A Voice From Hell

“Oh, why am I here in this place of unrest
When others have entered the land of the blest?
God’s way of salvation was preached unto men;
I heard it and heard it, again and again.

Why did I not listen and turn from my sin
And open my heart and let Jesus come in?
For vain earthly pleasures my soul did I sell–
The way I had chosen has brought me to hell.

I wish I were dreaming, but ah, it is true.
The way to be saved I had heard and I knew;
My time on the earth, oh, so quickly fled by,
How little I thought of the day I would die.

When God’s Holy Spirit was pleading with me,
I hardened my heart and I turned from His plea.
The way that was sinful, the path that was wide,
I chose and I walked till the time that I died.

Eternally now, I must dwell in this place.
If I from my memory could but erase
The thoughts of my past which are haunting me so.
Oh, where is a refuge to which I can go?

This torture and suff’ring, how long can I stand?
For Satan and devils this only was planned.
God’s refuge is Jesus, the One that I spurned;
He offered salvation, but from Him I turned.

My brothers and sisters I wish I could warn.
Far better ‘twould be if I had not been born.
The price I must pay is too horrid to tell–
My life without God led directly to Hell.”

Oh, soul without Christ, will these words be your cry?
God’s Word so declares it that all men must die.
From hell and its terrors, Oh, flee while you may!
So, come to the Saviour; He’ll save you today!

–Oscar C. Eliason

SHARING

What Saith The Scriptures?

How serious is sin in God’s sight?

“For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.” Deuteronomy 25:16

“The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.” Psalm 11:5

Thus we see that sin is hateful to God.

SIN SEPARATES FROM GOD

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Psalm 66:18

“Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2

WOE TO THOSE WHO DOWNPLAY SIN AND THOSE LIVING IN SIN

“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.” Isaiah 5:20

“Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life.” Ezekiel 13:22

“Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?” Malachi 2:17

WOE TO THOSE WHO APPROVE OF THE DISREGARDING OF GOD’S LAWS

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:17,19

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21

“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20

SHARING

In His Hands

In 1 Kings 19:7-8, Elijah had reached the point where he couldn’t go on. He had withstood the famine. He had remained unconquered in spite of Ahab’s drag net to destroy him. He had challenged all the false prophets and saw their defeat. He had shown Israel the mighty power of God. But now he senses a weakness that is swallowing him up.

So, as Elijah is in the process of giving in and up, he requests for himself that he might die. (But rather than grant that request, God later took him to heaven in a glorious chariot.) God sent his angel to minister to Elijah, because the journey was too great for him. But consider, Elijah’s journey had always been too great for any man. God had been the One sustaining Elijah all along. So as God supplied for Elijah again, he was sustained, “…in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights.”

We have not a High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He understands, and was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. And, “…He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him…” (Hebrews 7:25)

Elijah came to Horeb, the mount of God, by the strength of the Lord’s sustenance. There, God commissioned him with very important tasks, that would result in God accomplishing His dealings with those situations over which Elijah had no control, (1 Kings 19:15-18).

Thus, the overriding factor for Elijah to respect and wait upon was, “God is in control.” All the times that Elijah had been on top of the issues and seemingly invincible, was really only because of God’s power enabling him. However, in the good times, apparently Elijah had come to feel that he was in the position of having control, and when events took a different turn, the realization that he wasn’t able to control anything himself, caused him to crash.

When we find ourselves crying out in despair due to things taking a turn for the worse beyond our ability to do anything about it, this doesn’t mean God is not in control. It only means we have lost our sense of confidence that we are in control. But the truth is, we never were in control, as without God, we could do nothing.

God help us to renew our faith, not by seeking for a renewed confidence of self control, but in the truth that only God is in control, and may the Lord be with us, as we wait upon Him.

SHARING

Beware of Changing

“My son, fear thou the Lord and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change.” Proverbs 24:21
“For I am the Lord, I change not” Malachi 3:6a

The truth changes not–God’s Word stands forever. God changes not: everything about God, His person, His kingdom, His plan, and His purpose are eternal. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. God’s people are to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered. God forbids the changing of His Word. God commands His people not to change, nor to meddle with those who are given to change.

Yet man is given over to change. Churches are constantly changing, using the excuse that the world of the Bible is not our world, and we must change to be relevant to our world. The changed ‘Bibles’ are the top sellers, and that which religious leaders laud. The religious consensus is that Biblical morality and order is outdated, and that we must change from those repressive orders, unto what is deemed politically correct by the world. The popular doctrine of the day is that the principles taught in “all scripture” are no longer relevant in this age of grace.

While every message from heaven has always been and continues to be, “change not,” man continues to embrace the spirit that says, “God wants you to change.”

Change is the contradictory action against the truth which never changes. It is the manifestation of that which is inconsistent with the truth. Change is due to an agenda different from seeking the will and way of God that changes not. Change is the substituting of man’s way for God’s way. Change is the disregard for the authority of God’s unchanging way as the standard of judgment.

Man continues to praise those who are given to change, while holding those in contempt who stand against change. The only way man can hope to gain by change, is if God were to change. SELAH!

SHARING

Honor God

“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17)

HONOR = high regard or great respect given. We honor people by our attendance, attention and extraordinary efforts. This honor is given as we show great respect and high regard for.

It behooves us to honor God because He is worthy (Revelation 4:11). So much depends on the consciousness that God is worthy of our honor. Only when we awake to this glorious fact does our worship of God take on meaning and real purpose. Without honor for God, Christians dry up where the worship of God is concerned. Without honor for God, Christians may draw nigh to God with their lips, while their heart remains far from God. Without honor for God, zeal is absent, humility is unattained to, and faith is not stimulated. Only by seeing God’s honor do we recognize our unworthiness, which is our thirst to draw off the wells of Divine grace and glory.

It is through honoring God that He bestows His honor upon us (1 Samuel 2:30). It is presumptuous to expect God’s honor 7 days a week if we cannot muster up the desire to honor Him one day a week. Should we expect God to honor our cause and answer our prayers, if we do not step up to the part of honoring His name? 2 Chronicles 32:25 – “But Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him…” Should God never do anything for us but save our souls from hell, it is more than we could ever repay Him. Therefore should there ever come a time when we stop honoring God, we have ceased to render unto Him according to the benefit done unto us.

The duty and privilege of honoring God is a call for us to abandon slackness, indifference and mediocrity in our ways and habits towards the Lord’s work. It requires that we adopt a sense of urgency and promptness to do what we do in a way that is a credit to the Lord’s work. We should always be searching for improvement, rather than allowing anything to slide. To neglect being our best and doing our best is a slippery slope, the side of the mountain that the sunshine of Divine blessing and favor does not shine upon.

The call to honor God, unto being honored by God, is a reciprocal blessing. God calls us to do it, but we must wholeheartedly respond to be chosen for its benefits.

“And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?” (1 Chronicles 29:5). A responsible standard: “What would my church be, if every member was just like me?” CAN GOD BLESS YOU?

SHARING