AMERICA, YOU, GREATNESS AND GOD

Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to all people.

“I will make America great again,” a candidate for President of the United States declares.  “I will be the GREATEST president for our military; I will make the GREATEST deals; I will make the GREATEST wall; EVERYTHING WILL BE GREAT!”  The crowd cheers wildly…no need for details; no need for reason; no need for a reality check…WE JUST WANT TO BE GREAT!

The absurdity of the declarations become clear when we actually read them apart from the personality, but in the fervor of a Political Rally, surrounded by thousands of citizens who are tired of being betrayed by the political elite, feel helpless in the face of America’s decline and desire a leader that will CHANGE THINGS without effort or change on their part, it has become the rallying cry and campaign motto of the leading candidate.  We desire the ILLUSION OF GREATNESS; a façade to cover the crumbling foundation of willing relinquishing freedom, moral decay and malaise.

What makes a People; a Nation great?  Is it the right leader?  A “special” people?  A thriving economy, unlimited natural resources, low unemployment?  What can we learn from the greatest history book in the world; the Bible.

GENESIS 12:2 I WILL MAKE YOU A GREAT NATION; I WILL BLESS YOU AND MAKE YOUR NAME GREAT; AND YOU SHALL BE A BLESSING.

ISRAEL, God’s “Chosen People,” a nation that has survived war, persecution, captivity and deliverance and after thousands of years still stands as a GREAT NATION.  In Genesis 12, we read God’s promise to Abraham that he would be a great nation and have a great name, but it WAS NOT Abraham that made Israel a great nation.  After suffering years of slavery, God raised up Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt, but it WAS NOT Moses that made Israel great. Israel had a desire to be like other nations and demanded a King.  God gave them  a king but it WAS NOT Saul, the first king or David, the second King or even Solomon, the wisest King that made Israel a great nation.  Israel became a GREAT NATION because they followed a GREAT GOD who made a Covenant with a MAN OF FAITH.

MATTHEW 16:18 AND I SAY UNTO THEE, THOU ART PETER AND UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH; AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.

THE CHURCH, we read about its origination in the Book of Acts; history records its continued development through the ages; we read of its victories and failings, yet it still stands as a FORTRESS OF SAFETY AND HOPE to a lost and confused world.  So what made the Church GREAT?  No matter how awesome Peter preached that first message to the newly Spirit-filled church on the Day of Pentecost, it WAS NOT Peter that made the church GREAT. The Apostle Paul preached to kings, emperors and traveled to many nations but he was just a “Planter and Waterer” to the Church.  It WAS NOT Paul that made the church GREAT.  In fact the Apostle Paul explains his role and declares that he doesn’t deserve the credit but the glory belongs to God.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:7 SO THEN NEITHER HE WHO PLANTS IS ANYTHING, NOR HE WHO WATERS, BUT GOD WHO GIVES THE INCREASE.

No, it wasn’t Paul or Peter, the other Apostles, Martyrs, Popes or eloquent Preachers that have made the CHURCH GREAT.  The CHURCH IS GREAT because it has been established by a GREAT GOD, built on the SURE FOUNDATION OF HIS WORD and PURCHASED BY HIS OWN BLOOD.

So what made America a great nation?  It was not George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan.  The credit does not belong to great military leaders or successful entrepreneurs or even its citizens.  What has made America great is the Foundation of Principles on which it was established; GODLY PRINCIPLES; principle of FREEDOM; principles of LIFE LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS; a belief that our RIGHTS come from God and not the BENEVOLENCE OF THE POWERFUL.

2 CHRONICLES 7:14 IF MY PEOPLE WHICH ARE CALLED BY MY NAME WILL HUMBLE THEMSELVES AND PRAY AND SEEK MY FACE AND TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, THEN I WILL HEAR FROM HEAVEN AND WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN AND HEAL THEIR LAND.

