Ward's Words | BY WARD PIMLEY

Sharing the Lord's Message of Grace

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Author: Ward Pimley

  • ARE YOU HEARING OR JUST LISTENING?

    Weekly Message by Ward Pimley

    YEARS AGO, I VOLUNTEERED to be a *mentor*  for a minority individual interested in becoming a journalist. Through the program, I mentored two individuals — both Vietnamese.

    “GO ON, I’M LISTENING.”

    Before beginning our work, we were taught some basic strategies for mentoring. The first one — the most important one — was the Art of Listening. 

    That’s counter-intuitive, isn’t it, to the way most of us would consider the role of mentor. 

    We’d love to fill the air with our bon mots, our pearls of wisdom, as we talk down to the individual who, we believe, should be eternally grateful to have been assigned to our care.

    Mais non, sugar-breath, that’s not at all how it works, despite our well-intentioned tendency to dominate the conversation. 

    As proper mentors, we need first to listen, to actually hear what our mentee is saying, as he/she expresses feelings or frustrations or makes observations or asks questions or even segues into a seemingly unrelated area of discourse. 

    When the mentor can build trust in the relationship, the mentee (don’t you just love that word?) can open up about deeper, more important issues.

    REAL TRUST

    THE LIFELONG BENEFIT of learning to listen in a mentoring situation  carries over into our non-mentoring lives; in fact, into our daily conversations with our wives/husbands, our children/parents, our neighbors/friends/co-workers, and even casual strangers.


    Jesus said: “Anyone with ears to hear
    should listen
    and understand!”

    Matt. 11:15 NLT

    So, you’d think from what I’ve written here that I have mastered that lesson and employ it rigorously, taking in every morsel of observation, truth, fiction, humor, emotion, instruction, and whatever else comes my way with the serious intention it deserves.

    If so, you would be wrong.

    I don’t. 

    It’s not that I don’t believe I should or that I discount what others are saying, it’s just that my mind drifts, and I comfort myself in the warm cocoon of “Ward’s World,” my wife’s term for the insular world I’ve built around myself. 

    Yes, I can focus intently on messages, like sermons, teaching, and other items that speak seriously into my life; it’s just that everyday conversation tends to be — in my mind — largely pointless. I mean, how often can one comment on the weather?

    CONNECTING POINT

    CLASSES ON MENTORING tell us there are three types of mentoring: 

    “I HEAR YOU, BRO. LET’S PRAY.”
    1. TOP DOWN, where the mentor helps, assists, teaches, encourages the mentee, 
    2. HORIZONTAL, where each partner is both mentor and mentee, sharing and encouraging one another, and 
    3. BOTTOM UP, where the mentee benefits from the loving attention of someone more experienced or skilled in a particular matter.

    All of us can benefit from the second and third forms, and as we gain experience, we can benefit others through the first form.

    To maximize effectiveness, in whichever form we find ourselves in a particular relationship, listening is the key trait, not just a key trait but the key trait.

    It also is important in our other relationships, and it’s a lesson I would do well to take more seriously. 

    “Hmm, did you just say something? Go on, please. I’m listening.”

    PRAYER

    FATHER GOD, HELP ME TO LISTEN. Your Son told us to listen to His Words, that they will never fade away, and You have said Your Word will never come back to You void. You created our fellow men/women in Your image, and as imago dei, their words are important, even if we don’t think so in the moment. Those words are connecting links, ways of building community, and each of us needs to pay attention when someone addresses us, even if it’s to comment on the weather. Thank You, Father God, and now bless us to be a blessing to others, those You put in our lives. In the name of Jesus.

    AMEN

  • I AM JUDGMENTAL

    Weekly Message by Ward Pimley

    I AM JUDGMENTAL.

    There, I said it. I’m not proud of that, but I am owning it.

    Through our local church, I am taking a year-long series of courses under the rubric of “Leadership Development,” and one of our tasks is to identify key weaknesses.

    Mine is being judgmental.

    Another way of describing it is “sarcastic.” Other terms are “condescending” and “arrogant.”

    Whoa! You can imagine how *excited* I was to learn that about myself. (Sarcasm)

    If you took an assessment of your biggest faults — weaknesses, sins — whatever you call them, could you do it? I recently did an assessment and concluded I am too judgmental; so, with God’s help, I need to change.

    Sarcasm could be family curse because I am not the only one in our clan that needs to make an adjustment, but we each travel alone when we make our assessments and seek to change.

    I might be traveling alone here.

    The Bible clearly condemns judgmentalism, so I can’t hang onto a lifeline of ambiguity in the sacred text or pass it off as so common a trait that “everyone” does it, as if that were an excuse.

    No, I’m standing in the harsh light of God’s Word shining down on me, and I need to shake free from this curse if I want to be obedient to my Maker (which I do), let alone be a church leader.

    ~FREEING MYSELF~

    SHAKING FREE of a harmful trait is not easy – in fact; it feels a lot like losing a close friend. If you’ve tried to make reforms in your life, and you probably have, then you know what I mean.

    I am encouraging myself through prayer and Bible study, focusing intently on some of the verses that speak directly to me:

    • Psalms 141:3 (NASB20) Set a guard, LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.
    • James 3:8 ( NKJV) But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
    • Proverbs 13:3 (ESV) Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life; he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
    • Matthew 12:36 (NIV) “I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”
    • Luke 6:45b (NLT) “What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

    The last two verses were from the Master, Himself, so they appear in red letters in my Bible and require serious attention.

