Serious, Searing, Scathing, Scary

The Bible is filled with blessings and warnings, with encouragements and exhortations.  It covers the entire spectrum of life:  literally anything one could come across or encounter, the Bible has an application for that!  It has a principle (at least one, often multiple) that’ll deal with and inform a person how to best proceed in a given matter, which path to take.  It is complete.  It is all-sufficient – not only for this life but also for the life to come.

It is the Word and words of God Almighty Himself, so it is infinite in authority and truth.  Indeed, it defines  truth.  Because it IS truth.

  • “… Thy word is truth.” (John 17:17)

Therefore, it greatly behooves a person to not just read it – a good and necessary first step – but also to HEED it.

Its promises and blessings – which many people view as the “good stuff” – but every bit so beneficial, beloved, are the “biting” sections, the grave warnings.

Like I said, there are many throughout the Bible.  And many spoken by the human lips of the Lord Jesus Himself:

  • “but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it is better for him that a heavy millstone be hung around his neck, and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea.  Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! … woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!” (Matthew 18:6-7)  [It’s clear where the Apostle Paul got his passion and penchant for exclamation points!]
  • Woe to you, Chorazin!  Woe to you, Bethsaida! … it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you.  And you, Capernaum… You shall descent to Hades… it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.” (Matthew 11:21-24)
  • “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.  And [the unforgiving slave’s master], moved with anger, handed him over to the torturersSo shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” (Matthew 6:15, 18:34-35)

… just to name a few.  And here are three more, coming from the anonymous human author of the book of Hebrews:

  • “For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame. … For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.  Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’  And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’  It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. … for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:26-31, 12:29)

… but the one warning which is similarly serious and searing and scathing and scary but probably the most surprising  in all of Scripture comes from the Holy Spirit by way of Peter in the second of his two epistles (that just means a “letter”) included in the canon of Scripture:

  • “For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them.” (2 Peter 2:20-21)

Wow!  Whoa!  What a warning!

I knew that there was something worse than being an unbeliever, than being unsaved, unredeemed…

  • “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith, and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)

… but those words of warning at the end of 2 Peter 2 take the cake:  it would actually be better for a person “NOT TO HAVE KNOWN the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away” from it.

Stark.

Stunning.

May we not take our salvation lightly or for granted.  May we not “turn away” from its path of pure and righteous conduct.

  • “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness.'” (2 Timothy 2:19)
  • “To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.  They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed. … For the grace of God has appeared… instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly…” (Titus 1:15-16, 2:11-12)

But may we also go further and keep an eye out for those who have made this very bad, very unwise, very consequential choice, and lovingly seek to be used by God to TURN THEM BACK.

  • “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19-20)
  • “save others, snatching them out of the fire…” (Jude 23)

Spiritually, we are our “brother’s keeper”.

Let’s make sure our own life is on track, then – through the testimony and power of pure living – let’s look to bring others along for the ride.

The ride which will one day come to a halt in heaven.

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Hold On a Little While Longer

How many times yesterday did you actively and specifically even think about the Lord’s return to take us home to heaven?

How about the day before that?

How about last week?  Last month?  (Gulp…)  Last year?

I’m embarrassed to say that a long time ago I actually went months  without being able to say for sure that I actively and specifically thought about that glorious future event.  At least not in the sense of eagerly awaiting it.  And not surprisingly, that was one of the only stretches in my life in which I was far more focused on the day-to-day dealings of life, i.e., the tangible, than I was on the far more important intangibles.  The former category is of course very important, but should never, ever overtake or unseat the latter from the throne of our mind.

Also not surprising or ironic in the least but rather totally to be expected is the fact that said stretch of time in my life was the least spiritually fruitful.  I can’t say that I was completely barren spiritually but let’s just say that the apples weren’t exactly falling from the tree on their own if you know what I mean.

And the reason that isn’t at all surprising is that setting our minds on the things above, the intangible and unseen things, is THE KEY to a healthy, fruitful walk with the Lord, i.e., His working in us and then through us.

