Echoes of Grace: 2025

California has many twisty roads in mountainous areas. Scott Anderson, 51, and his 11-year-old son were driving along one of these roads in Mariposa County in a very rural area. Not only were the roads winding, but the weather was challenging with heavy rain and sleet. It was on a lonely stretch of road that Anderson lost control of his Toyota car while navigating a turn, rolling several times before falling down a 500-foot cliff. Their terrifying journey came to an end when they landed in thick brush at the bottom of the canyon.

Out of sight from the road above and in the pouring rain and sleet, who would see them and how would they be rescued?

HOPELESS?

Are you wondering who will see you sunk in sin, trapped in whatever addiction has you in its grip? Are you in total despair and think that your case is hopeless? Take heart, for the Bible tells us that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Luke 15 tells the story of the good shepherd who left the 99 sheep to search for the one sheep that was lost, and when he had found it, he laid it on his shoulders, rejoicing and said, “Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.” Jesus then went on to say, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

WATCHFUL WORKER

A Cal Fire employee who was returning from a call noticed through the rain and sleet that a road marker was down. Wondering why, he stopped to investigate. Seeing signs of a possible accident, he looked over the edge of the cliff and saw the glint of metal far below.

A small army of search and rescue teams were able to muscle father and son up the steep cliff to safety. The rescue operation took about four hours. Though moderately injured, they were able to recover in the hospital. Both had been wearing seat belts, and it was determined that no drugs or alcohol were involved.

Mariposa County Sheriff Jeremy Briese commented that the car had gone off in an extremely steep canyon in an extremely rural area of the county. “The miracles were on top of many miracles, from being spotted to the quick response. Definitely, somebody was looking out for them.”

UP FROM THE PIT

Being hauled up 500 feet of a steep canyon wall took a lot of strength and effort by brave men. But did you know that God’s Word pictures us in a far more deadly situation than being at the bottom of a cliff? We are sunk deep in sin and separated from God because of our sins. We are helpless and cannot work our way to heaven! Just one sin, one bad thought or deed is enough to keep us from God’s presence forever.

But God has His eye on each one of us and wants us to have a relationship with Him. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. ... But God commendeth [demonstrates] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6,8). When we acknowledge our sinful, helpless state before a holy God and by faith accept Christ’s death on the cross for our sins, we are saved. We are forgiven and made fit for the presence of God for eternity.

Can you truly say, “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalm 40:2)?

Kim and Nathan Maker had a sudden scuba mishap that left them with what you could only call A Diving Disaster.

Airborne Into Oncoming Traffic

Even when accidents are recorded on camera, they can be hard to believe. Such is the case with Cordell Patrick, who was ejected out of an RV going around 60 mph and lived to tell about it.

He and his wife and their beagle were travelling on a very busy freeway in Newhall, Southern California. When Cordell stood up to use the restroom, he noticed that his wife had dozed off and was headed for the median. In an effort to prevent an accident, he tried to grab the steering wheel, but before he could, the motorhome smashed into the center median. The violent force of the crash sent him flying out of the side front window and over the median into oncoming traffic. It only took about five seconds from when he undid his seat belt for all of this to happen.

He was thrown about 170 feet across the roadway. Dashcam video shows a white SUV swerving quickly to miss him. Incredibly, after he landed, he was still conscious! At this point, he was certain that he was going to die. He realized that he was on one of the busiest freeways in L.A. County and that he could easily be hit by a car. He said that what was going through his mind was, “I’ll be dead shortly.”

Severely injured, but realizing that he could still move, he dragged himself to the safety of the median while he waited for help to arrive. Help arrived quickly, and after being transported to the hospital, his injuries were found to be numerous. He had sustained several broken bones, a dislocated shoulder, lacerations to his head, and road rash covering around 60% of his body.

Despite all the pain and discomfort, he looks back with incredulous amazement on his survival. “Yeah, it was divine intervention,” he said. “If you didn’t think there was a higher power before this, something is wrong with you, because there is — because I’m a living witness and I’ve got a living testimony to tell.”

No other drivers were hurt, including his wife. The beagle survived but the motorhome did not, as it was mostly destroyed in the impact.

GETTING BEYOND JUST ACKNOWLEDGING GOD EXISTS

Acknowledging divine intervention and a higher power, God, is good, but it is not enough! The Bible tells us that “the devils also believe, and tremble” (James 2:19). God has given us proof of His existence through creation. “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that Thou visitest him?” (Psalm 8:3-4).

God not only shows His mighty power through creation, but He has shown His care and love for man by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins. This is God’s divine intervention on our behalf to save our lost souls. “God commendeth [makes known] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified [made right] by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath [lake of fire] through Him” (Romans 5:8-9).

Christ paid the penalty for our sins on the cross and shed His blood for our sins. Because His sacrifice was sinless, pure, spotless and holy, God was totally satisfied and raised Jesus from the dead. The mighty work was done, and now all we need to do is to accept it by faith. “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Cordell Patrick isn’t the only one who’s had that helpless feeling of being in danger. Scott Anderson’s terrifying tale can be found in 500 Feet Down.

Can You See?

Can you see ...

The God who made the world, after He made it, ever leaving it alone because He no longer cared for it?

Can you see ...

Before time, space or any creature came into being, God eternally existent and utterly joyful?

Can you see ...

God speaking a word and the world leaping into existence out of nothing?

Can you see ...

God making beautiful things such as plants and animals to fill the earth?

Can you see ...

God fashioning man out of the dust of the earth and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life so that he alone, out of all the creatures of the earth, would be able to understand and love his Maker?

Can you see ...

The first father of the human race disobeying and plunging the entire human race that would come after him into sin and death?

Can you see ...

The sin, strife, injustice, oppression, greed and inhumane treatment of one another of the human race running rampant throughout the centuries?

Can you see ...

God setting one nation apart for Himself, giving them the Law and telling them that the Messiah would one day be born among them?

Can you see ...

A husband and wife, after a long day of traveling, being told there was no place for them in the inn and that they would need to lodge for the night in a stable, and that night, the wife giving birth to a baby boy?

Can you see ...

This young boy growing up and learning a trade of carpentry from His foster father?

Can you see ...

This boy growing into manhood, and at the age of 30 going about the countryside of Israel preaching the kingdom of God and great multitudes hanging on His every word?

Can you see ...

The sick and the diseased pressing about Him to be miraculously healed?

Can you see ...

The religious leaders filled with envy and conspiring to destroy Him?

Can you see ...

A mob of men with torches and clubs coming into a garden at night where He was betrayed with a kiss and bound with a rope and led away to be judged by men who hated Him?

Can you see ...

Him as He stands silent before His accusers?

Can you see ...

Him punched, spit on, savagely beaten and mocked?

Can you see ...

His hands and His feet nailed to a cross between two thieves who were also crucified?

Can you see ...

Him hanging there for hours in a supernatural darkness until He cries out with a loud voice and dismisses His spirit?

Can you see ...

His lifeless body wrapped up in linen and laid in a tomb?

Can you see ...

Two women coming to the tomb at daybreak on Easter morning only to find the stone at the mouth of the tomb rolled away, His body missing and two angels in the tomb where His body once lay?

Can you see ...

The astonishment on the faces of His disciples when they see Him who was killed alive again?

Can you see ...

Him 40 days later in the sight of His disciples ascending up to heaven to take His seat at the highest place in heaven?

Can you see all these things happening? These events are too wonderful to originate from men. They must come from God. And if they really happened, which they certainly did, should not each person fall down before the Lord Jesus and call Him Lord and Savior?