    ~POSITIVE SIDE~

    THE FLIP SIDE gives me more encouragement. While recognizing a negative trait that I need to curb, I also can focus on the benefits of a new spirit.

    • Ephesians 4:29 (NKJV) Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
    • Proverbs 8:8 (BSB) All the words of my mouth are righteous; none are crooked or perverse.
    • Proverbs 15:4 (NASB20) A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.
    • Luke 24:8 (ESV) And they remembered his words.
    GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT

    As I make progress along this journey, God can and will open more doors for me to witness to the change He has brought in my life since I first trusted Him for my salvation.

    I’m eager to become an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20), and I can do it only if I am obedient to His calling on my life.

    He has placed the marker down. Now, it’s my turn to respond.

    May I say, as did the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:8 (NKJV)):

    “Here am I! Send me.”

    ~PRAYER~

    FATHER GOD, You know my strengths and my weaknesses, how You can use me and ways I let You down. From this point on, Abba Father, mold me into the instrument You intended me to be from eternity past that I might become a true soldier of the cross, an ambassador for Christ, one of Your faithful and obedient servants. In the name of Jesus, AMEN

  • THREE CHEERS FOR THE OVERCOMERS!

    MESSAGE BY WARD PIMLEY

    AS CHILDREN, we had these great dreams about what our lives would be like when we “got big,” as in becoming an adult. Funny thing, for most of us, it  didn’t work out that way. 

    For example, I was sure I would be a Major League Baseball player. I even had my position picked out (first baseman) and my team (Pittsburgh Pirates). 

    If you’ve never heard of me, it’s probably because I never made it out of Little League, and I didn’t play first base there, either. Either I was a catcher or an outfielder. One time, I played third base, and that was a disaster! As I said, only once I played third base.

    _________

    1 John 5:4 (ESV) For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

    1 Juan 5:4 (EM) Porque todo lo que ha nacido de Dios vence al mundo; y ésta es la victoria que ha vencido al mundo: nuestra fe.

    _________

    MANY OF OUR LIVES turn out that way, where our childhood dreams, so filled with wonder and color and imagination, often turn to dust as we age, gain some wrinkles and eventually gray hairs and maybe too much cellulite.

    Sound dreary? It shouldn’t. Our world is a fallen world, and we have only ourselves to blame. We thought we knew better than God—in fact, many of our contemporaries still do—and we’re bearing the brunt of our conceit.

    THERE IS GOOD NEWS, and the Good News is that God has promised us a better reward, something better to look forward to than your favorite dessert. (BTW, mine is vanilla ice cream over warmed peach cobbler.)

    I’m far happier focusing on the eternal reward that awaits me.

    So, who are the Overcomers?

    The Bible tells us: 

    1 John 5:5 (LSB) “Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

    ~PRAYER~

    ABBA FATHER, Thank You for allowing us to be the overcomers, the ones who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Help us share the message of hope and promise to those You place in our lives. In Jesus we pray. AMEN

  • OUR WORST CRITIC

    Too often, we are our worst critics, condemning ourselves more harshly than others do, and dismissing our strong points as nothing special. That tendency is satanic and keeps us from being more productive.

    Weekly Message by Ward Pimley

    I HAVE TO ADMIT IT, I often heap abuse on myself for failing to be *perfect,* even when I *know* (i.e., have mental knowledge) that perfection is beyond human reach.

    My Toughest Critic – Me!

    I’m not alone in this regard. According to the Myers-Briggs personality profile, my profile type (INTJ) is more likely than other profile types to be self-abusive. We strive for perfection and demand accountability in others.

    There is help, but in our (my) human pride, we tend to glaze over it, preferring to focus on the achievements of others and our tendency to underperform, at least by our own standards.

    The Bible tells us — if we’ll let it speak to us — that we are helpless without the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit. Here are some examples:

    • But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the LORD’s hand; I will trust God for my reward. — Isaiah 49:4 (NLT)
    • Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others. We each must carry our own load. — Galatians 4-5 (CEV)
    • “If any remain in me and I remain in them, they produce much fruit. But without Me they can do nothing.” — John 15:5 (NET)

    ~WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?~

    THE PROBLEM IS THIS: When we listen to the voice of the Evil One, we ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Evil One will cause us to doubt God’s goodness, His love for us, His caring touch.

    Instead, like Eve in the Garden (Genesis 3), we’ll convince ourselves that God does not have our best interests in mind and that, just perhaps, He’s “holding out on us.” Therefore, we reason, we must “follow your bliss,” as mythologist Joseph Campbell taught and, like Cream sang in Strange Brew, “do what’s inside of you.” 

    Then, we get into trouble.

    With God’s help, we can change that dynamic.

    ~HERE’S AN EXAMPLE~

    Recently, I wrote about following my dream (LoveAndGrace). I wanted to use the skills, training, and experience of being a newspaper reporter (journalist) to write novel-length fiction, creating characters and dialogue and movement and setting and storyline — all the things I was doing at work when reporting on real-life events.