How can we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN?  The antidote to America’s ills is the same one that was prescribed by God to the great nation of Israel….If America truly desires to be a GREAT NATION; a Shining City on the Hill; a Beacon of Hope to other nations, she must HUMBLE HERSELF IN PRAYER, SEEK THE FACE OF GOD AND STOP SINNING!  Only then will God HEAL OUR LAND and once again AMERICA WILL BE GREAT.

SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SPIRITUAL NUTS

Since August 2015, I have been on a Healthy Lifestyle Journey.  My doctor informed me that I was on a fast track to serious health problems and God convicted me of praying for healing without cooperating with Him as He did the work.  It isn't always easy and I cannot boast that I have conquered my desire for unhealthy food, but day after day and step by step, I am approaching a healthier body as God repairs the damage my lack of discipline has caused.

During this time, I have vowed to not become a SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, HEALTH FOOD NUT.  We all know the type...they have conquered their eating impulses and are swift to point out all the things you are doing wrong or all the "bad" ingredients in your grocery cart or on your plate.  They brag about the marathons they run or the hours they spend in the gym and can't wait to post their "painful" shopping trips where the size 2 dress just hung on them.  As if  GUILT has ever inspired anyone to lose a pound or eat a plate of broccoli and carrot sticks.

You see, I haven't forgotten the struggle with rollercoaster weight loss or my love affair with chocolate, cookies, and donuts because it is still simmering just below the surface of discipline.  Now if only I can remember the SPIRITUAL STRUGGLE at the times when I find it easy to pray, easy to commit to God's will and easy to be disciplined and say NO to temptation.  There have been too many times when I have forgotten the struggle and God's Grace and Mercy that picked me up when I fell or His arms of love that held me during the storm when I was tempted to "throw in the towel."  It is so easy to become a SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SPIRITUAL NUT!

SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS is such an ugly word; so ugly that God equates it with "filthy rags."  What makes self-righteousness such an ugly trait?  The prefix "SELF," which puts you in charge of your own righteousness.  It puts you in the place reserved for God.

Luke 18:10-13 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God I thank you that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!"

In Luke, Jesus gives a startling example of self-righteousness.  I'm sure that most of us would never be so bold as to actually pray this prayer, but too often we think it in our heart.  How many times have we looked at the "stranger" bound by sin's chains and thought, "if they would just say NO, they wouldn't have to live in such a mess."  OR at our brothers and sisters who find themselves in recurring situations and said, "Stop making bad choices then expecting God to intervene."  OR even at the dear ones that have not overcome the temptations that you have conquered and with smugness offered your advice to them on increasing their prayer life or more reading of the Word.  As if GUILT has ever inspired anyone to quit sinning or develop a closer relationship with God.  How soon we forget the struggles God has brought us through on the journey to where we are today.  We have become a SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SPIRITUAL NUT!

ROMANS 3:1-2 What advantage then has the Jew or what is the profit of circumcision?  Much in every way!  Chiefly because to them were committed the Oracles of God.

God's people have always had to battle SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS.  The Jews were not only favored by God as the "Chosen People," but they were also the guardians of the "Oracles of God."  This Covenant with God was not given to set them on a PEDESTAL OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS AND SUPERIORITY but was passed on to many generations because of FAITHFULNESS...the FAITH OF ABRAHAM.  The Covenant carried great RESPONSIBILITY...the Jews were to guard the truth of the Word of God and be a shining example to the rest of the world of God's love and faithfulness.  Instead they became SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SPIRITUAL NUTS!  In their self-proclaimed superior status, they not only INTERPRETED the Word of God but DEFINED it in great detail, making it impossible to obey and using God's goodness to condemn everyone who was "not like them."

THE GREATER THE REVELATION, THE GREATER THE TEMPTATION TO BECOME SELF-RIGHTEOUS!

We must never use REVELATION as a tool of CONDEMNATION but as a message to share this GREAT GOSPEL more fully, with a world stumbling in darkness.

The CHURCH has been given a great SALVATION and a great REVELATION; guard your heart.  Don't become a SMUG, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SPIRITUAL NUT!