  • “Set your minds on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
  • “… look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:18)
  • “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Galatians 5:16-17)
  • “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” (Romans 8:5)

I foolishly let my focus fall for months to the horizontal, earthly realm instead of the vertical, heavenly realm – and paid the price spiritually via the Lord’s very effective yet somehow gentle discipline, as well as by way of a lack of spiritual growth and fruitfulness during that time of lost priority of focus.

Instead, we are indeed to stay focused on the things above and specifically the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

  • “… waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (Jude 21)
  • “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 3:20)
  • “…. waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” (Romans 8:23)

[The “transformation” and “redemption” of our body occurs at the return of Christ, the rapture:]

  • “… We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.” (1 John 3:2)
  • “… we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet [i.e., the rapture, see 1 Thessalonians 4:16]; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

I’ve gotten a lot better at staying focused on the Lord and His return, much more consistent, yet I find that the “eagerness” is still sometimes somewhat lacking – in extent if not essence.  Not because I don’t love Him or CAN’T WAIT to see Him, but rather because I see how much (massive) room for growth remains in my life and especially how much work remains to be done in terms of bringing others to the Lord, bringing others “along for the ride” as they say.

The ride to heaven.

I’m comforted by the fact that none other than the Apostle Paul had this very same struggle:

  • “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.  But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.” (Philippians 1:21-24)

And part of it is the deep desire to “make up for lost time”.  The Lord has allowed His living and active Word, the Bible, to reveal to my mind’s eye a very specific method to memorize entire books of the Bible… and anything else!  And how long it has taken me to get to the point of officially launching this website and the historic event unfolding in real-time here definitely causes me to tell the Lord how much I look forward to seeing Him… but also to please hold off on His return and to use me to help, to literally empower  countless people to unlock and unleash their mind, too, as the Bible has been and continues to do in me.

Because I know that the more people memorize Scripture, the more people will be saved, and grow in their confidence and certainty about their salvation, and in turn tell others.

Just like that old shampoo commercial.

Please wait a little while longer, Lord, so more and more people can come to know You before that door shuts forever.  Let them likewise hold on a little while longer.

(This song isn’t my cup of tea musically but it fits perfectly so I’m going with it!  It’s also a loving nod to my precious mother who used to play Christian music virtually all day every day throughout my entire childhood… with a heavy, heavy, heavy dose of Evie, Evie, Evie so this one’s for you, Mom.)

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Quick Thought:  Two Queens

For those of you who play chess, have you ever marched a pawn all the way to the end of the board and turned it into a second queen?

TWO QUEENS.  Practically UNBEATABLE.

That’s exactly how it is in the Christian life!  When one wears “the full armor of God” including “the sword of the Spirit” a.k.a. the Bible!

  • “Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10)

How???  The very next verse tells us:

  • “PUT ON the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

Including last but absolutely not least:

  • “And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

One of my all-time favorite quotes which my father and uncles used to always say when we cousins were growing up is, “Either this Book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this Book.”

So true.

But ever since I dedicated my life to memorizing entire books of the Bible en route to all 66, I add this:  “Don’t just read, don’t just study but meditate  on the Bible throughout the day.  I.e., don’t just taste it, eat  it, consume  it.  Consume the Bible, and before long the Bible will CONSUME YOU!

It’s even better than having TWO QUEENS in a game of chess.

Utterly  unbeatable.

  • “But in all these things we OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)

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Quick Thought:  Same Ol’, Same Ol’?

“Same as it ever was.”  I remember that specific phrase from some pop song (I think from the 80’s).

I’ll get back to that in a minute but first, a question:  when’s the last time you gave thanks specifically for, say, living in a free country?

Our founding fathers’ generation and the first few to follow did many times each hour  I bet.

Even six or eight generations later, I bet they were giving thanks for that at least every week.

Then, a few generations later, I’ll bet that slowly waned to every month.

Then every year.