    I wrote about having started — and stopped — writing three novels. Two years ago, I began diligently to complete them. Since then, I’ve edited them severely — shrinking them to 85,000 words each and, more importantly, reflecting the Christian values I’ve come to embrace in the last decade as a born-again believer.

    Okay, in this example, I am glad I had not finished the novels beforehand, because I would not want my pre-Christian heart and soul made public. Now, when I publish the novels, they’ll reflect the new creature God has created in me.

    The point I’m making is that it only has been very recently that I’ve felt the self-confidence God wants me to experience so that I could complete the novels and contemplate writing more.

    Being my inner critic prevented me from completing any of the novels. I just stared at them on my computer’s hard-drive.

    ~THE CATALYST~

    WHAT CHANGED FOR ME is that God has given me a spirit of courage, replacing my spirit of fear. I am now willing to embrace my dream and go after a calling, unafraid of temporal rejection or lack of applause.

    • For the Spirit that God has given us does not make us timid; instead, his Spirit fills us with power, love, and self-control. — 2 Timothy 1:7 (GNT)
    • So we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” — Hebrews 13:6 (NKJV)

    I would like to say that this change in me came suddenly as the Holy Spirit entered my heart; but the truth is, this has been part of His sanctification process in slowly and methodically bringing me closer to Him. Also, the Lord has used the testimony of some dear brothers to speak this truth into my life.

    But, wait! There I go again. The gift came from God, and I’m trying to grab credit for it, wishing I had come to this realization  myself, by myself, on my own, and … apparently … for myself.

    Not anymore. I want to embrace the new reality: God has transformed me and brought me into His embrace in His timing for His purpose.

    Not anymore. I want to embrace the new reality: God has transformed me and brought me into His embrace
    in His timing for His purpose.

    LoveAndGrace

    This is what He tells me (and you):

    • PROVERBS 3:5-6 (NIV): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
    • 1 PETER 2:9 (NKJV): “But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

    With those promises of God, how can we ever doubt His goodness toward us and therefore … in Him … our own worth as people of God?

    PRAYER

    FATHER GOD, We thank You for Your everlasting kindness, Your patience, and Your willingness to teach us how to be faithful and obedient sons and daughters of the King. All blessing, honor, and glory are Yours, O Lord, from everlasting to everlasting. AMEN and AMEN

  • THE RETURN OF JESUS CHRIST

    OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST PROMISES TO RETURN. When He does, He will grant those who love Him their reward—eternal life with Him. Those who reject Him also will receive their reward—eternity without Him. 

    WEEKLY MESSAGE BY WARD PIMLEY

    THE RAPTURE!

    I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RAPTURE!

    Our  Lord will come partway to Earth, and as the trumpet blasts, He’ll shout, “Come Up Here!” 

    JESUS CHRIST WILL RETURN FOR HIS CHURCH

    All the believers alive at the time, and all the believers who’ve passed through this life, will hear His voice and rise to meet Him in the air, the dead in Christ first, then those alive at the time.

    What an amazing scene to contemplate! Yes, it is exciting, even though God, in His wisdom, has purposed not to give us much information about the event.

    Romans 8:19 (NKJV) For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 

    Romans 8:19 (NKJV)

    Just a few things I think about but have no information:

    • Will the dead in Christ be assembled according to geography, i.e., where they lived during their lives;
    • Will we be assembled according to era, i.e., when we lived;
    • Will we speak a common language; if so, which one – a current one or a brand new one? Will we become multi-lingual?
    • Will we wear robes, or our current garb, or something entirely new?
    • What will my “room” or “mansion” look like, and will it be tailored for my current tastes and desires, or will it meet needs and desires entirely different from what I want now;
    • How often will I see my loved ones — especially, my wife — and how will I react when I realize dear family members might not be joining me (that’s a euphemism, of course).

    My list actually is much longer than this, and you probably have your own list.

    Two Realities

    I MENTION ALL OF THIS because we are faced with two realities, both of them valid: one the one hand, we have valuable biblical doctrine to guide our understanding of the Rapture and our eventual Eternal Home; while on the other hand, we have the natural human curiosity and wonder that God instilled in us at creation that prompt us to ask questions.

    Yes, the Bible teaches us that the “secret things of God” belong solely to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29) and that many of the details are “not for us to know” (Acts 1:7), yet God did create us in His image, so naturally we are curious. He built that into us.

    DOCTRINE: 

    • While Jesus’ death on the Cross provides forgiveness of sin for all people—-past, present, and future—-only those who believe He is the Messiah, the Son of God, are His children (John 1:12; Rom. 8:14), and they alone will reap the benefit of eternal life with God (John 3:3). The rest will suffer for having rejected what the Bible calls “so great a salvation” (Heb. 2:3).

    CURIOSITY: 

    • Does everyone who ends up in Hell actually choose that destination, or were they not paying attention or falsely assumed they were *good enough* by their standards to warrant inclusion in Heaven? Will they regret their life choices, or will they remain convinced they chose wisely?

    Approaching Event

    WITH EACH PASSING DAY, we all come closer to that Moment of Truth, when the Lord returns to take some of us home while leaving the rest to struggle in a world of increasing evil and terror.

    Jesus told us to “be prepared.” You can read about it in Matthew 25 (“The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins”). Matt. 25:1 (NKJV) says: “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.”