YOUR SPEECH TELLS A STORY

Psalms 35:28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.

One thing I have noticed, having lived in several areas in the United States, you can usually tell where a person “hails from” by listening to accents and phrases that are specific to certain areas.  When we lived in Minnesota, not only were there certain vowels, inflections but different foods and phrases.  One phrase which I never picked up was, “for cute.”  You see a baby and you say, “For cute.”  Yah, never started saying that one in Minnesotah. (hold the “so” just a little longer and add an “h” to the end.)

You will know you are in Eastern Tennessee, not only because of the “southern drawl” and “y’all” but you will be told “appreciate you” after you pay for your gas, buy a Coke (every soft drink is a Coke…you will be asked what kind of Coke you want) or pay for a meal.  I remember the first time I paid for a candy bar at a gas station and the clerk said, “ ‘preciate you” as she gave me my change.  It made my day.  I felt so warm and fuzzy and appreciated.

In Michigan we drink POP, visit MINNESOTA (no h), say THANK YOU and HOW CUTE and instead of Y’ALL….it's “YOUSE GUYS.” Yeah, I don’t understand the “se” on the end of you, either….maybe because I learned the proper way to speak in Northern Illinois from “hillbilly” parents.

This is also true regarding who you allow to control your tongue. 

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

Allow God to have the control and you speak pure, lovely, encouraging, true words. 

Give yourself the control and you will speak a mixed bag of words as long as they are to your benefit. 

What is most sad is to hear a person that not only does not allow God to have control but has lost control themselves.  Their words are no longer lovely and pure; they become negative, unhappy, base, gutter and devaluing. 

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Who is controlling your tongue?  Listen to yourself for a few minutes or even better…have someone “surprise” record you for a few hours and then consider the words that glibly roll off your tongue.  Do they offer hope and encouragement or discourage and tear down?  Do they set a mood of negativity or uplift with praise?

Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

There is POWER in your tongue and it matters to whom you give control.  Your Mama was full of wisdom when she instructed you to “think before you speak.”   It is important that you not only THINK before you speak but WHOM you allow to speak through you.  Your friends and family will notice the difference in your speech when Grace is dominate in your life and on your tongue.  

WHY SIT HERE AND DIE

We all must make decisions every day.  Some days not only is the decision of utmost importance but the decision process can be so complicated that we delay resolution and vacillate between the EASINESS OF DOING NOTHING and the URGENCY OF ACTION.  Whatever decision you are facing today, I would dare say it is not nearly as dire as the one facing four lepers in Samaria.  Perhaps there is a great lesson to be learned from their desperate reasoning.

2 Kings 24:25 And there was a great famine in Samaria and indeed they besieged it until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty shekels of silver and one-fourth of a kab of dove droppings for five shekels of silver.

The army of King Ben-Hadad of Syria had besieged Samaria.  There was a great famine in Samaria and due to the Syrian occupation no goods or food could come into the city.  It was so bad that donkey’s heads and dove’s dung were being eaten and some had even resorted to cooking their own children.  Yes, I would say not one of us has ever faced these decisions.

2 Kings 7:3-4 Now there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate; and they said to one another, “Why are we sitting here until we die? 4 If we say we will enter the city,” the famine is in the city and we shall die  there.  And if we sit here, we die also.

The four lepers, which had been banished to an area outside the city were also starving to death. It finally dawned on them, “We are going to die out here.  If we enter the city and there is no bread, we will die there, BUT what if?  WHAT IF we find bread?”  They MADE THEIR DECISION and entered the city.  Approaching the camp, they found the Syrians had not only deserted but left plenty of food, tents, horses and other provisions.

NOW, about that decision, over which you’ve been doing “mental gymnastics”…WELL IT’S TIME!  MAKE THE DECISION!  Satan would love to keep you “betwixt and between;” trapped in a state of confusion.  If he can prevent you from coming to a decision on the important matters in your life, nothing will ever be accomplished.