The Lord Jesus came into the world so that those dead in sins and trespasses might find life. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

What is stopping you from seeing and believing in the name of Jesus?

Coming Home Tonight

We are coming home to Jesus;
We have heard His welcome voice;
We are trusting in His goodness;
In His mercy we rejoice.

We are coming home, we are coming home,
We are coming from the darkness to the light;
We are coming home, we are coming home,
We are coming home tonight.

We are coming home to Jesus,
For He died that we might live;
He is willing to receive us;
He is waiting to forgive.

We are coming home to Jesus,
By the cross, our only way;
There He finished our redemption,
And we can no more delay.

A Costly Decision

A group of friends and influencers were spending the day partying on a luxury yacht off the coast of Brazil. They were having a great time, drinking, taking selfies and just having a lot of fun.

At one point someone suggested that they put on life jackets, but the influencers refused to do so. They said that it would ruin their selfies and tans. When it came time to return to shore, the group split up. One group stayed on the yacht and the other group got on a speedboat. The maximum number the speedboat was made to handle was five people, but they loaded six plus the skipper onto the boat.

As they were returning to shore, the influencers were still taking selfies. Then the boat was hit by a huge wave which it couldn’t ride out, eventually causing it to sink along a part of Brazil’s coast known as the Devil’s Throat. Some of the influencers had found their way to life jackets, but unfortunately two had not. Those two drowned.

Beatriz, 27, was found first, her body drifting out to sea, and was picked up by Brazil’s Maritime Firefighters. Aline, 37, was found a week later, her body washed up on a Brazilian coast. She was a mother of one and was also unable to swim.

The skipper, along with four others, managed to survive. He said that he had tried his best to save everyone. One survivor, Venessa, said she managed to scramble into a life jacket and cling to the rocks. “There was a moment in the water when no one could see anyone. I was fighting for life.”

Another survivor, Camila, says she grabbed a life jacket and clung to it for dear life. She said that the waves were very strong and that they almost died because they didn’t know how to swim. She also clung to the rocks in order to survive.

What Danger Are You In?

These girls had prioritized having a good time, taking selfies and getting a tan over wearing a life jacket that would have saved their lives! But are you doing the same thing? You may ignore an inner instinct that tells you there is a God until it’s too late. You know your sins make you guilty before God, but you tell yourself that you’re not that bad — you’re good enough! Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). But you say, “No, my traditions, what I believe and think, what others have told me is best. I’ll come to God on my own terms!” The warning goes out, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). But you love your sins, and don’t want to give them up, at least not yet, not now!

God says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). But you say, “No, no! After you die you reincarnate into someone or something else.” Or perhaps, “After death, that’s the end of you just like the animals!” Beware of all such false ideas and put your faith and trust in God’s infallible Word. Because God is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), He sent His Son Jesus to bear the penalty of our sins on the cross. His perfect sacrifice for our sins is complete! Now all we must do is accept it. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Custer's Last Stand

The Battle of the Little Bighorn is one of the most iconic battles in American History. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer thought he was pursuing a few hundred warriors with their families who had left their designated tribal territory. He split his force into three units so his opponents would have less of a chance of slipping away from him undetected.

The Crow Indian Scouts working for the Seventh Cavalry brought back word that the combined force of Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians numbered in the thousands and not the hundreds. One scout reported that in all his years in the West he had never seen a Native American gathering so large. Custer thought the scouts were exaggerating. He chose to ignore the scouts’ reports until it was too late.

Riding into Disaster

Early on the morning of June 25, 1876, Custer led a detachment of 216 soldiers through a wood near the Native American encampment. He decided on a bold frontal attack. He figured if he captured the women and children in the village, the warriors would be forced to surrender to protect their families. A brilliant victory here might propel him into a political office later. The attack had scarcely begun before a thousand mounted warriors appeared on all sides. The Native Americans quickly routed the troopers. They drove them in panic and desperation to a hillside where they made their famous Last Stand. Every soldier lost his life in the short, brutal fight. They were later buried on the hillside where they had fallen.

When interviewed years later, a warrior who participated in the battle said, “The fighting was over in less time than it takes to eat a meal,” meaning the battle probably lasted less than an hour.

Lt. Colonel Custer made a great mistake in presuming he could easily defeat his opponents. This presumption cost him his own life and the lives of his men. It was a heavy price to pay. A lot of people alive today, likewise, are making a similar presumption which will cost them far more.

Dangerous Presumption

They presume that all will be well with them when they meet the enemy of death, never having entered into a relationship with the God who made them. However, the Bible contains serious and clear statements that show how wrong that is. The following are just a few of the warnings:

“The soul that [sins], it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20).

“It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

“These shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (Matthew 25:46).

If they accepted these warnings, they would see their need for the Savior. But when they hear the good news, they think that such a message is not for them. They think they are wiser, stronger and more capable than to need help and assistance. Believing in Christ might suit others who are weak and lack confidence, they might think, but I am confident and full of strength. I tend to get what I want by my own efforts.

They feel they can face whatever happens to them at death boldly and bravely and come out ahead.

Everyone Has a “Last Stand”

However, those who die in their sins will be far from okay. The instant a person dies, they will meet God’s overwhelming power and hatred against sin. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).

There will be no escape for people who refused to repent in this life. They will come into judgment for their sins and be sent out of God’s presence to spend eternity in the place of endless weeping and sorrow known as hell.

Are you presuming that God will never judge you for your sins? Are you thinking you don’t need to have your sins washed away in the Savior’s blood? Are you thinking you don’t need to be saved by God’s grace? Then you are making a great mistake.

It is presumption of the worst sort to think you can get into heaven without the Savior. It is a presumption that will bring you into eternal sorrow and pain after death.

Each one of us must make a “Last Stand” when we die and pass out of this world. When you die, what will your last stand be like? Will you die looking forward to being with the Lord Jesus who gave His life for you? Or will you die unforgiven, only to find out your presumption has landed you in hell?

If Custer had it to do over again, he would certainly have believed those Crow scouts’ reports and never divided his forces and initiated an attack. But he doesn’t get to do it over again. Nor does anyone who dies in their sins get a do-over. If you are trusting in your natural strength of character or your own innate goodness to get into heaven, think again. Those things will not save you from the eternal judgment your sin deserves. Instead, bow your heart to the Savior of sinners, and trust in Him who died and rose again. God sent Him into the world so that you and all others might be saved. Only faith in Him can bring deliverance from the power of death and make a sinner ready for heaven.

Don’t presume you will be fine at death if you die a sinner’s death. Instead, come to Him who died and rose again and defeated the power of death to give eternal life. Come to Christ, so that one day you might come home to heaven and live with Him forever!

A wonderful lesson of love is taught in “I Thought We Were Enemies?”

Deaths of Despair

Sociologists have coined a new term in recent years — deaths of despair — which refers to death by suicide, drug overdose, taking life-threatening risks, or liver disease from excessive alcohol consumption.

This term is useful because, sadly, there has been a steady increase in such cases. The breakdown of the traditional family is one of the underlying causes. Another cause for its increase is the “meaninglessness” of life a large number of people are experiencing. When people turn away from God, a deep meaninglessness settles over their lives. They come to the point where they see no purpose for existence.

Don’t think for a moment that only those living in poverty are at risk of a death of despair. When many affluent people find out money cannot buy happiness, they too tend to give up hope and are at risk of death by despair. Nothing hurts like an empty heart, and that afflicts both the poor and the rich.

Another Point of View

Perhaps sociologists are using this term too narrowly. In God’s sight, there are really only two types of deaths: a death of hope and a death of despair.