    He relates a Jewish wedding festival in which the bridegroom leads a parade to the bride’s father’s house to claim his betrothed to begin their married life. Five of the bridesmaids were prepared and had stored enough oil for their lanterns, while the other five were not prepared and missed the celebration.

    The haunting message to me is that the five “unprepared” virgins actually wanted to attend the joyous celebration. 

    They failed to take the proper precautions, but they did not want to be excluded.

    Yet, they were.

    Different Destinations

    SO, WHERE DOES this lead?

    We’re rapidly coming to a point where some of us will take the road that leads to an eternity of extreme joy and peace — while others, many of them our loved ones and colleagues — will transition into eternal regret. 

    Yes, I know that’s to burden us with the need to reach out to them with the message of hope — and, yes, it means we need to redouble our prayers for them.

    In this life, I anticipate the coming Rapture with eager expectation for myself, yet fear for those loved ones who, by their own testimony, show no signs of trusting the Lord for their salvation.

    I praise the Lord for my salvation … while saddened for those who reject His generous gift.

    PRAYER

    FATHER GOD, We love You and praise Your holy name. We thank You for Your gracious gift of life for all who claim the name of Jesus, and we petition You, O Holy Father, to quicken the hearts of those who spurn Your love. Turn them from their worldly pursuits and show them the peace and joy that will be theirs if they would humble themselves, pray to You, seek Your face, and turn from their wicked ways. In Jesus’ magnificent name. AMEN

    Relevant Scripture

    • 1 John 3:1 (NKJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
    • John 1:12 (NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.
    • Romans 8:14 (NLT) For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
    • 1 John 5:12 (BSB) Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
    • 2 Peter 3:14 (ESV) Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

  • TEN LEPERS CLEANSED-Only One Returned to Give Thanks

    In the story of Jesus healing 10 lepers, we learn important lessons about God’s mercy and man’s lack of gratitude. Jesus healed 10 lepers — social outcasts from their debilitating disease — yet only one man returned to thank Him. 

    WEEKLY MESSAGE BY WARD PIMLEY

    Giving Thanks to God

    IF WE ARE TO BELIEVE THE BIBLE is God’s holy and truthful Word — and this column holds to the Bible’s inerrancy and infallibility — then we also believe that God created us to glorify Him and that all good gifts come to us from Him. 

    How often do we recognize the Lord’s goodness and thank Him, actually stop a moment and thank Him for the goodness He provides?

    PRAISE THE LORD!

    I find that throughout the day, I am offering “prayer-lets,” little “thank you” prayers to the Lord for everything from keeping me from driving in front of a speeding car to helping me find my house keys to keeping me more patient and compassionate than my nature would warrant.

    As I do so, I think my “guardian angel” must be working diligently to keep me safe and serene, and, yes, for that, I am grateful! 

    THE TEN LEPERS

    THAT BRINGS US to our story of the 10 lepers. These were men and women ostracized from “polite society” because of their  disfigurement. 

    ~SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT~

    • MATT. 6:11 (NET): “Give us today our daily bread.”
    • MARK 8:36 (ESV): “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
    • LUKE 17:17 (NKJV): “So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?’”
    • JOHN 10:10b (NASB20): “I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.”

    They lived in colonies on the outskirts of town and were forbidden from visiting their loved ones. 

    One day, when Jesus was in town, 10 lepers from the local colony — who knows how many were in the colony, the Bible doesn’t say — but 10 of them approached Jesus, hoping He would heal them.

    He told them to show themselves to the temple priests for the ceremonial cleansing of healed lepers — a ceremony that probably never had been held before because the illness was incurable — and they all traipsed off dutifully to see the priests.

    As they walked, they were healed. Jesus wanted them to demonstrate faith as a healing mechanism. 

    One of them turned back to fall at the Lord’s feet and to thank Him for healing him, and the Bible tells us he was not even Jewish but one of the Samaritans, which made him racially outcast as well as a leprosy outcast.

    THE LORD’S ASTONISHMENT

    THE BIBLE TELLS US that Jesus was amazed — two-fold amazed.  Only one of the 10 expressed thanks, and He was a Samaritan, not a Jew!

    GOD’S GRACE SPEAKS TO OUR NEEDS

    “Weren’t there 10 lepers healed?” Jesus asked as He turned to His disciples. “How come only one of them came back to say “Thank You,” and He’s a foreigner, to boot?” (paraphrase mine)

    Isn’t that embarrassing? If you were standing there with Jesus and had watched this charade, what would you have thought of the nine countrymen who sashayed off to the temple priests for the ritual cleansing ceremony and didn’t bother to give thanks to their benefactor?

    Before you answer, how often do you give thanks to the Lord for His goodness in your life? 

    Many of us, including self-identified Christians, will dig into a meal without pausing to offer grace, who take their good health for granted, or figure their new job with the hefty salary is a result solely of their own effort.

    APPLICATION

    SO, WHERE DOES that leave us?

    THANKING GOD FOR HIS MANY BLESSINGS

    The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 to be thankful in all situations and to pray constantly. Obviously, to pray constantly, and to be  thankful in all situations, means to “be in the attitude of prayer.” That would be “praying as we go.”

    The Bible also tells us in Matthew 7 to “keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking” and, in God’s perfect timing, we’ll receive the answers He wants us to have, the goal we’re looking for, and the doors to be opened.

