Thursday, September 29, 2011

The Man In The Iron Cage



Christian, in John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, comes upon a man in an iron cage. He seems very forlorn and depressed. So Christian asks about his condition and the man declares that he is not the man he used to be.

“What wast thou once?” asked Christian.

The man indicated he was once a bold professor of Christ. He thought himself prepared to enter the celestial city and experienced a joy that one day he would spend eternity with Christ.

“Well, but what art thou now?” asked Christian.

“I am now a man of despair in this iron cage and I cannot get out.” he replied.

Christian asked him how he had come to such a point of despair. “I left off to watch and be sober: I sinned against the light of the word, and the goodness of God; I have grieved the Spirit, and he is gone; I tempted the devil , and he is come to me; I have provoked God to anger, and he has left me: I have so hardened my heart, that I cannot repent,” groaned the hopeless man.

Christian feels an overwhelming desire to help the poor man, “Call upon the Son of the Blessed, he is very merciful. Can you not grasp hope, man?”

But the man in the iron cage declares there is no hope. “I have despised his righteousness. He no longer hears, indeed, he hath denied me repentance. I have sold my soul for the lusts, pleasures and profits of this world.”

Had this man so sinned against God and for so long shook his fist in the face of God that he had finally become an apostate? He had pretended love for Christ and handled the truth of God’s word carelessly and spoke of the great attributes of God with frivolity. He had so totally and unabashedly rejected the holiness of God that his heart was now hardened to the point where he could not possibly repent. He would never be saved. He would never be rescued from his despair. He would never again know freedom outside his iron cage.

Even though this man experienced a great amount of sadness and felt overwhelming despair, he had no sorrow in his heart for his sin, no humility or tender thoughts regarding the crucified Christ. Therefore, “God hath denied me repentance. His word gives me no encouragement to believe; yea, himself hath shut me up in this iron cage. Nor can all the men in the world let me out.”

It is a fearful thing to consider that a man might finally be sealed in his unbelief. Christian described this man in the cage as a “Man (who) had sinned himself quite out of hopes of God’s mercy.” Saul may have reached this point in his disobedience to God. Samuel records (1 Sam. 28:6) that Saul “enquired of the Lord but the Lord did not hear him.” We often entertain a deception when we say “as long as I have breathe I have hope.” Bunyan said, “The day of grace ends with some men before God takes them out of this world.” It is not possible for men to determine when another man has reached an apostate condition where his heart has hardened beyond hope but we know it can happen. Consider Esau who “found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears.” (Heb. 12:17)

The man in the iron cage had repeatedly refused to heed the call of God. In so doing he had sinned against the light of God’s Word, he had grieved the Holy Spirit and provoked God to anger. In a sense, he had spit in the face of God one too many times. Proverbs 29:1 says, “He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”

There was a 59 year old man who sat in a German prison for 34 years having been convicted of murder. He was finally offered his freedom, but chose to stay in the prison rather than return to freedom. This man indicates no fear of returning to society nor does he indicate any anger, he just simply refuses to leave. Like someone affected by Stockholm Syndrome, he seems to have reached a point of reconciliation with his captors and finds captivity bearable, even comfortable.

Does this not demonstrate the mystery of the presentation of the gospel? Some respond with penitent hearts but others respond not at all. That man whose soul is pocked with guilt for sins committed is offered freedom through the purchasing power of Christ’s blood yet he rejects the offer and chooses rather to stay in his iron cage. Though some have understood the way of salvation and that a path of purity was demonstrated and made possible through a merciful Savior, still, they choose to remain in the iron cage of their sin.

Are you tired of sitting in an iron cage? Have you trusted in the power of Christ to open the door of your cage and set you free or have you insisted he leave you alone until your ears no longer hear his plea, your eyes no longer see the mercy in his face and your heart has become stone hard and there is no feeling whatsoever about the sacrifice he has made, the condition of your own heart or the destination of your soul?

It’s hard to imagine going to a zoo and opening the cage of the lion or the monkey only to discover they have no desire to leave? Have you ever held a dog captive on a chain, released him and watch him willfully return desiring the chain to be placed again about his neck? Has Christ unlatched the gate of your iron cage, swung the door wide open in an offering of freedom only to discover that you are quite comfortable in your iron cage and you have no desire to leave?

