Dig For Hidden Treasure!

Ponder This ... 

Have You Ever Received 

A Big, Sumptuously Wrapped, And Bow-Decorated Gift Box

And Lifted It Up To Check The Weight

Shaken It To Hear If It Rattled

Checked The Gift Card To See From Whom It Came 

Because 

You May Have Some Cheapskate Friends, Relations, And Acquaintances

And 

Recognizing That It Is From The Generous Benefactor 

Who Always Gives Good And Perfect Gifts

Proceeded To Place That Good Gift 

In A Highly Visible And Well Lighted Corner 

Without Opening It 

Because 

You're Going To Save It For A Rainy Day 

Which Only Comes Twice A Year 

Since You Live In A Desert!?! 

Beloved, 

Salvation Full And Free

Is

The Open And Still Wrapped Gift 

With The Name Of Our Lord Jesus 

Prominently Displayed On The Name Tag 

But

With An Appetizingly-Thick Love Letter Attached Saying: 

"Open Immediately

And

Dig For Hid Treasure

Pearls Of Wisdom

Tried Gold

Healing Balm

Eye Salve

And

A White Robe Of Righteousness

An Over-Comer's Crown

And

Your New Name And Life

In And With Me!" 

Today Is The Day Of Salvation! 

The Book Of Love 

Is 

Given To You To Explore And Experience! 

Open The Gifted, Sure Word Of Almighty God

And 

Line Memory's Hall 

With The Found Treasures Of Goodness 

Harvested From Your Excavations! 

Peace! 

Believe The Word Of The Infallible God!

Faith! Feelings! Facts! Failings! Future! 

Hmmm... 

The Lord Jesus Gives To Each Of Us A Daily Gift Of His Faith 

For That Day Alone 

But

Our Feelings Bring Up The Facts 

About Our Known Failings 

And

They Are Grounding Our Hopes Of 

A Future In The Father's House 

As Promised To Us By Our Savior Dear! 

Are You Going To Believe The Word Of God

The Truth That Saves

Or Are You Going To Trust Fraught Feelings 

Known Fickle Aka Flighty!?! 

Beloved, 

We Have The Infallible Aka Trust-Worthy Word Of 

The Living God Who Never Changes! 

Our God Is Not A Time-Bound Philosopher

A Paper Tiger

A Plaster Saint

Nor A Lying Man Who Changes His Mind 

As Often As He Changes His Garments 

And 

Direction Of Travel! 

Dear Ones, 

We May Set Our Temporal Clocks 

By The Sun Of Righteousness, The Eternal God

In Whom Is No Variableness Or Shadow Of Turning! 

Today Is The Day Of Salvation 

And 

Our Savior Says: 

"Come Unto Me! 

Come And Dine! 

Make Your Home With Me! 

Trust Me And Obey! 

Take My Blessing 

Because

I Have Taken Away Your Blight

Your Sin! 

Your New Life Is In Me! 

You Confessed And Repented Of Your Sin 

And

Because I Am Faithful And Just

I Forgive You! 

Rest In Me And Be Refreshed! 

Hold My Hand! 

By Enduring Faith, Not Fickle Feelings

Be Anchored In Me! 

I Give You Joy!" 

Beloved, 

A Working Faith Can Never Fail 

So I Choose To Accept The Lord's Unspeakable Gift! 

Do You!?! 

Will You!?! 

Peace! 

Stop Pretending That Eating Your Vomit Is A Treat!

Make A Move! 

Make A Mess! 

Make A Mark! 

Mark A Man! 

The Messy Move-Makers Are Marked Men! 

So Much For Hit And Run 

And

Don't Get Caught! 

Beloved, 

Our Movements Make Marks: 

Good Or Bad! 

We Mark Our Selves

And 

We Mark Our Targets! 

We Have The Intended Outcome 

And 

The Unintended Consequence! 

We Make Marks On Earth

And 

We Register Our Marks In Heaven! 

Like It Or Not

Every Last Thing That We Do

Reverberates And Ripples 

Aka Sends A Message 

And

Puts On A Show! 

What Are You Doing!?! 

Who Are You Being By Service!?! 

What Are You Revealing!?! 

With What, By Conceitedness

Are You Fooling Yourself That You Are Concealing!?! 

Dear Ones, 

Let Us Not Give Comfort And Aid To Sin 

By Living As Though 

There Is No Victory Over Sin! 

Let Us Stop Acting ... This Very Day

Like Dogs Vomiting Up Their Mess 

And 

Then Eating It Like It's A Treat! 

Let Us Stop Being Like The Washed One Of

The Porcine Persuasion

Who Promptly Goes Back To Rolling Around In

The Invitingly-Familiar Mud 

In Which It Finds Comfort 

And 

Takes Its Ease! 