    That promise, for me, is worth stopping in my tracks and turning around to the Master and, falling on my knees, saying “Thank You.”

    PRAYER

    FATHER GOD, we thank You for Your patience with us. Even while we were yet sinners, You sent Your Son to die on the cross for us, to restore us to fellowship with You, yet too often, we take our blessings as our “due,” and not as the gift of grace, which they are. Forgive us, Lord, and sustain us in our walk with Christ. In Jesus’ name. AMEN

  • LISTENING … WITHOUT HEARING

    Every week in church, at least in those churches committed to New Testament teaching, the pastor will offer a prayer for salvation for anyone wanting to know Jesus Christ as their  personal Lord and Savior. 

    PRAY IN HUMILITY

    Only a small number of congregants, if any, find their way to the front of the church or commit silently to salvation. 

    Either everyone else has made that journey or, more likely, many stay rooted to their seats, unwilling to lay down their pride or else falsely assuming they’re good enough to merit salvation on their own. Jesus assures us that decision is eternally disastrous.

    Weekly Message by Ward Pimley

    SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT

    • HEBREWS 4:2 (NKJV): “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”
    • 1 CORINTHIANS 6:11 (ESV): “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
    • MATTHEW 11:15 (NASB20): “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

    SOME LISTEN BUT DON’T HEAR

    MARK AND SUSAN DRESSED to impress as they dutifully made their way to church that Sunday morning. He wore a smart-looking suit with crisp shirt and tie; she wore a stylish dress that modestly dropped below-the-knee.

    CORPORATE WORSHIP OF OUR LORD

    When the altar call came at service’s end, they remained in their seats, head bowed and eyes closed, wondering who, if anyone, was foolish enough to participate.

    They knew their place in life. He was a rising star at work, at mid-40s a regional vice president, on the fast track to a corporate-wide assignment; she was department chair at the local high school. Their children were “generally” orderly, maintaining good grades, popular, and active in school clubs.

    What they weren’t were like the hopeless “losers” who threw their worthless lives onto the altar of forgiveness, seeking mercy for the garbage that littered their path.

    No way. They were upstanding citizens. Suburban, well-off. Paid their taxes, kept their lawn neat, enjoyed a comfortable home, and entertained dinner guests.

    They knew who they were: Good People Who Lived The American Dream.

    THE LORD IS CALLING

    SOMEWHERE IN THE DISTANCE the voice of Jesus Christ called to them, saying that “today” was the day of their salvation, that He was knocking on the door of their hearts, wanting an invitation to come in and enjoy life with them.

    MONDAY MORNING GRIND

    Somewhere in the distance the voice of Jesus Christ told them that unless they believed that He was, is, and will be the Lord and Messiah, they would die in their sins. 

    Somewhere in the distance the voice of Jesus Christ told them that without their confession of faith, when their earthly lives ended, they would be met with a closed door to Heaven and He would tell them to depart from Him. He never knew them.

    Those words should not have been in the distance for Mark and Sally. Were they not listening to the pastor as he read from the Bible every week? Were they not reading their Bibles at home during the week?

    Maybe they were; maybe they weren’t. Either way, they didn’t think the words applied to them. 

    Here’s some of what they may have missed over time:

    • HEBREWS 4:1 (NIV): “Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short of it.”
    • MATTHEW 7:23 (CSB): “Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’”
    • REVELATION 3:20 (NLT): “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
    • JOHN 8:24 (NET) “Thus I told you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”

    NOT THAT RELEVANT

    MARK AND SALLY took comfort in knowing they were not alone. They were convinced that most people took their religion the same way they did — in small doses, kept in its place, without intruding on their personal lives. 

    READING THE SACRED SCROLLS

    “Religion,” as they called it, was their “Sunday thing.” Once church let out, they got busy with their regular lives. Back to home, shuck the tie and stockings, walk the dog, remove the roast from the oven, gather  for a meal, and then spend the day relaxing, getting ready for Monday and the “real world.”

    After all, they reason, the Bible is a nice repository of interesting tales and fables, but apart from some of the Psalms, and maybe the Christmas story in Luke 2, not overly relevant to their lives.

    Besides, there’s no way a reasonably intelligent, well-educated person in today’s world could actually take the whole of it literally as God’s Word, but just the writings of some long-dead Jewish men who wrote whatever they wanted to write to proclaim whatever point they wanted to make at the time they wrote.

    MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

    SO, WEEK AFTER WEEK, month after month, and year after year, Mark and Sally dutifully made their way to church, knowing they were pleasing their Moms in old age and making a “good showing” in the community.

    Whatever it was that Jesus is saying, regardless of how accurately it may have been recorded, they were sure it had little to say to either of them or to their children. 

    So, week after week, month after month, and year after year, they half-listened to the pastor’s altar call, wondering to their eternal peril, how anyone could take this ceremony seriously.

    Dear Mark and Sally, here’s what the Lord Jesus says about you, and, yes, He is speaking directly to you:

    • MATTHEW 7:24, 26 (NKJV): “Therefore, whoever hears these words of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock. … But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.”
    • HEBREWS 5:11 (NLT): “There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.”

    MARK AND SALLY, PLEASE HEED THE MASTER’S VOICE.