When Christ offers us freedom, our refusal is a slap in his face. This act, repeated often may very well lead to a state of apostasy wherein repentance becomes impossible. Our hope in Christ is a wonderful gift, a treasure never to be trampled upon or ignored

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Let Us Reason Together Regarding The Death Penalty



The dust will settle. Protestors and proponents will go home and prepare for another day. More words will be spoken. More articles will be written. Youtube, Google and Facebook will keep the debate alive. Many people will continue to look for answers, but more troubling, many won’t be looking at all.

The prophet Isaiah (1:18) recorded the words of the Almighty, “Come now, let us reason together…” Many may disagree with me but it seems “reasoning together” is a dying practice. Rather than debating Capital Punishment with sound arguments the media is quick to rush their cameras to any place indicating the slightest emotional disturbance. Why do those who want to add their voice to the argument think they improve their effectiveness by dressing like a freak, grabbing a bull horn, running to the nearest busy street corner to unleash a string of “F” words?


It reminds me of a couple of foolish females protesting in my community recently on behalf of PETA. These naked nellies, finding themselves incapable of “reasoning together”, decided the best way to discourage local deer hunters from searching out their prey would be to just strip off their clothes and wear nothing but sandwich boards while proclaiming civil rights for zebras and bull frogs. Their ploy, while failing to convinced even a single gawking male only served to bring shame upon themselves.


In regard to the argument concerning capital punishment, let the wailing stop already. Let more reasonable voices be heard and let us agree and disagree in a reasonable and respectful manner, fully clothed.

Troy Davis was executed on September 21, 2011 for the murder of a police officer 22 years previous. More than 4,000 letters were written proclaiming Troy Davis’ innocence. His name was a popular topic of discussion around the family dinner table and at cocktail parties throughout all of Europe. "When will those Americans become as smart and civilized as we are?" asked the European masses as their moral structures crumble to dust and their economies take a Titanic plunge.


The Anglican Bishop, Desmond Tutu of South African, chimed in. Kings and dictators all added their two cents and the world nearly stopped spinning when the Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton spoke to the matter. Typically, the 'sound of reason' came trumpeting out of Hollywood in the voice of one of their own. Alec Baldwin pined, “….life in prison without parole is the worst possible sentence…Prison itself is the death penalty. In the slowest of slow motion,” he said to cheers from death row.

Few realize there was another execution that took place the same evening Troy Davis was executed. White supremacist, Lawrence Brewer, was executed for the horrendous murder in Texas of James Byrd, Jr., a black man. Why was Troy Davis a household name throughout the world while Lawrence Brewer remained nearly anonymous? Was Troy’s life more valuable than Lawrence’s life? Does the value of your life depend on the horror of your crime? Some of the loudest voices are ignoring the reality that every court and every judge that considered the evidence declared a guilty verdict for Troy Davis. Instead, they are declaring an unfounded and unproven accusation that Troy Davis was executed because his skin color was black. If capital punishment is driven by hatred for the black man why was a white man in Texas put to death because of a murder he committed which was spawned from his deep racial hatred for people of color?


I have difficulty following the argument that the death penalty is racist. The assertion that more blacks are executed than whites is simply not true. Entertaining the argument that the death penalty should be abolished because it is not fairly imposed upon separated races of people is to assume that if it were fairly imposed it would be acceptable. If the death penalty wasn’t right for Troy Davis, it wasn’t right for Lawrence Brewer. If there is unfairness in the system then the system must be fixed. It cannot be fixed by eliminating the penalty for a murderer of one color, it can only be fixed by applying the same penalty to murderers of all colors.

Many have been wailing that the death penalty takes the lives of the innocent. The ‘evidence’ that Troy Davis was innocent was not just painfully weak, the judicial system declared it was nonexistent. Davis proclaimed his innocence to the very end but a jury of seven blacks and five whites heard the testimony of 34 witnesses, the majority of them were African-American, and his case ran the gauntlet of appeals and he was found guilty. Finally, the Supreme Court agreed. The two people willing to recant their testimony were found to be untrustworthy and the defense team of Troy Davis refused to allow their testimony to be recorded.