And the past few generations have gotten so used to living in a free country that we’ve largely taken it for granted.

Because it’s all we’ve ever known.

Did you know the same can become the case with our salvation and the Christian life?

With each generation of Christian, church-going families, there is almost always a marked decrease in the enthusiasm and fervor and active gratitude for, and interest in, the things of God.

Because it’s all they’ve ever known.  The later generations have been born and raised in such a way that church and God and the Bible is all they’ve ever known as a way of life.

But here’s the thing, here’s the hook, here’s the twist that trips up too many people:  just because something’s always been, that doesn’t mean that’s how it’ll always be.

May we never grow jaded or come to take for granted the amazing, immeasurable gift we have in salvation or the true treasure of the Bible.  And regarding those who haven’t yet come to know the Lord in the first place, may we double our focus and efforts to lovingly give them the truth of the Gospel so they won’t remain deceived in thinking that nothing’s going to really change since things have largely always been as they are now.

  • “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’  For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.  But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.” (2 Peter 3:3-7)

I think I know what those “last-days mockers and know-it-all’s” Peter predicted in his second epistle will sound and look a lot like:

Trust me… no, trust God that the “same ol’, same ol'” of the past several thousand years will not last forever.

Change is coming.

A really, really, really BIG change.

May we live each day in anticipation of and preparation for that massive change.  Both in terms of our own walk with the Lord and also “snatching out of the fire” (Jude 23) as many unbelievers as possible (i.e., simply living out and sharing the truth of the Bible with them and God will do the snatching).

Eternity awaits.  And the clock is ticking.


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Quick Thought:  Tip-off Time = Too Late

I spent several hours over the past two weekends (as I do every spring) watching the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament a.k.a. “The Tourney” a.k.a. “March Madness” … and this thought hit me:  imagine how C-R-A-Z-Y, how N-U-T-S-O we would all deem it to be if tip-off had been the first time one of those head coaches had gotten his team on the floor.

The pure absurdity of even that notion  makes one laugh.

Yet how many people do that very same thing when it comes to the infinitely more important contest and context of the Christian life?!

If the moment of your death or Christ’s return is the first time YOU have been on that  ”floor”, well, we all know what the result would likely be.

But the GREAT NEWS is that you and I still have time!  It’s not too late!  We can get on that “floor” NOW, TODAY, versus foolishly waiting until tip-off!

Therefore, let’s determine here and now to view each and every day as the spiritual practice session and “dress rehearsal” it truly is for eternity, for the life to come.

Because as discussed in deeper detail in a prior post, it’s all about PRACTICE!
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Quick Thought:  Preposition Paradise

There are (at least) four things I say to the Lord Jesus (at least) every day:

“I am in love with  You.”  (Because You first loved me.)

  • “We love, because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)

“I am in awe of  You.”  (Because of Your manifold greatness.)

  • “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  [I noted in a recent post that I just love Paul’s passion which is demonstrated by how often he uses exclamation points in his writings… this verse is a great example!]  For from  Him and through  Him and to  Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever.  Amen.”  [And talk about a great “preposition paradise”!] (Romans 11:33,36)
  • “… proclaim the excellencies who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
  • “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.  For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises…” (2 Peter 1:3-4a)

“I am in debt to  You.”  (Because You bought me out of spiritual slavery with Your own body and blood.)

  • “… you are not your own… you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God…” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

“I am all-in for  You.”  (Because You went “all-in” for me!  And what other rational choice could one make, anyway?  No-brainer.)

  • “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
  • “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate… even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.  Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.”” (Luke 14:26,27,33)
  • “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.  For what will a man be profited, if he gains the whole world , and forfeits his soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

He is no fool” indeed.
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Quick Thought:  Precious Produce

I just ate some of the best, sweetest, juiciest cantaloupe melon.

Sooooo good.  (In taste…. and for you!)