    GET OUT OF YOUR SEATS, LEAVE YOUR PRIDE BEHIND, AND HUMBLY RECEIVE HIS GRACE.

    HE TOLD YOU — HE TOLD ALL OF US IN JOHN 3:3 NCV — THAT “UNLESS YOU ARE BORN AGAIN, YOU CANNOT BE IN GOD’S KINGDOM.”

    DON’T MISS OUT.

    LISTEN FOR GOD’S VOICE … AND HEAR HIM … 

    REALLY …THIS TIME … HEAR HIM.

    PRAYER

    FATHER GOD, WE KNOW the hardest group in church to reach for the Gospel are those “cultural Christians” who don’t take the Bible’s call for rebirth seriously, who assume their goodness will get them into Heaven, who believe whatever Hell exists is for “those people” who, they imagine, are so much worse than they are. 

    Lord, that is not what the Bible teaches, and many of our loved ones (family and friends) are lukewarm Christians, possibly unsaved. We pray for a convicting spirit to soften their hearts to bring about a humility that leads them to repentance.

    In Jesus’ name we lift this prayer to the throne of Grace, AMEN

  • “WE NEED A MIRACLE”

    The story of Bartimaeus (see Luke 18:35-43) is a simple story of one man’s faith and how God, through the Person of His Son Jesus, acknowledged that faith. Bartimaeus was a blind man who cried out to the Lord to restore his sight.  

    ARRAY OF MIGHTY WARRIORS

    Message By Ward Pimley

    JESUS IS A MIRACLE WORKER

    BARTIMAEUS IS NOTABLE because he saw Jesus as more than just a man or a healer or a miracle worker; by calling him, “Jesus, Son of David,” he was acknowledging Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, whereas the sighted people following Jesus merely called Him “Jesus of Nazareth.

    Sometimes, I feel like I just need a miracle. Someone Big, Strong, Powerful, and Important to show up, snap his fingers, and make all of my problems go away. 

    Scriptural Support

    • Luke 18:38 (NKJV): And he cried out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
    • Luke 18:43 (ESV): “And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him [Jesus], glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.”

    Sometimes, I just want a super-hero to swoop in, whether he flies like Superman or Mighty Mouse, or clings to the web like Spider Man, or drives a supercharged sports car like Batman and Robin, to “save the day” for the good guys.

    JESUS HEALING BARTIMAEUS

    Ever feel like that? I’m sure you do. We all do. It’s normal. It’s part of life here on planet Earth. Despite all of our joys and happy moments, we all feel there is something desperately wrong with our lives and our condition. 

    We feel alienated, as if we don’t belong here. 

    In reality, we don’t. 

    Philippians 3:20 (NIV) tells us “our citizenship is in heaven.” In Hebrews 11, we learn that the Old Testament saints were “looking forward to a city with eternal foundations” (Hebrews 11:10 NLT), while Solomon reminds us that God “set eternity in the hearts of men.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 BSB)

    LEARNING FROM A BLIND MAN

    WE MAY BLAME Adam and Eve for their disobedience, because our separation from God results from the curse from their disobedience, but truth be told, we have enough disobedience of our own. So, we can blame ourselves.

    As we know, God in His mercy stepped in and reclaimed us through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of His Son, so believing in Him puts us back together again (unlike Humpty Dumpty, who remains a hopeless creature of brokenness). 

    However, in our brokenness, we need to continue to seek God, to repent of our sins, and  to knock on the door of fellowship.

    Bartimaeus, the blind man in Luke’s story, shows us how simple faith is all that it takes to restore that broken relationship that our sin, and only our sin, caused.

    EXAMINING THE LESSON

    I’M INDEBTED TO Pastor Gary Hamrick, Cornerstone Chapel, Leesburg, Va., for his insight and exegesis of this Scriptural passage.

    We see five lessons or “take-always” from Bartimaeus:

    1. He believed that Jesus is a miracle-working God
    2. He appealed to the mercy of God
    3. He dismissed the voices of doubt
    4. He exercised faith in God
    5. He gave all the glory to God.

    In Luke’s account, Bartimaeus is a blind man who lost his sight, probably from an infection, which was common in that day. Once a hearty man, he was reduced to begging by a busy commercial route.

    “MY ARMS ARE OPEN”

    One day, he heard a loud commotion as a small army of excited passers-by kicked up dust in his face. He called out, asking who was there. Several in the crowd, proudly following Jesus on His way to Jerusalem and the Cross, replied that it was “Jesus of Nazareth.” 

    A dismissive appellation, really, as He was more than just a regular bloke.  He also was Almighty God. 

    But Bartimaeus, the man who couldn’t see because of his physical blindness, could see “spiritually” more than what the self-righteous followers of Jesus — we might call them the “church” — saw.

    Bartimaeus knew that Jesus was, and is, the Lord.

    ARE WE SEEKING MIRACLES?

    DO WE LOOK FOR MIRACLES? How many of us truly believe the Creator of the universe would bother Himself with showing us a miracle when (1) He has so much other work to do, and (2) Other people either are more worthy than we are or are in more desperate need? 

    Yet, our Lord assured us in His earthly ministry that not even a sparrow falls without the Father’s notice (Matthew 10:29-31) and that we, His image-bearers (Genesis 1:26-27), are infinitely more important to Him than sparrows.