It is possible that an innocent person has been executed but with the use of DNA evidence and modern methods of discovery it is becoming more and more unlikely. Opponents often point to the number of people on death row who have been released due to lack of evidence. There is a difference between acquittal and innocence. O.J. Simpson was acquitted but the majority of Americans still think he got away with murder. Many on death row have been released because there was not enough evidence to prove their guilt, it doesn’t mean they were not guilty. It doesn’t prove we are killing innocent people, it simply proves the things we have plugged into the system to prevent the death of innocents are effective. Opponents of the death penalty would be hard pressed to prove that a single innocent person has been put to death in the last century.

Those opposing the death penalty argue that it does not decrease the number committing murders. The death penalty certainly deters one murderer. Statistics show that the Willie Horton types who are released on parole occasionally murder again. Those who enter prison to never to see the light of day again occasionally murder other prisoners but the murderer who is executed never murders again.

Contrary to popular belief, a series of studies done at Emory University indicate that the execution of a murderer may save up to eighteen lives. The study is exhaustive and I have no room here to expand on it but you can investigate further for yourself. (http://www.hoshuha.com/resources/deteff.htm)

The death penalty has been declared unconstitutional. But The Fifth Amendment provides that '[n]o persons shall be held to answer for a capital...crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury...nor be deprived of life...without the due process of law.' The will of the founders was to protect the lives of the innocent. Clearly, if the murderer was not to be deprived of life without 'due process', then he could be deprived of life on the condition he received 'due process' and was found guilty.

Finally, many wail about cruel and unusual punishment. When a man inflicts a torturous death upon another with a knife or a gun and the victim dies a slow and extremely painful death, in what way is putting the murderer to sleep forever cruel and unusual? The whole notion is absurd and laughable.

(Read Why Was Troy Davis Made A Hero?)

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Class Warfare: Problem of the Free Stuff


Class war at its best. The Problem of Free Stuff (Author Unknown)



The folks who are getting the free stuff, don’t like the folks who are paying for the free stuff,

Because the folks who are paying for the free stuff,

Can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff,

And, the folks who are paying for the free stuff,

Want the free stuff to stop.

And the folks who are getting the free stuff,

Want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting!

Now... The people who are forcing the people who pay for the free stuff, have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff, that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff, are being mean, prejudiced, and racist.

So... the people who are GETTING the free stuff, have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff, by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff, and giving them the free stuff in the first place.

We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff.

Now understand this. All great democracies have committed financial suicide somewhere between 200 and 250 years after being founded. The reason:

The voters figured out they could vote themselves money from the treasury by electing people who promised to give them money from the treasury in exchange for electing them.

The United States officially became a Republic in 1776, 231 years ago. The number of people now getting free stuff outnumbers the people paying for the free stuff.
How long will our republic last? It depends on whether we can solve the problem of the Free Stuff.

Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Why Was Troy Davis Made A Hero?