And you know what the key was, what yielded such a sweet, succulent result?  After buying a few last week, I set them out on the ledge just inside my window for the past several days so they could finish ripening all the way.  And, wa-la:  Best. Cantaloupe. Ever.  (If I were corny I’d say something like, “Weddings are important because you cantaloupe.”  But I’m not, so I won’t. 🙂 )

All kidding aside, it’s an excellent illustration of a crucial principle and truth…

It pays to be patient.  Patience pays.  (Patients  pay but patience  pays. 🙂 )

If something’s worth seeking, if something’s worth having, if something’s worthwhile it’s worth waiting for.

That’s true in life (marrying the right/best person for you, putting in the time to demonstrate that you’re worthy of a promotion at your job, etc.) and triply  true in the Christian life:  GOD IS WORKING ON AND IN YOU

  • “… it is God who is at work in you…” (Philippians 2:13)

… and He’s IN NO RUSH

  • “… with the Lord one day is as a thousand years [!], and a thousand years as one day.” (2 Peter 3:8)
  • “The Lord… is patient toward you” (2 Peter 3:9, i.e., God is patient toward us so how much more should we be patient toward Him?)

… so NEITHER SHOULD WE BE.  Because virtually anything good TAKES TIME.

  • “… the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains.  YOU TOO be PATIENT…” (James 5:7-8)

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Quick Thought:  Bubbling Brook, Brimming Over

Around 90% of my posts start out being of the “Quick Thought” variety… but as I start to think and write about the Lord and the Bible and the Christian life, the post invariably expands (and expands, and expands 🙂 ) to the point that I have to remove “Quick Thought” from the title.

Too funny.

To be sure, the Bible is a bubbling brook, brimming over in our brain if we simply let it… “LIVING and ACTIVE” indeed!

  • “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters; the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.” (Proverbs 18:4)
  • “but whoever drinks of the water that I [Jesus] shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)
  • “In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool, and stirred up the water…” (John 5:3[NOTE:  This should be our approach and anticipation and attitude vis-a-vis the Bible!  These days, instead of those diseases it’s usually emotional, relational, and certainly spiritual sickness we need to be cured within us; instead of an angel it’s the Holy Spirit; instead of “certain seasons” it’s “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2), i.e., all  of the time; and instead of literal water it’s the metaphorical water of the Word of God, the Bible!]
  • “And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message [BIBLE!], you accepted it n ot as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God [BIBLE!], which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
  • “… the living and abiding word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23)  [As I like to say, 1 Peter 1:23 is as easy as 1-2-3 🙂 , i.e., the Bible is transforming and eternal!]
  • “For the word of God is living and active…” (Hebrews 4:12)

Amen to that!

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Apostle Paul 2.0?

No.  I wish!  But no.  I’m not a millionth of the man, not a thousandth of the thinker, not a hundredth of the heavyweight, not a little of the leader, not a scintilla of the saint Paul was.  My friends, that’s not humility… as I often say, “It starts with an ‘h’ and ends with ‘ty’ but it’s not humility, its honesty.”)

No, I’m definitely not the Apostle Paul 2.0 … EXCEPT in one way:

God chose the BIGGEST SINNER at the time, to accomplish a historic work.

As to the first half of that equation… as I’ll explain in a forthcoming post I’ve been mulling around in my mind for a month or two, when I say that I’m “the biggest sinner I know, the biggest sinner I’ve ever known, and the biggest sinner you’ve every known” – to put it into travel terminology, I’m talking about the total distance traveled south vis-a-vis one’s starting point  in life.  Like I said, I’ll save the further particulars for that forthcoming, near-future post but generally speaking, in that (very narrow) way, I am indeed the second coming of Paul, “Paul 2.0”, in terms of being the “foremost of all” sinners, in that way.  (I.e., I’ve never slapped much less punched much less murdered anyone or persecuted the Church or killed six million Jews or plotted the horrific 9/11 attacks, etc., or for that matter ever swatted a gnat but again, I’m speaking in terms of the net, not the gross:  the distance traveled from one’s starting point, not how far  south.  In those terms, I’ve never known a bigger sinner than I.  And neither have you.  More about all of this soon, stay tuned.)