    Certainly, this view is the deception the Liar, the Great Deceiver, whispers in our ears that, yes, God can, will, and does perform miracles today to … just not for you (John 8:44; 10:10a).

    Yet, look again at the plight of Bartimaeus and his faith in Jesus as Lord. A blind beggar sitting along a dusty road, totally dependent on the generosity of stingy, self-centered heathens for is survival, was important enough to Jesus that on His way to the Cross, Jesus stopped the procession, called him over, inquired of his wishes, and granted it immediately.

    Why would anyone not believe that same Lord would look upon us with the same measure of compassion, love, forgiveness, and healing.

    He Still Can. 

    He Still Will. 

    He Still Does.

     PRAYER

    DEAR FATHER GOD, we need a miracle. We need You to swoop down and heal our souls, heal our hearts, heal our world. 

    We need humility in our lives to bend our wills to Yours, to repent of our sins, and to turn in a new direction, one that imitates the life of our Lord Jesus. 

    Forgive us, Lord, for our disobedience, and set a new heart within us, one of flesh and not of stone, one of humility and not of pride. In the name of Jesus we raise this prayer. 

    AMEN

  • WHO IS TEACHING OUR CHILDREN?

    FOR SOME REASON, our country is embroiled in a debate over an issue that should be firmly settled: the role parents play in overseeing their children’s education. 

    BEFORE THE MEETING STARTS

     Those on one side of the political spectrum — the conservative side — say parents should have a voice over the educational material. While they don’t insist on determining the curriculum or grade standards, they want oversight over core values, including what passes for acceptable information on sexual behavior and issues related to race and gender identity.

    Those on the other side — I’m not even sure why there is an other side, but it’s the liberal side — supports the indoctrination of our youth to comply with liberal politics of the national teachers unions. 

    WHAT’S YOUR GENDER?

    ADD TO THE LEFT’S support of same-sex attraction as a normal “alternative” life style is its sadistic support of children changing their gender, from recognizing the alternate first names they choose corresponding with their new gender to honoring the gender-appropriate pronouns accompanying their new gender identity. 

    MALE/IN-BETWEEN/FEMALE

    THE BIBLE TELLS US to teach our children well, tell them  about God and, as mothers and fathers, discipline them in the Lord with love and patience. 

    Yet, in today’s world, most of our children are taught (programmed?) by government-run public schools, many of which promote non-biblical values and demonize parents who raise objections. 

    How can that be?

    That’s before we get to racial relations, where the left divides the classroom into “oppressors” and “oppressed” based on their race; global climate change hysteria; and demonizing our country’s Founding Fathers for having owned slaves, a common practice at the time, before Christians were able to put a stop to it.

    While slave ownership is not something to admire, it was common around the globe 200 years ago, and our Founders struggled with the idea.

    GENERATIONAL MORAL CODE

    JUDGING ONE GENERATION’s moral code by the morality of another generation hundreds of years later is a monumental misstep. Not only can the deceased not defend themselves but it leaves their  detractors open to the same scapegoating from generations yet to come.

    Would leftists who sanctimoniously condemn slaveholders George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison — giants of an earlier era who brought forth the American Experiment — want the spotlight turned on them?

    What moral failings of today could our progeny point to in disgust? Let’s look at a few examples:

    • Abortion Rights — killing innocent lives in the womb;
    • Exorbitant Debt — passing down entitlements costs to future generations;
    • Urban Decay — skyrocketing violent crime;
    • Educational Failure — declining test scores.

    To that short list, we can add inflation, porous borders, mask mandates, and cancellation of dissent, plus many more. 

    Would today’s leftist crusaders want to stand up to values scrutiny from moral scolds 200 years from now based on THAT record?

    SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT

    GOD’S WORD IS ALIVE
    • ISAIAH 54:13 (NKJV): All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children. 
    • PROVERBS 1:8-9 (ESV): Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.
    • MATTHEW 19:14 (NASB20): But Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

    At least our Founding Fathers contributed something useful to hand their successors — a republic!

    What contribution will our statue topplers, hero bashers, and sexual perverts leave for THEIR successors?

    BIBLICAL VALUES ENDURE

    THOSE OF US who take our Bibles seriously, especially those portions instructing us on how to raise our children (“It was that you should have children who are truly God’s people.” Malachi 2:15 (GNT)), know that God’s values, purposes, and agenda never vary. (“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 (NKJV)) 

    FAMILY BIBLE STUDY

    What we’re seeing in the government-run schools, however, is anything but the eternal and universal values of our Creator. 

    Instead, they are the shadow values of the Great Imitator, the one  Jesus warned us about: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” (John 10:10a (NLT))

    Jesus contrasts that dismal outlook with His own promise: “I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b (NET))

    POSTSCRIPT

    THE LORD CLEARLY WANTS us to tell our children about Him, His goodness, His grace, mercy, and love, and also His righteous judgments, reserved for those who reject Him. 

    He says, “We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.” — Psalms 78:4 (ESV)

    We are not to leave that chore to the churches and professional Christians but are to handle it ourselves, leading by example and teaching them God’s Word.

    Even more important, we need to pray for our children, starting even before they’re conceived in the womb and right through the day we take our last breath on earth. 

    God says, “I want Godly children.”

    LORD, MAY IT BE SO.