davis macphail
August 19, 1989 was a typically hot night in Savannah, Georgia. Mark MacPhail was an off duty police officer working security for a bus station. He was alerted to a disturbance going on in the parking lot of a nearby Burger King. When he arrived at the scene he saw two young, tall black men arguing with a homeless man. One of the young men wore a “white Batman shirt” and he was with his friend, Sylvester, who was wearing a yellow shirt. The vagrant, Larry Young, was being pistol whipped by the man wearing the white shirt who would later be identified as Troy Davis.
As many as thirty-four witnesses observed the disturbance. When Troy Davis and Sylvester saw the officer approaching them they fled. Sylvester ceased fleeing and MacPhail continued to pursue Troy across the parking lot. Troy stopped, turned on the officer and shot him under his vest. He then approached him and shot him point blank in the face. He had affectively snuffed out the life of the husband of a young wife, the father of a one year old daughter and a new born son. Mark MacPhail lost his life that night in the line of duty, trying to protect the residents of Savannah. Sadly, twenty years later the question of why MacPhail had died so senselessly would become a nonissue. The primary question would become, “Why are we not going to spare the life of a cold-blooded cop killer?”
The debate over justification for the execution of Troy Davis would spread world-wide. Pope Benedict XVI would weigh in as a defender of Troy Davis as would Georgia’s favorite son, Jimmy Carter. A spokesman for the European Union stepped forward to back slap Americans for their barbaric ways. As Davis’ execution drew nearer the crescendo of voices in his defense reached a decibel level nearly unbearable. Few paid any attention to the quiet voice of Mark MacPhail, Jr., now 22 years old, who attends Armstrong Atlantic State University where he is studying criminal justice and preparing to become a police officer like the father he never knew. “He gave his life for his community…”
It would be a horrible tragedy if the judicial system failed Troy Davis. Christians are very much aware of how painful is the death of an innocent. We remind ourselves and our brothers that our Savior, Jesus Christ, was subjected to the mockery of a trial and he was put to death by a brutal Roman guard while His own people cheered and jeered. Two thousand years later we still grieve over his death but we also rejoice because he resurrected and he purchased eternal salvation with the shedding of his innocent blood.
Millions of innocent people have lost their lives but those who identify themselves as Christian readily grasp the meaning of the privilege of sharing their suffering. “For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him.” – (Philippians 1:9)
For those who took any time at all to study the details in the case of Troy Davis, the facts seem to vindicate the system that condemned him. His defense claimed there were only 9 witnesses when in fact there were 34 who witnessed the brutal murder that night. The defense claimed seven of those witnesses recanted when in fact only two offered recantations of any substance. When the defense was offered the opportunity to bring them into an appeals court to testify they refused to do so and one can only assume that the Davis team realized that their changed testimony wouldn’t hold up in court.
Three of the thirty-four witnesses were Air Force personnel who were sitting in a bus that night. When asked if they would recant they replied that they would not! One never forgets, not even after 20 years when one man stands over another and shoots him in the face.
The defense also claimed there was no physical evidence even though the shell casings picked up in the parking lot that night matched shell casings that Troy Davis had used in a previous shooting that very evening. Jurors obviously were not told of the bloody shorts found in Troy Davis’ laundry by investigators.
After multiple appeals over a twenty year period, every court and every judge along the way declared the guilt of Troy Davis. When this information reached the highest court in the land they could find no reason to overturn what had been decided again and again by the lower courts.
I was astonished to see protestors wearing signs that declared, “I am Troy Davis.” Troy Davis had been declared a cold blooded murderer. Why would anyone want to be Troy Davis?
What happened in the parking lot of Burger King 22 years ago was a violation of one of the Ten Commandments of God. Surely Troy Davis is guilty of murder. But if the sin belongs to Sylvester or to some other unknown perpetrator it is still sin. Violating God’s laws brings unspeakable pain. The Davis family and the MacPhail family have both endured the painful consequences of a meaningless sinful act of murder. May God have mercy on the soul of Troy Davis and may God provide sustaining grace for the innocent members of these families who must carry the pain throughout their earthly lives.
Guilty or not, Troy Davis went to his death feeling like a hero. He was world famous. His name was attached to a cause. Were he to confess to the murder it would ruin the agenda of those who oppose the death penalty. Great caution was taken in the judicial system to make sure that an innocent man was not executed. Should not such caution also have been taken to assure that a cold blooded murderer whose crime was witnessed by 34 people not go to meet his Maker thinking he is a hero?

Monday, September 19, 2011

God Moves In Mysterious Ways

by Kevin Probst
In 1773, William Cowper, experienced a nervous breakdown.  His mind was telling him that he was condemned to hell for all of eternity.  In his mental sickness he though God was telling him to take his own life so he called a taxi and asked to be taken to the Thames River where he intended to end it all.  A thick fog fell about them that evening and the taxi driver drove about lost until he finally stopped to allow Cowper out.  When Cowper stepped out of the taxi he found himself standing at his own doorstep.  He believed God had sent the fog to spare  him and sometime later he wrote the hymn that contains the phrase so often used by Christians today who seek to understand the ways of God:  “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.”

Daniel 2:22 “He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.
Isaiah 55:9  “"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
We as Christians are sometimes required to walk in the darkness.  We sometimes move through a fog that obscures what we think should be obvious.  What do you do and what thoughts do you have when you don’t understand what God is doing in your life?  Do you feel anxiety when you “see through a glass darkly”? (1 Cor. 13:12)  Do you think Daniel had any doubts when he looked at the lions pacing about him?  Did the Hebrew children feel a tinge of fear when the flames licked at their garments?  Did Paul (the greatest missionary who ever lived) feel the shadow of doubt after he had sat for weeks in a prison dungeon prevented from doing what he was best at doing?
Would that the sun might always shine for the follower of Christ?  Not so.  The clouds often gather.  There are times in our journey when we have to navigate through thorn bushes.  There are dangerous rivers to cross and craggily mountains to climb.  It is sometimes in our darkest hour that our perception of Christ becomes most clear.  It is when he dims our sight that we see him most clearly.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain. – William Cowper

Sunday, September 11, 2011

We Will Never Forget 9-11-11











Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.