All those who leave God out of their lives will end up dying a death of despair. How bitter will be their despair when they find out death is not the cessation of all trouble they hoped it would be. Despair will fill their hearts to maximum capacity when they see it is forever too late to do anything about spending an eternity in the darkness of hell.

The time for repentance is in this life. At death, God will confirm the wicked in their sinful choice. The opportunity to become right with God will be forever past.

If you don’t want to die a death of despair, turn to God and repent of your sins. He will forgive you and save you by His grace. The blood Jesus shed on the cross alone can wash the stain of sin off the record of your life. His grace and love can give you a genuine purpose to live. Through Him, you can come to know the love of the Father, and you can love Him in return. You will become part of God’s family, which is the best family to belong to, the only one that will matter when you pass out of this world. Through Him you can come to love your neighbor, your enemies, every person on the face of the earth, your daily existence and even the people you once despised. His love can give genuine meaning to life.

Best of all, those who believe in Jesus can die a death of hope. That is, when they die, they are entitled to have the hope of spending eternity in the bliss of heaven where sorrow, pain and tears will never occur again. The sorrows of this world will only be a distant memory. In heaven, people will have rapturous joys, for they will see God in all His glory, and the sight of Him will fill them with joys that never end.

He will leave those who love Him down here just for a short while longer, and then He will bring them home to heaven where they will be with Him forever!

“Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (Psalm 107:8). Oh, that all men and women would have a hope of heaven in their hearts! And they surely can if they place their faith in Christ.

There are only two types of death possible: a death of hope and a death of despair. Those who repent and believe in Christ have the wonderful sure hope of spending eternity with their Savior. Heaven is so wonderful that words can only begin to describe it. Heaven will be a blessed reality for those who die with their sins forgiven.

On the other hand, those who say no to the Savior will die a death of despair. By refusing God’s grace, they are saying, I want nothing to do with God. God will honor that desire by sending them out of His presence into a lost eternity where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30).

Be wise! Who in their right mind would want to die a death of despair? Do something about it. Come to the Savior and receive the free gift of eternal life! Don’t delay. If death takes you while you are in your sins, it will be forever too late.

You can find out a bit more about true happiness in Recipe for a Happy Life.

Decisions Have Consequences

People that experienced the devastating storms and tornadoes that swept through western Kentucky on December 10-11, 2021, won’t soon forget them. High winds, up to 190 mph, spawned no less than 66 tornadoes. The deadliest tornado of them all cut a path 165.7 miles long and over a mile wide! It set a record for the fiercest and deadliest tornado in Kentucky’s history.

The tornado destroyed over 1,000 homes and took at least 80 lives. The hardest hit area was in the town of Mayfield in Graves County. When the EF-4 tornado raced through the town of 10,000 people, it damaged or destroyed more than 60 businesses. Dr. Wes Mills’ dental business was reduced to rubble. Incredible surveillance footage of the FNB Bank shows the front doors and windows being blown out in the blink of an eye, which turned into projectiles, destroying everything in their path. One of the town’s largest employers, the MCP candle factory, was destroyed. Over 100 people were working inside when the tornado hit, causing the building to collapse. Eight people were killed.

MARCO’S CHOICES

Marco Sanchez, an inmate, happened to be on work detail that night. When the building collapsed, it soon became engulfed in flames, trapping him. Though he had a broken leg and several cracked ribs, he managed to work himself free and escape the building. Then he made a series of decisions, the first being to find some tools and help several others get free of the debris, too.

After he had helped as many people out as he could, he got a ride to the hospital with a firefighter to get treatment for his injuries. Then he made another decision. Seeing a state trooper in the hospital, he tried to turn himself in. But the trooper, overwhelmed with the tornado response, simply told Marco to “do the right thing.”

Then he found out that the jail had been destroyed by the tornado, so he contacted prison staff himself! He had had many chances on that terrible, chaotic night to just disappear, but he chose not to. The Graves County Sheriff’s Office, upon researching rumors on Facebook that an inmate had saved many lives and finding it to be true, awarded him the Sheriff’s Meritorious Award! Many people praised and lauded him for what he had done that night. The Sheriff’s Office said that he had made many good decisions that night and that people should help Marco find work and a place to live after his release in early March. Many donations poured in as people admired and praised him for his heroism and selfless behavior that night.

Released in March, and over a month later in early April, the local media eagerly reported on how Marco was doing. He was working as a handyman for a local nonprofit organization. He was very eager to show reporters the work that he was doing and the tiny home that he was working on for himself, which he was going to name “spark of hope.” He enthusiastically said, “It feels great with some sense of responsibility and trust. It just feels great.” He went on to say that when someone says the right words and the right things, it inspires you to do good, and that he was doing “really good.”

But ... things weren’t as wonderful and promising as they seemed to be with Marco. All the praise, good wishes and helping hands couldn’t keep him from giving in to a hidden problem that he had. In one short paragraph, the local news, WPSDLOCAL6, reported on May 5 that he had been arrested again. He was arrested on charges of first-degree possession of methamphetamine on the second offense and buying or possessing drug paraphernalia. Though he had made many good decisions on December 10, those good deeds could not keep him from falling again.

TRULY PURE

Just as Marco was unable to keep himself from breaking the law again, so it is with the sinner before a righteous and holy God. The good decisions that Marco had made and the good deeds that many believe will get them into heaven cannot and will not save a soul in the end. If you were 99.99% good, just one sin would be enough to keep you out of heaven! Why? The Bible tells us God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity [sin, wickedness]” (Habakkuk 1:13).

Not only is God pure and holy, but our sins are defiling and filthy. God says about us in His Word, “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). God knows our helpless, hopeless state, and because He loves us and is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), He has made a way of salvation for each one of us. He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die and shed His blood on the cross for our sins. Jesus has paid our sin-debt for us. God has accepted His sacrifice because Jesus was holy, sinless and pure. Now all we need to do is accept it and believe it in faith. “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5). “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). There will be no boasting in heaven about our good works and how they got us there — only praise and worship to the Lamb of God for redeeming us from our sins through His mercy and grace by faith in Him alone!

Did Christian Leonhardt make the right decision in calling for help? Decide after reading Lost in the Woods.

Deep Sea Adventure

Most people had no idea that you could go on a deep-sea adventure to view the final resting place of the Titanic for a cool $250,000. But that all changed on Sunday, June 18, 2023. Contact had been lost with the submersible Titan, owned and operated by OceanGate Expeditions, while on its way down to the Titanic, resting 12,500 feet below the ocean’s surface. Onboard were four tourists besides the company’s CEO, Stockton Rush.

Eight hours after the Titan went “dark,” the mothership, the Polar Prince, contacted the U.S. Coast Guard to see if they could help. The Titan had gone down with 96 hours of oxygen, so the time frame to find them alive was small. Had they gotten stuck in the Titanic’s wreckage on the ocean floor? Heavy-duty, specialized equipment was rushed to the scene. Hope flared high on Tuesday when underwater banging was heard at half hour intervals — but the sounds were later determined to be natural ocean sounds. As time went by, all hope for the Titan and those onboard was lost. On Thursday, at 11:48 a.m., a remotely operated vehicle found the debris field of the Titan, which was consistent with a “catastrophic implosion.” Their deaths would have been instantaneous, in a fraction of a second.

So, what went wrong? It turns out that Stockton Rush had the reputation of being a “dare-devil” inventor, who in his own words said, “I’ve broken some rules to make this. I think I’ve broken them with logic and good engineering behind me.” But was that really the truth? Not only did he not follow industry standards, but he also didn’t submit to regulatory oversight from one of the many seaworthy classification organizations, such as The American Bureau of Shipping. In a blog post, he said that it would have been “anathema to rapid innovation.”