The scariest thing about finally making that decision is “WHAT IF I’M WRONG?”  You can stay in the VALLY OF UNCERTAINTY and DIE..OR get up and move forward into the “city”.   You have no idea what God has prepared and waiting for you there.  MAYBE…just maybe you will find bread.  BUT at least you won’t die without trying.

GRACE IS NOT A LINE OF CREDIT OR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Have you ever applied for a “Line of Credit?”  If you have a credit card, then the answer is yes.  You can also apply for a “Line of Credit” at a bank using the equity in your home as collateral.  Usually, the terms of the credit agreement are that you have access to a specific sum of money which can be borrowed as needed and paid back through monthly payments.  While this can be a great tool to manage cash flow for a business and a convenience for consumers, it can also be a curse allowing the borrower to purchase things without thought or consideration that all funds must be paid at a later date.

Too many treat God’s Grace as if it is a “Line of Credit.”  We operate as if God has set up a “Line of Grace” for each of us, that allows us to dip into it when necessary and pay it back with small “monthly payments” of obedience.  The rest of the “month” we live life as we please, secure that God’s Grace is available if we “need” it.

Then there are those to whom, rather than a “Line of Credit,” Grace is a “Retirement Account.”  You make a deposit now and then into your “Grace Account,” hope that your investment grows and you have enough to carry you through your years in eternity.

Years ago, I worked for a wealthy businessman.  He had given a large sum of money to his church to replace and restore the beautiful stained glass windows.  I mentioned to him that it was a great thing to do and I was sure the church was very appreciative.  His reply, “Well I had to do something to assure I get into Heaven.”  He was depositing into his “Eternal Retirement Account.”  IT DOESN’T WORK THAT WAY…God’s Grace cannot be banked for future purposes or borrowed because we have an immediate need. 

You can follow God for 20 years then decide to take a hiatus and follow after your own lusts, God will not give you 20 years of “Grace Credit”  to spend during your sinful year.

You can follow your own lusts for 20 years, repent today and follow God obediently the rest of your life.  God doesn’t hold you accountable for the 20 years but freely gives you the necessary Grace for today, tomorrow and for eternity. 

OH, HOW I NEED GOD’S GRACE!  Not just as a “Slush Fund” to cover my desires or missteps or a “Retirement Fund” for eternity.  We cannot build up credits or pay back in small monthly payments.  Grace gives us spiritual strength to walk every day, resisting the “wiles of the devil,” and yes, take us into an eternal life with the Giver of Grace.

GOD HASN'T FORGOTTEN THE DETAILS

Psalms 104:33  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

If you are discouraged and it seems no one cares, take time to read Psalms 104….GOD CARES.

This may not be your typical “shoutin’God is for me, we win” passage of scripture, but it tells us of God’s love through His attention to every detail in providing for His creation. 

Genesis 1 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” but Psalms 104 assures us that God “laid the foundations of the earth that SHALL NOT BE MOVED forever.”

Genesis 1 tells us that God “separated the waters above and below and gathered them together in one place,” but Psalms 104 says that not only did God give the water boundaries but He allows them to flow down the hills to the valleys to give every beast drink, to allow the grass to grow to feed cattle, to allow man to bring forth food from the earth and even water the trees so the birds can sing among the branches.

Genesis 1 tells us that God “divided the light from the darkness and created two great lights; one to rule the day, the other to rule the night.”   Psalms 104 talks about the two “great lights” also; the moon comes out at night and the wild beasts roam, killing their prey but then the sun rises, the wild beasts return to their den and man goes out to work. 

Psalms 104:24  Oh Lord how manifold are your works!

In wisdom you have made them all.

SEE, there are no details God has forgotten and GOD HAS ALL THE DETAILS WORKED OUT FOR YOUR LIFE!!!  Rest in Him and let Him light the path.