As to the second half of that equation… much as God chose the LEAST LIKELY, LEAST LOGICAL person/vessel from a human perspective to greatly expand the early Church (you know, since Paul was the chief persecutor  thereof before being blessedly blinded on a certain road and literally not only “did a 180” but indisputably did the BIGGEST “180”, the BIGGEST U-turn in human history), so also I view myself as the LEAST LIKELY, LEAST LOGICAL person/vessel to be used by God to not only expand but especially renew and revive the current-day Church via unleashing the unparalleled power and potency and potential of the Word within, the Bible ingested, Bible memory on a book-by-book basis, verse-by-verse, chapter-by-chapter.

I’ve been praying and saying for years that I’m 100% certain that massive spiritual revival is coming to this nation and likely across the globe.  But I’ve also been saying that I’m 1,000% certain that will ONLY happen when a sufficient number of believers have stored huge portions of the Bible inside of them, inside their minds, inside their hearts (since that’s THE key, THE gateway, THE path to ongoing purity…

  • “How can a young man [while it’s not explicitly stated, I have a very strong hunch that this was written by David (due to the similarity to Psalm 19, i.e., 119 is largely a massive elaboration on 19) while he was (famously) tending sheep as a YOUNG MAN for his father, so that phrase here is most likely just his PERSONALIZING this poem/psalm, i.e., it applies to EVERYONE, to people of ALL ages, he just specifies “young man” since that was HIS age at the time; again, not explicitly stated so I won’t and can’t be dogmatic about this but it’s largely a moot point since many other Bible verses (e.g., 1 Peter 2:2) do explicitly state that the Bible is THE key, THE gateway, THE path to spiritual growth (“that BY IT you may GROW…”) … okay, let’s start over, let’s take it from the top…] How can a young man [or ANONE for that matter] keep his way pure?  By keeping it according to Thy word.  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” (Psalm 119:9,11 NASB then KJV)

… and purity is THE key, THE gateway, THE path to true, divine, heavenly wisdom…

  • “But the wisdom from above [i.e., heaven, i.e., God’s wisdom, real wisdom, true wisdom] is FIRST PURE…” (James 3:17)

… and wisdom is THE key, THE gateway, THE path to all that matters in life…)

  • “How blessed is the man [i.e., person] who finds WISDOM… for its profit is better than the profit of silver, and its gain than fine gold.  She [wisdom] is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her.  LONG LIFE is in her right hand; in her left hand are RICHES and HONOR. … She is a tree of LIFE to those who take hold of her, and HAPPY are all who hold her fast.” (Proverbs 3:13-18)

… therefore, the result, the destination of spiritual revival will only occur when a sufficient number of believers have not just tasted but EATEN, CONSUMED, INGESTED the Word of God Almighty, the Bible.

[As an interesting side note, the parenthetical progression noted above is almost identical to another which is in a single passage of Scripture:

  • “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence [PURITY!], and in your moral excellence, knowledge [WISDOM!]; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness [all of these refer to SPIRITUAL GROWTH!]; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love [the ULTIMATE MANIFESTATION, both of salvation (John 13:35) and sanctification (1 Corinthians 13)].” (2 Peter 1:5-7)

… I just LOVE IT when totally different parts of the Bible confirm each other… as I often say, one is enough, infinitely sufficient, but the more, the merrier! (Ecclesiastes 4:9,12 … I’m definitely going to have to write a future post about this!  VERY POWERFUL and EASY to APPLY in everyday life!)]

So wrapping things up for now, it’s entirely by God through the Bible that this historic work is occurring in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG, I’m literally just the (flawed, fallen, flesh-bound) vessel He, for some reason (I think 1 Timothy 1:16, i.e., if the biggest “net” sinner on the planet can memorize entire books of the Bible, ANYONE can!), chose me.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the ONLY way in which I’m “Paul 2.0”.  The biggest sinner at the time being chosen and used by God to accomplish a historic work.