Stockton Rush had convinced himself that industry standards didn’t really matter. He freely admitted that he was doing things that were completely new, such as taking approaches that are used largely in the aerospace industry. He was proud of what he was doing, but he was sincerely wrong! Not only did he lose his own life but four other innocent lives were lost as well! Again, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

We must all lose our physical lives on this earth one day, but our souls will live on and on for all eternity. Being absolutely right about what we believe is critical to our eternal well-being! We must individually have a relationship with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). Being wrong, no matter how sincere you are, will only lead to eternal damnation and punishment. “Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

Broken Rules

There were other rules that he broke besides not being certified. Perhaps the biggest one of all was that the hull was made of carbon fiber, while other submersibles in the industry are made of titanium, which can withstand intense tension and compression. Though carbon fiber is strong and cheaper than titanium, it is unpredictable under intense compression, which was the major force that it had to deal with at the Titanic’s depth. It tends to weaken over time and fail without warning.

In the end, this is exactly what seems to have happened. Pictures of the Titan on the seabed floor show the hull mostly destroyed, but in pieces that survived, the carbon fiber split into layers and in some places cracked.

The hull itself was cylindrical instead of spherical. A spherical hull would have evenly distributed the tremendous pressure at the depth of the Titanic.

The Titan’s steering was not the highly reliable systems used in the industry, but instead, a $30 2010 Logitech gamepad. His reason for using a video-game controller was so that “we can train someone to pilot the sub. We use a game controller so anybody can drive the sub.”

It had a round window for viewing installed, but it was only considered safe at a depth of about 4,270 feet, instead of the 12,500 feet that the Titanic was at.

Warnings Dismissed

The Titan had experienced several technical mishaps during previous dives. Thrusters failed, batteries died and once the front dome of the sub fell off! Later hearings revealed that several people had tried to warn Stockton Rush of the sub’s shortcomings. David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former director of marine operations, had listed many concerns that he had with the Titan, but Stockton dismissed them and then fired him.

In 2022, when the sub was coming to the surface, they all heard a loud bang which alarmed them. One passenger described it as a “large bang or cracking sound.” They were all concerned that there might be a crack in the hull, but Stockton thought it was the sub shifting in the metal frame surrounding it.

Other leaders in the industry sent a letter to Stockton detailing their concerns about the sub and urging him to have the sub classified. One of the signers of this letter, Rob McCallum, a leading deep-sea exploration specialist, actually exchanged emails with Stockton Rush which he shared with BBC. He clearly stated that the Titan should be classified and certified, stating that he was “potentially” putting himself and others in great danger. McCallum continued, “In your race to the Titanic you are mirroring that famous catch cry: ‘She is unsinkable.’” Rush wrote back, “We have heard the baseless cries of ‘you are going to kill someone,’ way too often. I take this as a personal insult.”

McCallum told BBC that he stopped emailing after OceanGate’s lawyers threatened legal action. He had done his best to warn of impending disaster, but Stockton had dismissed his warnings, convincing himself that “I’m not dying. No one is dying on my watch — period,” in a statement he made during a 2018 meeting at OceanGate’s HQ.

Stockton’s denials of death not only ended in his death, but four others as well. His confidence in a carbon fiber hull was misplaced, eventually betraying him. Rebuffed warnings from experts based on physics and hard evidence led to disaster. Taking offence and turning a deaf ear by threatening legal action did not prevent the predicted outcome.

What About Us?

And so it is with us. We like to think that we can control our own lives, including when we die. But God says, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

We want to live our lives to please ourselves, to do what we want to do without consequence. But God says, “So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12).

Millions think that they are good people, certainly not as bad as (fill in the blank), and that their good works will outweigh their bad works. But God says, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Many people think that they are too wicked and have committed too many crimes; their situation is too hopeless for God to forgive their sins. But God’s Son said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32).

Many people acknowledge that they are sinners and that they need forgiveness of sins. They know they need to be made right with God, but they have a wrong idea of what is required. They think that being baptized, going to church, saying a prayer or following tradition is good enough. But Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father [God], but by Me” (John 14:6).

So how do we have our sins forgiven? How are we made right with God? In love toward our lost souls, God says, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Head knowledge will not save us, but true repentance towards God will. Confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouths shows the reality of our salvation.

How can we be absolutely sure of our salvation? God tells us, “Verily, verily, [truly, truly] I [Jesus] say unto you, he that heareth My word, and believeth on Him [God] that sent Me, [has] everlasting life, and SHALL NOT come into condemnation; but IS PASSED from death unto life” (John 5:24).

Do not dismiss God’s message of love and salvation. Do not put confidence in coming to Him in any other way. Do not take offense and turn a deaf ear to the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin and your need of a Savior. You’ll only end up going where you don’t want to go! “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

A Diet Ever Ancient Yet Ever New

Many of the diets that have become popular in the U.S. are purportedly diets that have been around for a long time.

Take the Mediterranean Diet, for instance. The Mediterranean Diet was voted by doctors as the best diet for 2023, yet it is basically the same food that has been regularly eaten around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years — lots of fresh vegetables, a little bit of dairy, fish occasionally, and red meat maybe once a month.

The Truth Diet

Another diet that is ancient yet always new doesn’t involve food for our bodies, but food for our souls. It is the Truth Diet.

It is absolutely necessary for all of us to start this diet for the health of our souls. And, yes, you do have a soul! Your soul can be in a state of death, illness, or health, depending on what it feeds on. On this diet, it is required that you stop feeding on falsehoods, deceits, half-truths, propaganda, and lies. These are part of the sad diet of many who live as if God doesn’t exist. To begin this diet, a person needs to repent of their sins and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus referred to Himself as the Truth. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” He said. It would be foolishness for a mere man to say, “I am the truth.” They might say they are telling the truth, but not that they are the truth. The Lord Jesus can say this of Himself, because He is more than just a man. He is God and man in the same person. The Creator of the universe was conceived in the virgin’s womb and born as a baby in Bethlehem. He grew up into manhood. Then He went about the countryside of Israel preaching God’s truth and performing miracles on those who were diseased and afflicted. The miracles He performed testify to the truth of His words. This is the One who taught, “Labor not for the [food] which perisheth, but for that [food] which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you: for Him hath God the Father sealed” (John 6:27).

He also said that He was the bread of life. “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).

When someone realizes they have been feeding on vanity and lies all their lives and then turns to Christ in faith, they receive a completely new life. “Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

The new life needs to be maintained by nourishment the same way our physical bodies need food. The Lord Jesus, who fully revealed God when He came to earth, is that food. Believers are privileged to feast all their lives on God’s goodness and love shown to them through Jesus Christ, their Lord in the Bible. What a healthy diet that is for us! That diet is ideal for the new life. It is a diet that’s ancient, yet always fresh.

“They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house; and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures” (Psalm 36:8).

The Truth Diet is the best diet you can ever go on. Begin that diet at once by believing in the Lord Jesus, and stay on it by daily feeding on God’s truth.

Take one more serious look at the issues of hunger and life in The Staggering Cost to Feed the World.

A Diving Disaster

Kim and Nathan Maker fell in love with scuba diving when they were on their honeymoon. The beauty of the marine wildlife inspired them, and they continued to dive for the next nine years. They estimated that they had done roughly 500 dives, so they were reasonably experienced divers.

