving alike). 

If you haven't had time to show it, do you have someone to vouch for you while you start to show it?  Is there someone who witnessed your conversion?  Your Baptism? 

We all make mistakes.  Being a disciple is not about getting it perfect.  It's about a life change.  Do you clearly want and do things more in line with the will of Jesus?  When you don't, are you saddened, humbled, and willing to make the changes needed?  Or do you quit.  For the disciple of Christ, quitting is not an option.  One cannot quit being what one is.  If you are now a child of God, you cannot quit being a child of God.  You have only one course of action - be a child of God!  That is what a disciple is.  He is not a student at a school that he can dis-enroll in.  He is a new creature - and he practices living a new way of life.

Be the disciple, Christian, that you are.  Don't live in such a way that others cannot tell that you are a Christian.  God may just do something through you that changes the world.  He did with Saul (Paul). 

And that's Just a Thot for today!


May you be blessed in your discipleship today!

ARE YOU A BONDSERVANT, SLAVE, OR SERVANT?

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ... (Romans 1:1)

Sometimes translations don't give us the whole meaning of an original text.  The whole meaning of the original text is important to the sincere student of the Bible.  Good Bible interpretation involves understanding what the text says in light of the time in which it was written, the intent of the author, and the choice of words to convey the message.  Today, we look at the word "bondservant."

The Holman Christian Standard Bible translates the Greek word doulos as "slave" rather than "bondservant" as in the NKJV.  However, a cultural study of the times in which this was written, there was a difference between a bondservant and a slave.  Both were owned by their master, but the slave served by compulsion, while the bondservant by choice. Therefore, the KJV translates the word "servant" to bring out the service aspect.  And a "servant" worked for, but was not "owned" by the master. The servant had time to himself, not in the service to his master. Which word best fits the text? I believe the best word is "bondservant" – if Paul's life was any indication about how connected we are to Jesus; and Jesus showed it in how connected He was to the Father in Heaven.

Now that we've covered the meaning of the word, let's get to the application.  Paul was declaring himself to be a willing servant-slave to Jesus Christ.  He made no bones about answering to Jesus for his actions, taking orders from Jesus, and seeking to honor Jesus for his character and nature.  And I can think of no one this side of Jesus' crucifixion, burial, and resurrection who had more of an impact on the world's faith than Paul as he served the risen Savior, Jesus Christ. 


 
Paul seemed to hold nothing back from serving Jesus.  He "ate, slept, and thought" Jesus.  Soli Christo gloria, "Only Christ's Glory," seems to be his motto.  Paul may have once persecuted Christians, and even believed Jesus to be a fool and a dead one at that.  But after meeting the resurrected Jesus on the Road to Emmaus, Paul was convinced that Jesus really IS God and that He is alive and wants to communicate with us to instruct us in His aims for us in this life.

So, I ask myself today, "Are YOU a bondservant of Jesus Christ?  What might you be holding back from the Lord in your service to Him?"

The outcome of events often frustrate me when they aren't as I wish.  After muttering, sometimes not so quietly, about it, I breathe deep and accept them.  I hold back the deepest parts of me because I am afraid of the pain that change will bring (as it always does with hard-headed people like me who seem to only learn by hard knocks).  I hold back for the sake of dignity when I should be loving, caring, and giving.  I don't want to look the fool, weak, or wimpy.  My machismo comes flying out of me.  But that wasn't Jesus' way, and it isn't what He wants from me.

There are many other ways I hold back.  I want to be like Paul, but I'm more like Peter, who resolutely, boldly, and confidently told the Lord he would NEVER deny the Lord Jesus, only to do so three times before the cock crowed in the morning.  My own bold, resolute, confident service to the Lord is more often flawed in action than in intent!  Some bondservant I am when the choices are to be made!

And that is the rub.  It's one thing to CALL oneself a bondservant, but it is altogether different to BE one when choices are to be made.  Do I do this for MY convenience, protection, or understanding?  OR Do I do this because it is what Jesus wills - period?

Lord, may I be a better bondservant today than I was yesterday, because YOU deserve it.  You demonstrated true bondservice as you did ONLY the will of the Father.  You gave me Paul's record as an example.  How far short of your standard I fall.  How great is your grace and mercy that I should still be the center of your love, patience, and purpose as you make me into your image.  I can bask in your love, serve you with gratitude, and delight in your pleasure today.  I am your bondservant - and I will try to be a better one today.  For your glory, Amen!

And that's "Just A Thought" for today. May you be blessed in your walk with the Lord Jesus.

HOLINESS, NOT HAPPINESS

Contrary to popular opinion, God's greatest wish is NOT our happiness, it's our HOLINESS.  Jesus didn't die to make us happy, He died to make us holy.  He didn't forgive us so we could be free of guilty feelings, He forgave us so we would be free of the penalty for our sin - eternal separation from our righteous Creator. 