But I couldn’t be more thrilled!

Or humbled.

Or EXCITED about all He has done, all He is doing, and all He is about to do!
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If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:

1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!

2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!

3. Add your name to my Prayer List!

4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!

5. Share this poston your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:

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Possible.  Inevitable.

I remember the first time I heard the following song, around ten or fifteen years ago:

Beautiful, uplifting song with obviously very vibrant vocals.

The main line, “When I call on Jesus, all things are possible,” is totally true, I can testify firsthand.

And I’ll add a line of my own:    (not to the song, just to this post 🙂 )

When we call on Jesus, all things are possible…
When Jesus calls on us, all things are inevitable.

Like when He called on me, when He placed the calling and idea and passion in my heart to please and honor Him by memorizing the ENTIRE Bible for the first time in known human history and then reciting it back to Him in front of the whole world (thanks to YouTube.com/BibleMemory and BibleMemory.ORG/videos), and then helping others do likewise (memorize huge portions, entire books  of the Bible even if not all 66 since most people’s schedules won’t allow them to do this full-time).

I discuss that moment in detail on the About page and I vividly remember immediately having the sense, the confidence, the knowledge that He would take care of making sure all of the (many) pieces which would have to fall into place would do so properly and at the right time.

So far He hasn’t disappointed one iota!  And I know He never will.  I remain as certain today as I was then on Day One of this history-in-the-making undertaking that He’ll bring much glory and many souls to Himself through it.

I didn’t have to wait long at all to see that my immediate sense was spot-on because the very next thing I did was to look for a good website address (URL) that would be very easy for people to remember… I was pretty sure that all of the GREAT and even good ones would already be taken, be unavailable for my use but “O me  of little faith” because while all of the good and certainly great domain names were indeed unavailable, the Lord somehow arranged for the PERFECT one to be just sitting there, waiting for me to use for this endeavor.  Hmm, needing a domain name / website address for something ministry-related in nature (.org) and about Bible memory in specific, hmmmm, what would be a fitting, inherently-descriptive, easy-to-remember domain name for the website I knew the Lord wanted me to build so anyone anywhere would be able to follow along every step of the way and literally watch history unfold in real-time, hmmmm, what could the Lord come through with for this aspect of the venture?

As you now know, the domain name / website address He provided and “sitting there” just waiting for me to be able to use was BibleMemory.ORG.

Amazing.  Not surprising, given His track record, but amazing.

Actually building the website itself took many twists and turns which I’ll likely discuss in a future post but for now it’ll suffice to say that the Lord has clearly been in this the whole way, from the very first day.

One thing virtually everyone  said when they first learned that I was going to memorize the ENTIRE Bible was “Wow”, “Glad He called you and not me to do that!” 🙂 and “You have GOT to build a website so people can follow along the journey” and I just did the finishing touches and am about to do a final feedback phase and everything should be ready to officially launch in around a month.  Something I deemed important was to publish a decent number of posts during the build so that when it was done, there would be something for visitors to the website to read and consider and benefit from, so that all worked out well.

The last piece of the puzzle which the Lord will need to put into place like He has all of the others is to provide sufficient funding so I can devote FULL-TIME to this calling of memorizing the entire Bible – if YOU would like to help out and be a real part of this historic event as a Founding Partner, simply click here and you’ll be taken to PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!  While one-time donations are warmly welcomed, what I’m most trusting the Lord for are monthly partners since that will provide much, much better visibility and planning capacity for this first phase of the Plan of Action as well as the future ministries which flow forth from it.

And while sufficient funding is the very necessary fuel for this, prayer is and will always be the engine  so another way you can help out and literally help make church and human history is to add your name to my Prayer List and then get as many people as you can to join you in praying for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!

Yes, “when we call on Jesus all things are possible” … and when He calls on us they’re downright inevitable.

His will be done entirely.  Thanks so much for helping out in whatever ways you’re able, it means more to me than you’ll ever know!

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Share this post with, well, EVERYONE!

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