The Oklahoma couple’s story began when they were part of a group scuba diving off oil rigs about 15 miles from the Matagorda coast in Texas. This time they were diving in high seas and in strong currents. A group before them had descended the downline and they were following them. One of the divers, Lisa Shearin, lost a weight pocket, so her dive was over. As she turned around to go up the line, she had to let go of the line so the next group could descend. But the current was too strong for her, and she was not able to get back to the line. “I was like a salmon swimming upstream,” she said. “I swam with everything that I had to get back to that dive line. I was not able to.”

Fortunately, Nathan saw that she was being swept away by the current and went out to help her. He was able to get her back to the line, but not himself. Kim saw her husband struggling in the current and reached out to him. Their hands almost touched ... they were about a foot apart ... when someone accidentally knocked Kim off the line. Then, the current swept them both away. That was the last anyone would see of them for the next 36 hours!

LOST AT SEA

Though those on the boat spent the next couple of hours looking for them, they eventually had to stop because of storms in the area. They then alerted the Coast Guard to begin searching for them. From Wednesday afternoon until Friday morning, they would search over 1,600 square miles looking for them.

In the meantime, Kim and Nathan had tethered themselves together while they fought to survive in the Gulf of Mexico. They could see oil rig lights on the horizon, so they spent the next nine hours swimming towards them but finally had to give up. Kim said that they had to keep swimming on and off just to keep their body temperatures up, or they would have frozen to death. On the second day they were beginning to think that they wouldn’t make it when they heard what they thought was the last search plane go by. By this time, Nathan was coughing up salt water and Kim had some stomach issues. They knew that their bodies were shutting down.

Nathan’s uncle, Charles Owen, said that the family had all but given up hope, as well. After searching for roughly 36 hours, authorities told them that they were about ready to call off the search after thoroughly covering the grid. But early Friday morning, a plane that was on its last pass searching outside of the Coast Guard’s grid turned its nose towards them and Kim signaled S.O.S. with her flashlight. A few minutes later a Coast Guard boat came speeding towards them and their long ordeal had come to an end.

Though Kim and Nathan needed recovery time in the hospital, the family considered it a miracle that they had survived. Owen commented, “This miracle was performed by the Coast Guard at God’s direction.” Kim had an infection, and Nathan was nearly in a diabetic coma when he was rescued. Both were severely dehydrated and had multiple jellyfish stings.

SAVIOR

“Thank God for the Coast Guard,” Kim said. “Saviors of the sea,” Nathan added. Nathan also said, “I really believe we saw the hand of God that day. And it was the hand of the Coast Guard.” Both Kim and Nathan wanted to be sure that the Coast Guard got the thanks that they deserved. But it is always God that is worthy of the highest honor and praise. Psalm 115:1 states, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth’s sake.”

What the Makers had to go through for 36 hours was extremely difficult. Maybe you are in an extremely difficult situation in your life, and you feel all alone without any hope for the future. Just know that a God of love has His eye on you and wants to have a relationship with you. He loved us so much that in mercy He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins because He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Just as the Makers could not save themselves, we cannot save ourselves. The truth is “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

God’s promise is true and unshakable. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31). Also, “As many as received Him [Jesus], to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). This is the mercy and truth of God that we can thank Him for! Those that know Him now through faith will thank Him for all eternity for His loving-kindness to us. Will you be one of them?

Drake's Passage

Do you know the most dangerous sailing region on the seven seas? Many sailors would without hesitation say Drake’s Passage.

Drake’s Passage is the part of the world’s oceans that lies between the southern tip of Chile and the continent of Antarctica. It’s a place where three great oceans meet: the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Southern Ocean. In these lower latitudes, currents of water and wind whip around the globe continually, unhindered by any landmass slowing it down. This ocean current is called the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, or ACC for short. Forty-foot waves whipped by gale force winds commonly occur in the region.

Sir Francis Drake was the first Englishman to sail the passage. Of the three ships that sailed in his fleet, one ship sunk attempting the passage, and the crew on board the second ship lost heart and turned back. Only the third ship, the Golden Hind, which was commanded by Drake himself, made it to the open waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Countless other ships battered by the furious waves and winds have sunk in the passage since then, and many more would have sunk if the Panama Canal connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific had not been opened to provide an alternate route.

In recent times, specially designed cruise ships with inverted hulls and many other safety features have been built to carry passengers through these waters. Notwithstanding, passengers are advised to take motion sickness medicine before embarking even if they have never been seasick a day in their lives. Sailing on one of these expensive, specially designed cruise ships is not for the faint of heart.

Drake’s Passage is a difficult passage at sea. Life in general is full of difficult passages. There is the passage from childhood to adulthood, adulthood to old age, and also from old age to death. All of these passages can be difficult, but the passage at the end of this life is potentially the most dangerous because of the potential to end up lost forever in the darkness of hell.

Truly Dangerous Passage

In the modern way of thinking, death is not a passage but the end of existence. If this were true, people would be fine going through life not caring that the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, died for their sins. They would have smooth sailing and then “kaput” — it would be lights out and they would go out of existence forever. But what a tremendous jolt they will be hit with when they realize they must come into judgment for their sins. People who die in their sins will end up being sent out of God’s presence into a real hell. There is a tremendous storm of suffering ahead for those who die in their sins.

“I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:11-15).

If you are going through life without a care for your never-dying soul, beware! The passage from this life to the life to come will be more dangerous than you could ever imagine.

You don’t have to buy a ticket on a cruise ship and sail through Drake’s Passage. But you will have to make the passage from this life to eternity. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

You must believe in Christ if you want to escape going into everlasting punishment! By His atoning death on the cross, every sinner may have their sins forgiven and begin to live a new life. When those who have come to believe and love the Lord Jesus Christ make the passage from this life to the next, they will be welcomed home to the glories of heaven. Someday, in transformed bodies, they will see God and enjoy His presence forever. Pain and suffering will be done away. The peace and joy of heaven will be very great and will never be interrupted by sorrow of any kind again.

Will you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that your passage from this life to the life to come might be a happy one?

Coming to the end of your life without regrets would be wonderful. Regrets covers far more than that!

The Gift of Life

Dring ... dring, went the telephone. My wife, sitting on her leather chair, answered it. A voice on the other end said, “I would like to inform you that the family of the child that donated the heart for your child’s transplant has taken steps to contact you. [At this point my wife switched to speakerphone so we could all hear.] They have sent us a letter addressed to you. I want you to understand that the choice is entirely yours if you want to read it or not. You can come into the hospital and read it with one of our counselors, or we can send it by mail to your home, or we can inform the donor family you would like to refrain from communication with them at this time. The choice is yours.”

My wife and I both gulped for air. Our 15-year-old son, whose heart had been failing, had received a heart transplant three months ago. The heart had been a genuine “gift of life” for him. We were not told anything about the donor except that the heart would be a very good fit for our son.

In a vague sense we understood that another child died to make this heart possible. But we didn’t overthink it. We were just thankful it became available.

Within hours the heart had been flown in a private jet, attended by a team of transplant specialists, into the city where we live. A few minutes before midnight, the surgeons began working on our son. The operation took ten hours to finish. (I don’t know how many doctors and nurses were involved.) When it was done, he was placed in intensive care where two nurses attended him constantly, and doctors visited him by the hour.

The transplant was successful. A week later our boy was walking up and down the hospital hallway, and he even climbed a flight of stairs. A healthy color returned to his face, healthier than it ever looked before. In six weeks, he was able to leave the hospital. “In six months,” the transplant doctor told our son, “we are pretty sure you will even be able to play sports.”

How Could We Ever Say Thank You?