HE REMEMBERS WE ARE DUST

Psalms 103:11-18 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father pities his children so the Lord pities those who fear Him. 14 For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

18 As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.  16 For the wind passes over it and it is gone and its place remembers it no more.  17 But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him and His righteousness to children’s children.  18 To such as keep His covenant and to those who remember His commandments to do them.

Oh how I love being a Mom and Grandma.  I would fearlessly fight anyone who came against one of my kids and grandkids.  I remember going to the school when I felt an injustice had been perpetrated against one of my children and staying on my knees for extended periods, fighting off Satan’s advances through the power of prayer. 

Were all the times wonderful and loving?  Did everything go perfectly smooth?  Did I have perfect children?  Of course not!  BUT THE MEMORIES ARE NEARLY PERFECT!  How?  Why?  BECAUSE OF LOVE!!!

Now, if you think YOU love your kids, GOD loves them even more.  You may have given birth to them, but He died that they may enjoy life with Him forever.  Just as we forgive the missteps of our children, God forgives all of His kids.

I love verses 13 and 14 of Psalms 103; the One who created us knows us…He knows our faults, failures, weaknesses and remembers that “we are dust.”  His mercy is everlasting to everlasting and GOD IS FEARLESSLY FIGHTING FOR HIS KIDS!   Why? BECAUSE OF LOVE!!!

GOD CAN STILL SEE YOU

Psalms 139:7-12 Where can I go from Your Spirit?  Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into Heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Hell, behold, You are there.  9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me and Your right hand shall hold me.  11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me, “ even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Sometimes, we wish we could hide from God and then there are times when the darkness descends and it feels as if God is playing “Hide and Seek.”  We pray, we cry, we seek but the night grows darker and the chill begins to penetrate our spirit.  Where is God?

The darkness of our grief and the coldness of our circumstance may form a fog that thickens, preventing us from viewing His face and feeling His presence, BUT GOD CAN STILL SEE YOU.  The darkness and the light are both alike to Him. 

Verse 17 says, “How precious also are your thoughts to me, Oh God.”  If the light has dimmed and His presence seems distant, hold this promise close…GOD HAS PRECIOUS THOUGHTS REGARDING YOU. 

One day the fog will lift, slowly the light will dispel the darkness and you will feel the warmth of His presence that has always covered you.

I MISSED OUT

Proverbs 22:6  Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Thinking today about all the things I missed out on as a child:

I missed out on TV dinners because my Mom cooked dinner every night.

I missed out on Saturday night babysitters and waiting for Dad and Mom to come stumbling in drunk because we went to church every Saturday night and Sunday morning and Sunday night and Wednesday night.

I missed out on cigarette or alcohol breath and had to smell Pond’s Dry Skin Cream instead, every night when Mom kissed me goodnight.

I missed out on sitting mindlessly in front of a TV and had to read and play games with my brother and sisters because Dad and Mom didn’t want us to have a television

I had to see “dirty” pictures in National Geographic because I had a Dad who honored his wife and family and didn’t indulge in pornography.

I missed out on parties, getting high and hanging out with the “cool” kids because Dad and Mom had to know where I was and who I was with at all times.

I missed out on fear because I had a Mom that actually believed and obeyed the scripture that said, “Pray without ceasing.”

Thanks Dad and Mom for making sure I missed out.

BUT JOHN STAYED

Early this morning sometime between 3:00 and 5:00, halfway between sleep and awakening, this phrase was quickened to my spirit, “BUT JOHN STAYED.”  My first thought was what an odd thing to have pop into my mind.  I don’t remember if or what I was dreaming but it had nothing to do with JOHN!  I drifted back to sleep, but when God wants to burn something into your heart, it doesn’t matter whether you are sound asleep or fully awake, God invades your space. So for the next 2 or 3 hours, “BUT JOHN STAYED,” continued to echo through my consciousness until it had buried itself into the very fiber of my being.

