Apart from Christ one has everything to lose and nothing to gain. In Christ we have everything to gain and nothing to lose--except our lives. But that is truly the only life worth dying for.

The drama of cultural irrelevancy continues. It is not the planet that needs to be saved; it is the people on it. It is not (physical) climate change that is the greatest threat to mankind; it is the fact that the (moral) climate remains unchanged. How distressing to see our culture forever straining at gnats and swallowing camels. It has no answer for anything; yet Christ is the answer for everything. Even so, our blind world continues to call good, evil and evil, good; sweet, bitter and bitter, sweet. So upside down, like a planet of sloths! But when Christ returns, things will go right side up. Be with Christ and on the right side of the future.

We have two choices in life: Surrender to the culture or surrender to Christ. Being a Christian is a counter-cultural stance, for "friendship with the world is hostility toward God. Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world [i.e. culture] makes himself an enemy of God." (James 4:4) Better to pull out the stops and pursue Christ alone than go around dancing with the devil. We can’t have it both ways.

No generation of mankind has ever cornered the market on fools, but ours is right up there. Anytime you hear someone say, be they pastor, priest, professor, or pew-dweller, “theology does not matter, just love,” you have heard the voice of a certified fool who does not know up from down. The truth is, our hope in Christ stands or falls with the historical factuality of His physical resurrection from the dead. “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (The Apostle Paul; 1 Corinthians 15:14)

Jesus Christ did not come into the world as our therapist to massage our wounds, or a cash cow to fill our empty pockets. He came as our Savior to save us from our sins. The core problem on this planet is not that we are poor or hurting; it’s that we all are lost and sinful. Hence the remedy is neither cash nor a couch, but the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. By grace through faith in Him our sins are forgiven, our hearts are transformed, eternal life is assured, and our future is guaranteed.

For our health, we need doctors; for legal issues, lawyers; for salvation, we need a Mediator between God and us. That Mediator is neither a local pastor, nor pope, but rather our Lord Christ Jesus (2 Tim 2:5). Without His intercession and sacrifice, we have no hope of being accepted by God. (John 14:6). Come to Him for eternal life or come to everlasting ruin. Be saved or be toast.

The local church is a display of God’s glory commissioned by our Lord both as an embassy of His kingdom and as a guard over your soul. If you love Him, you will love His Church!

What God promises, He will perform. Every time. Always has. Always will.

So stay in tether. Let Him lead wherever. Along the way we may experience some chill, but in the end, we will know the thrill.

Low spiritual energy breeds spiritual lethargy and spiritual lethargy breeds spiritual apathy. Cure? Don’t sit in the water and wait for some stray wind to fill your spiritual sails; break out the oars and you will find the wind.