How could we ever thank the family that made this possible? What words could we find to express our appreciation?

We told the counselor on the phone to forward us the letter in the mail. We are waiting for it now.

We will be forever grateful to this family who, in a time of unimaginable grief and loss, gave our son “the gift of life.” How will we ever be able to thank them? I don’t know.

There is something else that no member of the human race can ever show sufficient gratitude for. It is the “gift of life” that is offered from God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. For us to be able to receive this gift, the Lord Jesus had to give His life at Calvary. “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Because He suffered, bled and died, those who had gone far from God into the paths of sin and shame can receive the gift of eternal life through no merit of their own, but simply because Christ died for them. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). And what a gift it is!

He gives us the gift of life, not via a heart transplant, but by making these hearts of ours which were dead in sins and trespasses alive through His grace. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)” (Ephesians 2:5).

When we received the notice that a heart had been found which would be suitable for our son, we were asked, “Do you want to go ahead with the transplant?”

We answered, “Yes.”

Just Say Yes

Sinners, too, need to answer, “Yes,” to the Lord Jesus Christ. They have to make the conscious decision to place their faith in Him and the great work He did on the cross. Unless they ask God to forgive them, all the love that God has shown them in sending His Son will be lost love as far as they are concerned. They will never receive the gift of life unless they believe.

The gift of life is freely offered by God the Father through the Lord Jesus to every member of the human race. Those who receive it will be welcomed home to heaven. With their own eyes, they will look upon the Lord Jesus who died for them and rose again. Can you imagine what that will be like? Can you imagine the gratitude that will well up in their hearts for the One who died so they could have eternal life? Maybe it will take all eternity to express the love and appreciation we feel towards Him? Maybe that’s why eternity is forever?

Will you say, “Yes,” to the gospel message that the gift of life which comes through the Lord Jesus may be yours? “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:15). What a gift of life God made available to the whole world when He gave His Son!

Find out more about the vital issues of the heart in Heart Monitor.

The Great London Fog

The city of London is renowned for its fog. Londoners have even come up with a word for thick fogs that settle over the city. They call them “pea-soupers.”

On December 5, 1952, a pea-souper settled over the city. In the morning, the fog was thick. As the day began, Londoners didn’t think anything strange or abnormal was happening. But as the day progressed, the fog got thicker and mixed with pollutants in the air until the fog turned to a yellow-blackish color. The fog got so thick that pedestrians had difficulty seeing their own feet as they walked. A visitor to London at this time said being outside was “like being blind.” Those driving cars had to stop and leave them where they were because they couldn’t see. Ambulance service stopped, as well as buses and taxis.

The smog didn’t just affect people outdoors. It also crept indoors. Theaters closed since the screens could not be seen from the seats. Smash and grab robberies and violent crimes increased because criminals saw the opportunities the fog presented.

The Smog of 1952 Covered the city for five days. No smog in London before or after this time compares to it for severity. The fog was caused by a weather condition known as an “anticyclone” settling over London. In this condition, a large high-pressure weather system dropped beneath warm upper air producing a large amount of condensation in the form of fog.

With no wind to blow it away, the fog combined with pollution. Many of the homes in London at this time were heated by coal furnaces. To stay warm, folks living in London pumped an enormous amount of coal smoke into the atmosphere. Also, most of the electricity in the city was produced from coal-burning power plants. These plants had enormously tall smokestacks that were meant to help disperse the pollutants, but without a breeze these pollutants settled over the city.

On an average day, the city of London produced tens of thousands of pounds of atmospheric pollutants including hydrochloric acid, fluorine, sulfur dioxide, and sulphuric acid. The water droplets from the fog gathered around these pollutants.

The smog remained settled over London until the weather system changed and the wind and the sun dispersed the fog away.

During the great smog, it is estimated that some 6,000 people died directly from breathing it in. These were people who were mostly very young or very old and suffered from some type of respiratory illness. Mortality rates would remain high for people with respiratory problems long after the fog passed.

The Great Smog of 1952 proved extremely costly and deadly. Thankfully, the government soon took steps to reduce the coal emissions so history would not repeat itself.

Can you imagine walking down a street and having to shuffle your feet to feel for obstacles because of a thick smog? Or not even being able to see the street lamp a few feet away at night because of all the tarry, sooty substances trapped in the fog? This is what Londoners passed through for five days in 1952.

Another Deadly Smog

Something like this Great London Smog is going on throughout the world today. Daily a vast amount of poisonous, deadly spiritual pollutants are being pumped into the atmosphere. They are not being pumped out of tall smokestacks but out of the entertainment industry, educational institutions, and media outlets. “God is dead,” “faith is useless” and “no sin is to be despised if it gives pleasure” are some of its deadly particles. These statements might seem innocuous and harmless, but in truth they are deadly to our well-being.

Then, because our society has turned so godless, these pollutants settle like smog over us. They are not dispersed by any wind. They mix with the fog that comes from unbelief in people’s minds and make a spiritual “pea-souper” where people are trapped and cannot see what clearly lies before them.

Millions of people are going through life in a state of spiritual blindness, living like God doesn’t exist. They cannot see what lies clearly before them. They deny the evil of sin and that all men will come into judgment with God. They cannot see, in the terrible smog that has invaded the atmosphere of their minds, that God is true, good and loving. They cannot see that He hates evil, but loves the sinner. They don’t see that unless they repent, when they die they will pass into a lost eternity.

The Alternative

But just let them look to God in faith in this life and the terrible smog will blow away. They may stop breathing in all the poisonous lies and breathe deeply the fresh, clean air of truth. They may know their sins are forgiven through faith in the Savior. The Holy Spirit will be like a wind to dispel the clouds of smog. “The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but [can’t tell] whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).

Those who come to the Savior also come to know God’s love. “God is love,” the Bible says (1 John 4:8). His love, like the sun, brings warmth into our hearts. It burns away the fog of doubts. Without the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, we will always remain in a state of alienation from God. We will be shuffling about in a thick fog, not even knowing what things we bump into which make us stumble. We will stumble about calling good evil and evil good until at last we stumble one last time into a lost eternity where there’s no escape.

And You?

Several thousand people died in London in 1952 from the Great Smog. How many people die daily in this world in sin and unbelief toward God? God only knows. But you don’t have to be one of them. You can turn to the Lord Jesus in faith. You can repent and renounce your sin. “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Faith in God purifies the mind. It gets rid of many of the contaminants and pollutants that once filled our lives.

Through faith in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, the thick fog that once darkened our vision can be dispelled. How can you escape the terrible fog and pollution that is spiritually settling over this world? Only through faith in Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Consider another view of confusion and enlightenment in Living in a Land of Make-Believe.

The Greatest Knight in the Age of Chivalry

William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, is considered by many the greatest knight in the age of chivalry. But he wasn’t always an earl. He was the fourth son of a minor English baron. This meant his eldest brother would inherit his father’s castle, land, and riches, and he would be more or less left on his own to make a living. At the age of 12, he was sent to an uncle’s castle in France to begin his training as a knight.

His education would have consisted of learning proper court etiquette, playing music, and training in the martial arts. He excelled at wielding a sword and a spear and fighting on horseback. At the age of 18, on the eve of a battle, young William Marshal was knighted. On the next day, seasoned warriors advised him to hang back and not enter the hottest part of the battle until he gained more experience.

Uncommon Courage

William Marshal ignored their advice and spurred his horse into a gallop to lead the charge. Soon he was in the thickest part of the battle. For the rest of his career, he could always be found where the fighting was the fiercest. He fought with so much skill and courage that he earned the praise of his commanders during his first battle.