    PRAYER

    ABBA FATHER GOD, how often do we fail to teach our children of the Lord’s will, of His love and His wrath, of  His mercy and His judgment, of His call on our lives and our duty to obey. As our children grow to adulthood, we lose the role of protective parents with absolute authority to tell them Your truth, but we can continue fervently to pray for their conviction and to lead by example, to the best of our ability, with God’s help. O Lord, have mercy on our children’s souls, and the souls of their children, and so on down the line, that they will not suffer eternally for our failings. Bring them to repentance that our joy may be complete. In the majestic name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we pray. AMEN 

  • CHRISTIANITY CONFRONTS A DARK, EVIL WORLD

    WHAT KIND OF UNSIDE DOWN, convoluted, world are we  presenting to the our youngest Americans, those pre-teens whose only knowledge of the world around them is one where everyone is masked, boys really are girls and vice versa, and at any moment their supposedly safe schools could be turned into a shooting gallery. 

    THE GREAT BATTLEFIELD

    This is a world where energy costs are soaring as political leftists declare war on fossil fuels, and government leaders, school officials, television personalities, and most adults in their lives encourage youngsters to “snitch” on their parents, siblings, friends, neighbors, and anyone else who they are told are bad people because they don’t get with “the program.”

    While the above-named events are difficult even for adults to handle, at least those of us with some life experience are able to compare our current world with a not-too-distant past that was more benign and recognizable.

    Our evil world is polluted with hatred, inflamed rhetoric, judgmental commentary, and pure evil intent. As Christians, we are called to a higher standard, but all too often, even those in the church that bears the name of Jesus fall into the world’s insidious trap. We need to pray and dedicate ourselves to setting a better example.

    LoveAndGrace Christian Blog

    The youngest among us are not so privileged. They have nothing safe, benign, and comfortable to compare this with, to see for themselves that what’s happening all around them isn’t right, isn’t normal, isn’t the way it should be.

    MIXED-UP FOLKS

     IMAGINE BEING A five-year-old girl and being told you could be a boy if you want to be, or a boy who’s encouraged to think of himself as a potential girl. Maybe you’re a mistake! Maybe you shouldn’t have the body your mind is housed in, but, instead, the body of your opposite sex sibling! 

    ONCE UPON A TIME

    What if you see nothing wrong with a man dressed up like a tawdry woman reading children’s stories to your classmates at the local library, or hearing your parents grumble and gripe over dinner because of the cost of gasoline, the shortage of baby formula, or the idiots — like their uncle and aunt — whose political views differ from theirs.

    Recently, a Christian brother posted a FaceBook meme about voters in a state other than the one in which he lives who selected a political candidate in the primary election — not even the general election but the primary — by calling those voters “stupid.”

    Seriously? They’re stupid because you don’t agree with them? And supposedly you’re a church leader, one who sings “Give Me Jesus” on Sunday but rails against his neighbors on Monday?

    Is this not madness! 

    What is a five-year-old to think?

     BIBLICAL PROPHESY

    THE BIBLE WARNS US that in the “latter days,” all sorts of evil and mayhem will flourish. Among the sin examples in one passage, along with murder, lying, and various sexual sins, is dishonoring one’s parents (Rom. 1:29-31).

    BAND OF INNOCENTS

    That one seems so innocuous, like tossing litter into a condemnation of assault with a deadly weapon or sucker punching someone, yet it lies at the very base of our youngests’ world … the lack of respect for authority.

    That lack of authority translates over to failing to adhere to teachers’ instructions, or that of police officers, or teachings at church, or advice from older — and wiser — siblings and family members.

    Yet, when we look at the instruction they are given, too much of it — way too much of it — is disrespectful of life as God designed it, so the young are disrespecting the authority of those placed over them who, themselves, are disrespecting God’s order.

    What a mess.

    THE WAY OUT

    YES, THERE IS A WAY OUT. It starts with the Bible. Yes, the Bible! It is God’s Word, and He tells us how He designed us and how He expects us to live — how to think, how to speak, and how to act.

    AN OPEN BIBLE
    SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT
    •   Romans 12:21 (NKJV): “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
    • Ephesians 4:29 (NIV): “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

    We’re not doing it. Those of us who claim the Lord as our Savior may well do a better job than the rest of the world, but the Bible clearly states we are in the minority, and we’ve still got sinful hearts. 

    If Christ’s followers can’t get it right, what hope is there for those who reject Him and His design for our lives?

    Who will speak into the lives of our children, to teach them there is a way out of the dark jungle of our current world and into the shining light of God’s new creation?

    There are those who labor in the muck, striving gallantly to instill good morals in the young, only to be vilified for their effort. 

    In today’s upside down world, they are considered “bigots” and “haters” because they, alone, stand true to God’s eternal and universal Word, not equivocating between good and evil as the moment suits.

    The answer, of course, is to rely on Jesus Christ, who, the Bible reminds us, remains sovereign and will enjoy having *the final say* on human history. 

    PRAYER

    OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, we are ashamed at the mess we’ve made of the perfect world You created and gave to us to run. First, we disobeyed you in the Garden; then, we killed Your prophets and apostles, and even Your Son, Jesus Christ, and still we continue to rebel. Forgive us, please, and help us walk the straight path You have designed for us. Thank You, Lord, for Your mercy. In Jesus’ name. AMEN