Caught in the Spider’s Web

 

800px-SpiderWeb - Copy

I looked up into the eave of my home recently and saw a magnificent spider’s web. I was astonished at the handiwork. This intelligent insect is a master architect. It is as if he is well versed in geometry and mathematics. What a wondrous web he did spin! The pattern is meticulously produced and the measurements are laid out to perfection. One swing of the broom would have swept away the spider’s work but I felt no urge to destroy her weave.

I know her diligence. Were I to destroy her web she would set to work right away to spin her masterpiece again. It would be replaced in short time. There is so much to learn from such a small creature. She chose to build in the eave of my house but spiders are not particular about where they hang their threads. They stretch them between the saplings in the woods. They wander into barns and garages but they are just as likely to be found in the palaces of kings or the mansions of the wealthy. “The spider takes hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces.” – Proverbs 30:28

The secret of the web’s strength is in the protein that forms the silk thread. The more fibers spun the stronger the web. U.S. Army researchers have discovered that a spider’s line of silk can be stretched 30% to 50% before it breaks. It is stronger than steel and is similar to Kevlar in its strength. The army has used its research of the spider’s silk to design bullet proof vests and unbreakable tethers.

The web is a reminder of the sin we get entangled in. Sir Walter Scott wrote, “Oh the web we weave, When we first practice to deceive.”

I returned several days later to observe the spider’s web in my eave. She had captured a fly. She spun her fibers around her prisoner until the fly was rendered helpless, wrapped in elastic steel. And then I observed the spider recede to the corner of her web and patiently wait another victim. The fly struggled and fought to free itself. At first, it resisted with great energy. Its writhing body caused the web to bounce like a trampoline. But finally it was exhausted and it succumbed to its fate, no longer struggling but accepting as hopeless any possibility of escape.

When Satan catches a victim in his sinful web he allows them to struggle to free themselves until they are weary and weak. He then moves in to bind them with more steel cords of sin. They don’t feel alarmed when one cord binds them, they could break free if they chose. They then fall into habitual sin, continually telling themselves that they could break free anytime they choose. How many times have you heard the alcoholic or the pornographer declare their ability to quit anytime?

Satan binds them and then retreats to perform more dastardly deeds upon others. He is confident that his victim is secured and cannot escape. He is amused when he sees the victim attempt to free himself. He anticipates that one day he will move in for the final kill but until then he savors the thought of it.

Have you ever prayed earnestly for the salvation of some pour soul? Days turn to weeks and weeks to years and years to decades and still this wretched soul flounders through life without God. Another precious heart is caught in the sinful steel web spun by Satan. They have been bound for years, for decades, and they cannot free themselves. They finally stop resisting and simply accept their fate. They have no fight left in them as the sin fibers bind their soul. They seem rather complacent now in their web. It is as if it has become their home. They take in seeing other victims who are also bound and incapable of escape. They share a common fate and in a twisted and warped way, they feel a common bond as they share their depressing predicament.

Our prayers are often answered when they are aligned with the will of God. There is great comfort to be found in the verse that says, “And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:15) But God is not obligated to answer every prayer or save every soul. Hell is populated by millions who never tasted of the salvation of God. So, if He is unwilling that any should perish, why are there so many in hell?

The only reasonable explanation is either that God predestines some to hell and some to salvation or he grants man the gift of free will and man’s salvation is purchased by the sacrifice of the Son. I can’t picture God forcing his gift of love on anyone, does he not allow us to choose to repent and receive salvation and adoption into the family? If we reject his provision do we not thereby secure our own destiny of eternal separation from God?

Those caught in the Satan’s web cannot free themselves. They struggle in vain. They are held captive, sometimes for an entire lifetime, until Satan comes in for the final kill and takes them away to an eternal death.

Here is the good news! There is One who can break the power of sin. "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him." (John 6:65) The Father will call. He wants us to desire to be delivered. If we so desire we must then seek our deliverance through the Son. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)

The grace and the power of God is stronger than steel, stronger than Kevlar. “ He breaks the power of canceled sin, He sets the prisoner free; His blood can make the foulest clean, His blood availed for me” (Charles Wesley)

Monday, September 5, 2011

“Your Years Will Never Fail”. How to live a very long life.