When the fighting ceased, the young knight needed a way to support himself. He decided to participate in as many tournaments as possible. Knights could make a good deal of money in tournaments. If they defeated another knight, the defeated knight would forfeit their horse and armor to their victor. Both of these items were extremely expensive. Often defeated knights were ready to pay large amounts of silver and gold to get their horses and armor back.

Tournaments for knights in those days were a little like the rodeos of the American West, only a lot more dangerous. They took place in all the major towns. Contestants could showcase their talents, and the tournaments drew large crowds of spectators.

Over the years it is estimated William Marshal defeated around 500 other knights at tournaments.

Loyalty

But in another way William Marshal stood head and shoulders above other knights. He was completely faithful and loyal even in the face of severe danger.

In one incident, he, with a few other men at war, were assigned to escort Eleanor, Queen of Aquitaine, as she traveled through the countryside of France. They were not expecting trouble when out of nowhere a large group of knights ambushed them. This larger group of knights wanted to capture the queen and hold her for ransom.

William Marshal could have surrendered in the face of overwhelming odds, but it wasn’t in his nature to give up. He found a tall stone wall to stand in front of so his enemies couldn’t attack him from the rear. Soon 30 or more enemy knights were gathered around him trying to bring him down with their weapons. So good was he at defending himself with his sword that enemy after enemy fell before him. His brave stand allowed the queen to escape capture. This incident ended when an enemy climbed the wall behind him and drove a lance into his leg.

Another incident shows his courage and loyalty. He had sworn his allegiance to King Henry II of England. Henry’s son Richard, who would later be known as Richard the Lionheart, marched against his father to claim the throne with a large military force. Richard was riding out in front of his army. William Marshal, with a much smaller force, went out to meet them. When Richard saw his enemies, he dug his spurs into his war horse and charged. William Marshal saw Richard charging towards him and spurred his horse to meet the challenge. He did not want to kill Richard or seriously injure him. However, he had never backed down from any fight, fled from a field of battle, nor deserted a post.

He rode hard at the future king with his lance pointed towards him. Then at the last possible moment he lowered his lance and struck the war horse. War horse and rider went down with a terrific crash. Richard, unhurt, rose to his feet. He understood that his life had been spared by the greatest knight of the land and that this knight could have easily killed him if he had chosen.

Later, when he became king, far from holding a grudge, King Richard appointed William Marshal as his special protector and would later oversee his appointment as the Earl of Pembroke for all his services.

The Only Defense Against Death

William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, lived a long and illustrious life, fought many battles, and faithfully carried out his duties. In his lifetime he faithfully served three English kings. At the age of 70, while still in active service, he suddenly took ill. His illness claimed all his strength. He knew he was dying. With a weak voice, he told those next to his bedside, “I have no defense against death.”

The great warrior who had defeated countless enemies was helpless against oncoming death. There were no moves he could make with a sword or shield to fend it off.

The greatest knight in the age of chivalry had no defense against death. What defense do any of us ever possess? Absolutely none in our own strength.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the only defense against death we will ever have.

On the cross, the Lord Jesus gave His life for sinners. “God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

On the third day after His death, He rose from the grave. He is now alive at the right hand of God having conquered the power of sin, death and hell.

When a sinner repents and believes in Jesus Christ, God grants them a share in the great victory that the Lord Jesus won at the cross. He grants them the gift of eternal life. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Only through what Christ has done can death ever be defeated. He is the one defense against death that members of the human race will ever have.

Because the Lord Jesus was faithful unto death, God is giving Him a kingdom that never can be moved. His kingdom will consist of all those who have come to trust Him in this life. “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Hebrews 12:28).

William Marshal may be the greatest knight ever, but Jesus is the one and only victor over sin and death. “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

What is your defense against death? Will you believe in the name of Jesus and share in His victory over death? Will you receive the gift of eternal life?

Drake’s Passage gives another angle on the vital passage through danger into safety.

He Died for You

Troubled heart, your God is calling!
He is drawing very near;
Do not hide your deep emotion;
Do not stop the falling tear.

Come, the Spirit still is pleading;
Come to Him, the meek and mild;
He is waiting now to save you:
Will you not be reconciled?

Are you waiting till tomorrow?
You may never see its light;
Come at once! Accept His mercy;
He is waiting — come tonight.

Heart Monitor

Beeep, beeep ... the heart monitor at the bedside of the patient sounds. The BPM has gone dangerously low. A Physician’s Assistant dressed in blue scrubs rushes down the long corridor of the hospital, enters the room and quickly adjusts the flow of medication, maybe saving the life of the patient.

A heart monitor machine reveals a lot of what is going on in a patient’s heart. It reveals blood pressure, pulse rate, oxygen saturation level and the regularity of the heartbeat. Usually it represent the vitals in two ways: a number and a graph full of repeating wave shapes. They are life-saving machines for heart patients.

WHAT DOES OUR HEART MONITOR SAY?

The Bible says, “Keep [your] heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). What if we could attach a heart monitor to that deepest part of who we are as human beings, the part of us where all the issues of life reside? What might it reveal? It would reveal that all of us have been afflicted with a serious heart condition because of sin.

Would we find any heartbeat at all when it comes to the things of God? Sadly, many people are going through life without any love to God in their hearts. Jesus told some of the religious leaders in His day, “I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you” (John 5:42).

They might have talked up a storm about religion, but because they had no genuine love in their hearts towards God, they were not alive. If they had been placed on a heart monitor at that time, their pulse rate for their physical hearts might have jumped very high because they were offended at what Jesus had to say, but their spiritual heart rate would have continued flatlining and showing a 0 because they “had not the love of God in them.” Without the love of God in their hearts, they were spiritually dead.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO YOU?

Someday the heartbeat in these physical hearts of ours will stop beating. On that day we will die. That moment is only a finite number of heartbeats away for the healthiest of us. None of us will live forever.

What will happen when it comes time to die for those who had no heartbeat when it came to the love of God in their lives? They will come into judgment with God and then be sent out of His presence forever into the outer darkness of hell. Because they rejected God’s love in this life, they will be forever without Him.

“The wages of sin is death,” reads Romans 6:23. The death in this verse refers to not only the separation of body and soul, but also the complete separation from God. If you have no heartbeat for God, you are running the risk of this final separation.

This is not God’s will for anyone’s life. “The Lord is ... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). It is not His will that any one goes through life without the love of God in their hearts. He wants each of us to have the “life” from Him.

So that sinners dead in trespasses and sins may come and find life and forgiveness, “the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). In the greatest act of love the world has ever known, Christ died for sinners. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

When a sinner believes in Jesus, God forgives them and puts a new life within them. Faith and love always work together. Those who believe in Christ also come to love Him. They trust Him, pray to Him, obey Him and walk with Him. They will do all these things because they have a heartbeat when it comes to the love of God. They may stumble and fall, but they will get back up and keep going. “A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief” (Proverbs 24:16).

WHAT DOES YOUR HEART LOOK LIKE?

What would a heart monitor screen look like if it was connected to your soul? Would it show you flatlining, dead and lifeless towards your Creator? Or would it show you alive with a heart beating strong with His love?

If you realize you are going through life without God, it is not too late to change. You can repent and turn away from your sins, and turn to the Savior in faith. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man [comes] unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). Faith in the Lord Jesus will always make our hearts beat with love to the God who made us.

“Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live” (Isaiah 55:3). Oh, that you might place your faith in the Savior and your heart might beat steady and strong in the love of God until He takes you home to heaven!

Discover more of God’s heart of love toward you in The Ultimate Caregiver.