A change in our lifestyle, interests, and pursuits is in order.  Before salvation, we lived for ourselves, we did ungodly things, and we were unholy in our thoughts and our deeds.  We had no hope of being able to do or think rightly, godly, and purely.  But God, in His mercy, sent Jesus to pay our penalty on the Cross of Calvary.  God in His grace, offers this truth to all men, that those who receive salvation through Jesus Christ will learn to deny the ungodliness and worldly lusts and live for the godly, rightous, and pure ways of God.  There really IS a way out of much of the pain of living in this world - and it is by living for Jesus rather than self!

Titus 2:11-14 (KJV) ¹¹  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, ¹²  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ¹³  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; ¹⁴  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This means that the drug addicted, sex addicted, homosexual, rapist, murdering, abortionist, lying, stealing, bitter, lonely, drunken, judgmental, angry, hopeless, fearful, gluttonous, deviant persons in this world have hopes of being made pure and right with God forever.  The salvation that Jesus brings is a salvation from all these things, not a means of gaining happiness through them, or an excuse to continue. 

But before you try to reform yourself to obtain that salvation, you'd better think again.  It is not in the deed that the sin resides.  It is in the desire!  That means that you'll need to be made into someone you aren't!  And that is exactly what the grace of God is when applied to your life.  God makes you a new creature in Christ Jesus - complete with new desires, abilities, and purpose in life. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Suddenly, happiness is intertwined with holiness.  What will now make you happy is that God has made you holy!  And you will work alongside the Lord to grow in holiness.

Are you saved?  Is living for Jesus an act of gratitude for His grace to you by making you perfectly holy in God's sight (Your position in Christ)?  Are you living a more holy life today than you were yesterday (Your practice in Christ)? 

If not, will you take a moment and repent of your sins, and seek the Lord's grace of forgiveness and ask Him to make you new today?  Give yourself to Him, let Him teach you what is sin, and purify you from it - for the rest of your life.  You will not be disappointed when holiness is your aim.

That is Just A Thought for today.  May the Lord bless you and keep you as you practice these things.

IS CHRISTIANITY A FORM OF BRAINWASHING?

I was watching an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger" the other night when the sleazy criminal wife-beater was furious about his wife going to a battered women's camp.  He said they "brainwashed her" there.  It got me to thinking about that term, "brainwashing."  As if the healing process were somehow a bad thing.  As if the immoral thoughts of the criminal were somehow better than the right thinking that comes from seeing the truth.

It's a funny thing when the world thinks of Christians as being brain-washed - until you read the Bible.  It sort of admits to it.  But don't stop there.  The truth is, everyone was born in sin, and learned to think sinfully.  Our understanding was darkened, our concept of God was distorted, even twisted.  Our messed-up brains need to be washed!

Titus 3:3-7 says that we were once messed up.  We did and though all sorts of mean, hateful things, desiring things that may be good for us, but fulfilling those desires in twisted, warped, and unwholesome ways.  Then Jesus came because God loved us and sent Him to us so that we might be saved from the penalty, power, and one day the presence of those wicked things we were living and doing.  He "wash[ed] us" by making us new creatures and renews us through the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5).  Then, after we've been made new, clean, and justified by the blood of Christ, we offer ourselves to Jesus in eternal gratitude.

In Romans 12:1, that eternal gratitude should be expressed by offering ourselves as living sacrifices - living for Jesus and sacrificing our own wants to meet His.  Not only is that giving Jesus every part of us, it is the example Jesus set as He did ONLY that which His Father in Heaven wanted.  True love serves, and does not take.  When Jesus loved us, He served us by meeting our sin-need.  Then, in thanksgiving, we love Him back by giving ourselves to meet His every desire for us. 

Romans 12:2 says that to do that, we must forsake this world - not following its ways, and be changed by the renewing of our minds - continually letting our minds be renewed by the Word of God, lest the old habits return. 

So, I suppose it's a really good thing to finally be able to think straight, thanks to the Lord.  Now, dear friends, will you consider letting YOUR minds be washed by the Word of God and be made a new Creature through Jesus Christ? 

And that's Just a Thought for today!  Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ!

Praying Always

"Praying always." -

Eph_6:18

Prayer is something that nearly everyone I know says they do. I might ask them about their relationship with the Lord, and their answer always turns to prayer. "Oh, I pray every day. Of course I believe in God." And such an answer is intended to satisfy my curiosity and convince me that they are fine, spiritually speaking, and want no further encouragement to live for the Lord. I've always wondered what they pray for, if they ever get their answers, or why they are praying. I've also wondered from time to time if they ever are moved to grow into the likeness of Christ through their prayers, or if they even think about prayer as a time to listen as much as to talk.

"Praying always" seems to be an "attitude of prayer" - implying a communion with the Lord. What a sweet communion that is. There is the awareness of His presence always. How marvelous to walk beside the Living God of Heaven! What bully can get you? What trial can stop you? What temptation can pull you? What need is there that He does not provide for you? His grace is always with you, His smile is there as He leads you to do His Holy Will, and His comfort is there for our broken hearts in grief and pain. Your soul is totally satisfied.

Along with this wonderful blessing comes the great responsibility. Walking with the Lord makes you responsible to your fellow man to live the truth - like Christ were right beside you. You are responsible for telling others about your love - Jesus Christ. Your prayers should be quick to the Lord on behalf of those you meet throughout your day. Your faith should be seen all the time - not just Sunday morning if then. You have the responsibility to live for Christ. May you find that responsibility less a duty and more an expression of the presence of Christ by your side as you are praying always!