 

bigstockphoto_hourglass_371138

This morning I calculated the number of days I’ve lived in God’s good earth. It is a number I wish could be applied to monies in a savings account or better yet, souls who gave their hearts to Christ in response to my witness. I was briefly paralyzed as I tried to comprehend what it meant to have lived longer than 20,000 days. Were I to live 20,000 more I would one day be declared the oldest man in the state of Georgia.

God has a way of reminding us of our mortality. He designed his creation so we could measure our days. The heavens determine our seasons. Man is powerless to prevent the seasons from coming. We know that summer will follow spring and fall will follow summer. What we don’t know is what the seasons bring with them. Will the winter be harsh and cruel or will it be mild mannered?

During this time of year (September) here in the southeastern United States we find ourselves looking eastward across the Atlantic because we know storms are developing off the west coast of Africa. These storms launch eastward, plowing through the warm and salty waters toward the American mainland. Sometimes they grow into mammoth hurricanes. We know they are coming but we can only approximate their strength and the direction they will take.

I have seen over 20,000 days get swallowed up in darkness of night. It is God’s daily reminder to us that we are mortal and the dark night of death might be delayed but it can never be prevented from coming to claim us.

There is a verse in Psalm 102 that brings comfort to those who struggle with the reality of limited years and numbered days. Though are lives are an hour glass turned over and the grains of sand are sifting quickly from top to bottom, we serve a God who is immortal and in his grace and love he is willing to share eternity with us. Psalm 102:27 “But you (God) remain the same, and your years will never end.” He never changes and he lives forever.

We like to imagine God as being Moses-like in his features. He has lived an infinite number of days so he must appear very old. Actually, because God is ageless he must be a picture of perfect youth. We would more accurately picture Him as being perpetually in his prime. His beauty never fades and his strength never wavers. He is unchanging and his years will never end.

There are certain things we as humans have experienced that God never has. We get old but God does not. We experience failure but God does not. He has never failed and nor can he ever fail. Failure is impossible to one who is omnipotent and omniscient. His strength is sufficient to destroy any enemy and his wisdom can solve any problem.

As the years pass we find ourselves seeking for something or someone to trust, someone who will not fail us in the end. You might believe you are secure because you have worked hard and saved wisely. Your account is stashed with enough retirement money to live comfortably through your old age. But the recent economic chaos seems to indicate that even the wisest and best economic minds cannot dispel the ominous economic clouds gathering on the horizon. Your nest egg might fail you.

Many put their trust in their own wisdom, their own ability to make good decisions but as the years pass the invisible knife severs the connection between the will and body. The mind tells the legs to run but they won’t run anymore. The mind might know the best thing to do but the doing of it may become impossible as infirmity binds us to failure. Where can we find comfort when contemplating such difficulties that lie ahead? The writer of Hebrews offers a phenomenal comfort when he repeats the message of the 102 Psalm in Hebrews 1:12 “You will roll them (years) up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

Our days will pass and the years will drop off one by one until very few remain. We will then “roll them up like a robe.” Like shirts on a hanger, we will drape them one by one in the closet. But for those who have been made anew through the precious sacrifice of Christ, they will share eternity with him. Their years will never end.

We are like passengers on a ship at sea. We are at the mercy of the waves without a rudder to guide us. Were the lights of the heavens darkened we would be helplessly lost. We move through an atmosphere of oxygen and air that is more fragile than we realize. A few molecular changes in the atmosphere and it could be changed to water and we would drown or it could burst into flame and we would perish like marsh mellows dropped in a burn barrel. It is too fearful to think on.

But “Your years will never fail.” This earth is attached to an Eternal Anchor and if we as individuals fail to connect with him we have much to fear. But if we have humbly confessed our failures to One who never fails and if we have committed our years to One whose “years will never fail” then we are assured a place in the bosom of the Almighty who is willing to share with us his eternity!

 

www.kpprobst.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 1, 2011

He will shelter you with his wings


Psalm 91:4, He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection."

Psalm 36:7 "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings."







Kevin Probst - Teaches History, Government and Apologetics at the high school level in Columbus Georgia.