Let Us Turn To Jesus Christ Our King 

And 

Let Him Make His Sealing-For-Redemption Mark On Us 

So That Our Mess Will Become A Message Of 

Hope For Help And Healing 

To Someone In This Acceptable Day Of Salvation! 

By Saving Grace ... Through Working Faith

Let Us Dare Today To Be Wisely Different: 

No Fools Will Inhabit Heaven! 

Peace!

VESPERS AT THE END OF THE SABBATH + MAKING THE CHOICE: Heaps Of Cash OR Hope For Heaven!?!

Of What Are You Made!?! 

... And ... 

Is What You Are Made Of Causing You 

To Respond To The Call Of The Master For Good Or For Ill!?! 

Beloved, 

The Sun, The Son, Shines Upon The Good And The Evil 

And 

The Outcome For Both Is As Different As Night Is From Day! 

If You Place A Candle In The Sun

The Candle Melts! 

If You Place Soap In The Sun

The Soap Hardens! 

Why The Divergent Response!?! 

Is There Favoritism Involved!?! 

No! 

When We Are Seeking After Christ 

And 

His Righteousness 

With The Desire To Be Like Christ

Willing To Embrace Him And His Ways

We Willingly Give Up All That Defiles Us 

Or Weighs Us Down 

Or Stops Us From Being Free In Jesus! 

When We Want The Lord's  Blessings And Benefits 

Minus The Trials, Tests

And 

Overcoming Temptations 

Even Unto Getting Rid Of Inappropriate Associations

Bad Habits, Attitudes, And Ideas

And 

Unprofitable Ideals

We Become Inured, Hardened, To The Truth! 

Like The Rich Young Ruler

We Turn Away From The Master Who Loves Us 

And 

Return To Our Treasures

- Which Will Turn To Dust

And Testify Against Us In The Judgment - 

Because 

That Is What We Choose To See

Choose To Acknowledge

Choice To Desire! 

Short-Cuts Are Usually Long 

And 

The Quick Way To Riches 

Is 

Usually The Leisurely Path To Damnation!

Set Sights Secure Seats: 

Of What Material Are You Constructing Your Long Home!?! 

Jesus Christ, Alone

Can Change The Heart Of Stone Into The Heart Of Flesh 

So Let Us Dare To Let Him Make Us Anew This Very Day

The Day Of Salvation! 

Please Do Not Harden Your Heart!

Going To Almighty God's Heaven

The Long Home Of The Eternally Blessed

Is

A Personal Choice! 

Please Choose To Cooperate With Christ! 

Peace! 

GIFT OF LOVE: Salvation Is FR2E To Me And Thee!

There's The Old Song Which Says: 

"If Salvation Was A Thing That Money Could Buy

The Rich Would Live And The Poor Would Die!" 

There's No Need To Think On This! 

Most Of Us Love Sales 

Especially Those Of The BOGO 

Aka Buy One Get One Free Variety: 

We Enjoy Acquiring Good Stuff At Great Prices! 

Still Others Of Us Love Thrifting

Rummage Sales, Garage, And Car Boot Sales! 

The Point Is That 

This Poor Man Wants A Rock-Bottom Price For His Heart's Desire 

And

If You Are Of The Monied Class

You Desire That Which No One Else Can Afford! 

Beloved, 

Jesus Christ's Gift To Us Of His Salvation 

Came At Infinite Cost 

And

Is Available To Each One Of Us Individually

Rich Or Poor

FR2E!

The Father Gave Us His Son

And

The Son Gave His Life To Save Us!

There Is A Spanner In The Works ...

The Big Able Problem, Though

Is 

That Today Is The Day Of Salvation 

And 

Many Of Us Are Of The Mind That Says

"Free To Me Is Cheap 

And Cheap Things Are Not Good 

And I Won't Accept 

What I Can't Physically See And Profit From!" 

The Lord's Ways

Are Not Our Ways

And

The Lord's Thoughts

Are Not Our Thoughts!

Oh, That We Would Spit Pride And Doubt 

Into The Fires Of Hell Where They Belong 

And

Accept The Priceless Gift 

Freely Given To All By Our Creator

The King Of Love And Glory! 

Pride And Doubt Build A Sinking Ship! 

Please, I Beseech Us All 

Do Not Permit The Monied Vanity Class 

To Stay Your Needy Hand From 

Accepting The Unspeakable Gift From 

The Loving Heart Of The Son Of God

The Savior Of Every Man! 

Salvation Has An "Accept By" Date: 

Be Wise For Your Self! 

Peace! 

Buying

The Free-To-All Gifts

Generously, Graciously, Given

By The Eternal, Holy, Faithful God

Is

An Impossibility!