Toddling to Eternity

Bible Reading: (Jude 1:24) Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

How safe is the road to heaven, and yet how wrought with dangers it seems to be. The evils are there, combined to trip us up, snare us, wound us. Yet, in all, we will not be waylaid in our journey because our Guide and Savior is able to keep us from falling forever.

Our flesh works against us, and our enemies know that. The emotions are quick to flare, and our enemies know that. Our hope is that we will not walk in the flesh, but in the power of the Spirit. Learning to do so is like watching a toddler learn to walk. First the timid steps that successfully land him in the arms of a waiting Father are taken. Next, the bold steps across the great span of Living Room - taken without the careful watch of Mom or Dad. The trip, the fall, and the sore head are all part of the experience. Mom or Dad rushes to pick up the young one to comfort and encourage him to try some more. In his own strength, there is great stumbling, but no permanent damage. With the help of Mom or Dad, there is no falling and great learning. Too often, we stumble about learning spiritual things without the help of the Spirit - because we have not sought His help and leadership. The good news is that He is patient and watching, ensuring there is no permanent damage, able to keep us from falling and presenting us faultless before His presences in glory.

It is the road of bumps and bruises that often teach us the most about walking with the Lord. The safety is that the bumps and bruises cannot destroy - and that is the goal of the enemy. Safety in Christ means security from destruction, not bumps and bruises. How blessed we are to take our knocks with the knowledge that doom is never their end. We can realize that our knocks are for our betterment, and try again when we trip or stumble. In Christ's strength, and with His teaching, we will be presented without fault, and we will know real joy.

The Lord's Tools

Bible Reading:

(Luke 5:4) Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.

---

For some reason, the miracles of Jesus involve the work of men. Dear friend, do not think that God's miracles on your behalf will simply "fall from the sky." Likewise, brother, do not think that God's answers to your prayers will be as lightning bolts that do your bidding. The miracles of God will probably involve you - not simply as the recipient, but as the agent through which they are brought to pass. You, Believer, are an instrument of God.

These fishermen, at the command of Christ, needed to receive the huge catch that Christ miraculously made available. Christ has provided for greater miracles that require our participation. For example, it is through the foolishness of preaching that people will be saved. Like the fishermen letting down their nets, we are the instruments that unite men's souls with Christ. Likewise, there are those who were sent to bring healing to the possessed - but could not. When they asked the Lord why, He answered that there were certain spirits that could not be removed except through prayer and fasting. It is through our prayers and fasting that many miracles are done in men's souls.

It is the high privilege of the Believer to serve in the Lord's work. It is also a universal privilege, not reserved for a "clergy" class. These raw fishermen were not "clergy." Their education was far from "complete" when they drew in the greatest catch of their lives. Nevertheless, it is a wonderful blessing to be involved in the miracles of the Lord. Let us therefore approach the commands of Christ as blessings rather than inconveniences. How we miss out on the greatest things in life simply because we will not allow the Lord to use us as His instruments - wherever and however He chooses.

Bro. Greg

Morning Devotions

Bible Reading: Mark 3:13 And he goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto him whom he would: and they came unto him.

"How are you, today," said the man to a Christian.

"I am doing fine, under the circumstances," answered the Christian.

It is possible to live over the circumstances rather than under them - and Christ makes it possible. Do you long to see things from a perspective that is over your circumstances rather than under them? Here is a verse for you. Do you yearn for one of those "mountain top" experiences with Christ? Here is a verse for you. Do you want to go where few have gone before with the Lord? Here is a verse for you.

The mountain top is not attained by lofty church positions or scholastic excellence in Bible Study. It is not achieved by great works of faith, or masses converted to Christ. It is only achieved by following Jesus - and answering His call to come unto Him. When Jesus ascends, it is certain that those whom He has called, those who follow Him, will ascend to the same heights as the Master. It is through day to day discipleship and communion with the Lord that the "Holy Mount" can be found. It is only through obedience to the call of the Lord that one may climb to such heights.

The glorious splendor of the mountain is a lofty goal for anyone. It is not a goal that may get fame or medals. It does not earn power or prestige. The world does not think it to be valuable. But the Eternal One who calls you to this mountaintop stands ready and able to bless you with amazing things: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." These things are not earned, sought, or bought through any more than earnest discipleship and faithful obedience to our Savior. Loving Him for who He is, as well as thanking Him for what He has done in saving you of your sins and making you a new creature is the way to such splendor. It is not the selfish work of worldly ways. It cannot be stolen or manipulated. Christ cannot be deceived into thinking one is a disciple. He knows and sees the heart. Only those who answer His call with clean hands (washed in His blood) and a pure heart (purified by His death, burial, and resurrection) can possibly be granted this wonderful, lofty privilege of a Mountain Top experience of this magnitude.

Will you yield your life to Him? Give Him more than your allegiance - give Him your whole being for Him to do with as He pleases! He will make it worth your while - forever.

Bro. Greg