Matthew records that as Jesus began his ministry, walking by the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Peter and Andrew, casting their nets.  He asked them to “Follow Me” and they obeyed.  Going on a little further, Jesus encounters two more brothers, James and John, mending nets and repeats the same request.  The brothers leave their father and their nets and follow Jesus.  That in itself is amazing, 4 men leave their livelihood to follow a man of which they know nothing.  But soon they would experience a life they could have never imagined; truly a “GOD THING.”

For three and a half years a group of 12 men followed, listened, ate with and slept beside this man called Jesus.  They all witnessed many miracles, they were all fed with 5 loaves and 2 fish, they all heard the prophetic words and the words of wisdom that were uttered daily as they sat at the feet of Jesus or walked along the road, side by side.  So what made JOHN STAY when others left?  Was there a point in time when John not only believed but was TRULY CONVERTED? The word, CONVERTED means “to change to transform.”  So what could transform a person from a fisherman, mending nets with his father to the Beloved Disciple John, the MAN WHO STAYED?

Mark 9:2 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and He was transfigured before them.

Perhaps it happened on the “Mount of Transfiguration.”  The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this amazing event in which Jesus goes up on a mountain with Peter, James and John.  I find it curious that neither Matthew, Mark nor Luke were on the mountain but described in detail the “transfiguration” of Jesus, while John, one of the three to actually witness the event doesn’t mention it in the Gospel he penned.  Perhaps to John, the EVENT WAS NOT AS MOMENTOUS AS THE REVELATION!

Peter, in his usual impulsive, rambunctious manner declares in Luke 9:33 “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” —not knowing what he said.  Obviously, Peter was quite impressed with the EVENT but had little REVELATION.  The three gospels do not record any comments by John but perhaps John’s own words will give you insight into the momentous REVELATION, he had received. 

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

 John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Yes, John was definitely impacted on the “Mount of Transfiguration,” perhaps more than the others, maybe even more than Peter.  And maybe, just maybe this was the moment in time when John became TRULY CONVERTED.  Could it be possible this is the reason JOHN STAYED!

John 6:66-68 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.  Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."

Jesus had finished some "straight to the point" and difficult teachings. In John 6, it is recorded that the commitment was just too much for many of Jesus' followers and they returned to their previous pursuits.  Jesus looking at the twelve faithful followers that remain, asks, "Will you leave, too?"  True to form, Peter quickly replies, "to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life." 

WAIT A MINUTE!!! Let's jump ahead in time...Jesus has been arrested and is on trial and we find this same "faithful" Peter warming himself by the fire outside the court.

John 18:26 One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off, said, "Did I not see you in the garden with Him?"  Peter then denied again; and immediately the rooster crowed.

As we continue the journey of Jesus, through his trial, his beating and torture, we come to the crucifixion...WHERE IS PETER?  It is not recorded.  WHAT ABOUT JOHN?  Was he TRULY CONVERTED?  Would he STAY at the feet of Jesus or like Peter DISAPPEAR?

John 19:26-27 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus  His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

In his final hour, Jesus looks down from the cross and sees the small group gathered.  His eyes settle on His mother and YES, there he is, standing by, His beloved disciple, JOHN, the MAN WHO STAYED.

NOW, let’s get personal, what about you?  What about me?  Are we TRULY CONVERTED?  Do we disappear at the very possibility of a trial?  What happens when after years of faithfulness, someone else gets the promotion, the attention, and the accolades?  Remember, it was Peter, the man who denied then ran away, not faithful John, the man who stayed that received the “Keys to the Kingdom.”  BUT, it was JOHN, THE MAN WHO STAYED, that has the last word.  It was to him that the REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST was given to be recorded and handed down over two thousand years to be declared today.

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

You may have been wounded by fellow believers, betrayed by those you trusted, and persecuted by those who refuse this great salvation but I would dare say, you haven’t been boiled in oil.  You may be going through a storm or the darkest trial in your life but I’m pretty sure you have not been exiled to solitary confinement on a deserted island.  Like John, you can become TRULY CONVERTED and purpose in your heart that you will be known as the PERSON WHO STAYED.