Helpless!

Have you ever been completely helpless? A friend of mine named Carl who served in the Vietnam War told me his story of a time when he experienced total helplessness.

“It was toward the beginning of the war when I was wounded. One day during an attack, four of us soldiers were advancing toward a wounded point-man to try to rescue him when some enemy soldiers fired at us. I took a bullet in my hip but managed to escape, but the three soldiers I was with were killed instantly.

“Because of the seriousness of my injuries, I could not be transported out of Vietnam immediately. They placed me in a field hospital. The hospital, or Quonset hut as it was called, was simply a half-dome structure made of corrugated steel. There was no air conditioning or running water and only minimal electricity available. Conditions were terrible. The heat was unending and oppressive, and the moans of the injured and the stench of death never stopped.

“One evening the hospital was attacked. As the bombs began to fall, the nurses and orderlies ran for their lives to the bunkers which were located at the ends of the building. All the lights went out and screams filled the air. There I lay, unable to help or protect myself. I was completely helpless in the face of death.

“Somehow in the darkness I managed to crawl under my bed where I lay until the attack was over. I was one of the few men who could move at all. When the nurses finally came back, that is where they found me.

“Soon after, I was shipped to Japan and then back home after further recovery. But I never forgot the complete helplessness of that long night.”

Have you ever felt as helpless as Carl did? If you are still in your sins, you are just that helpless, and the Bible says that you also have a sentence of death for those sins: “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). There isn’t one thing you can do to get rid of your sins by yourself. But there is good news. There is a Savior who loves you and is offering you the gift of salvation. The Lord Jesus died on the cross to redeem people from their sins, and He is offering you forgiveness for your sins if you will by faith accept Him as your very own Savior. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalm 40:2).

I Thought We Were Enemies?

Back in 1864 during the Overland Campaign of the Civil War, Union Forces were closing in on Richmond, Virginia. Unprecedented fighting was taking place in defense of the city and casualties were mounting fast on both sides.

A regiment from New Hampshire was ordered to cross a wooded ravine and assault Fort Stevens. Fort Stevens was well defended and also had a pair of howitzers. A howitzer is a short-barreled cannon, used to shoot explosive shells at a high trajectory over the enemy. These howitzers were raining down a hail of metal shrapnel on the advancing Union troops.

While crossing through the woods, a piece of shrapnel hit Sergeant Tom Osgood in the leg, just above his ankle, severing tendons and ligaments. He crumpled to the ground in pain, unable to move. A medic gave the sergeant a field dressing, but then, because of the intensity of the battle and mass casualties, he was left unattended in the field for two whole days.

After the battle shifted away from the area, a Union ambulance, a wagon with a wooden bed and a canvas roof drawn by a horse, came and picked up the wounded sergeant.

Aftermath

Tom Osgood was nearly 50 years old and had a long beard streaked with silver. He shared the ambulance with a confederate soldier who was young enough to be his son. The confederate soldier was badly injured with a gaping wound in his thigh. Sweat was pouring profusely from this young man’s face. His eyes were closed in pain. Tom did not know if the young man was conscious or not. A wave of pity washed over him. He raised himself on an elbow and extracted a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and leaned over and gently mopped the sweat on the young man’s brow in an effort to make him more comfortable. He did this a few times, when the young man opened his eyes, looked at Tom and said, “Why are you doing this? I thought we were enemies?”

As the ambulance bumped along the rough terrain on its way to the nearest field hospital, Tom responded, “I don’t see why we should be enemies. I have never hurt you, and you have never hurt me. What may I call you?”

“My name is Madison A. Brown of the 25th South Carolina regiment.”

At the field hospital the two patients were carried on stretchers into different medical tents to have their wounds tended. They would never meet again. Sergeant Tom Osgood would recover from his wounds, but he would never be fit enough to fight as a soldier again. He would go through life hobbling with a limp, and he died at the ripe old age of 86. He never forgot the ambulance ride with the young confederate.

The young confederate soldier, Madison A. Brown was not so fortunate. He would have his leg amputated by a medic and die six days later.

God’s Love and Kindness

The young man was taken by surprise by the kindness of the older Union soldier. He hadn’t expected to be treated in such a way as a prisoner of war.

Do you know in this old world, many people are taken by surprise by the kindness and love of God?

I know this is true because I was one of them, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this. Before I came to know the Lord Jesus, I believed God might be good to those who lived “good” lives, but I was living as a strong-willed sinner, and in my heart, I didn’t see how God could have anything to do with me. I felt like the way I was living, if God were just, He could only be my enemy. That He could be anything else never occurred to me. One night as a young man, when God was dealing with me, I turned over in my bed and I went so far as to say to Him, “Oh God, what could you ever have to do with me?”

A short time later, I heard the preaching of the gospel and believed. I discovered that even when I was acting like an enemy to God, His loving-kindness was reaching out to me. It wasn’t into a world of souls who somehow deserved God’s grace that He sent His Son. It was into a world of sinners who were ungodly, without strength, and who were His enemies that the Son of God came.

“When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6-10).

I learned that God loved me through the truth that the Lord Jesus laid down His life for me, and not only for me, but all others like me, at the cross. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16).

Know this! If a sinner never repents and comes by faith to the Savior, they will pass from this world into eternal punishment. But God loves the sinner and invites each one to turn away from their sins and put their faith in the Son of God so they might be justified, and forgiven and made ready for heaven. It isn’t His will that any sinner, no matter how bad their sins, should perish. He wants all to come to the Lord Jesus and receive the gift of eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Why would anyone doubt His love when He has done so much to save them? Why would they remain at a distance from Him like He was their enemy when, in the fullness of love, God gave His Son? They are the ones acting like bitter enemies and not God. Don’t go on in your sins until you eventually perish, but come to the Savior. If in this life you turn to Him in faith, you will find out that His loving-kindness is better than life!

Sacagawea and the Muddy Missouri presents more twenty-first-century lessons from historical events.

Joseph of Arimathea

Luke 23:50-53; Matthew 27:57-60

Joseph was a very rich man in a high position of authority. He belonged to the Jewish Council which had condemned Jesus to death. However, Luke is clear in telling us that “the same [Joseph] had not consented to the counsel and deed of them.” After Jesus had died on the cross, Joseph, a “good man, and a just,” came to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus in order to bury Him. After Pilate commanded the body to be given to him, Joseph took it and wrapped it in a “clean linen cloth.” Then Joseph laid the body “in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre” and went home.

Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus (John 19:38). But because of the events of the Lord’s trial and crucifixion, he counted the cost and chose to be identified with Jesus rather than those wicked men who had condemned Him to death. Because of this, he had the inestimable privilege of fulfilling a prophecy that was made hundreds of years before, that Jesus Christ would have His grave with the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Joseph had the privilege of burying the Lord in his own private tomb.

Joseph did not let riches and position weigh him down and prevent him from doing what was right, even though it might cost him his place in the Council. He had put his faith and trust in the One whose dying words on the cross were “It is finished” (John 19:30). The mighty work of redemption for our sins was accomplished by Jesus’ death on the cross. There was nothing more to be done for our soul’s salvation because Jesus was the perfect, sinless sacrifice for us, and God has accepted it. “[You] were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Do not let anything keep you from the love of Jesus and God’s way of salvation! Don’t let riches and possessions, position and power, or your sins take you down to the pit of hell. Be like Joseph and put your faith in the saving work that Jesus did on the cross for your sins, and you can be certain of having eternal life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).

A Judge's Call

There are not many companies that would refuse a $23,500 payment, but that is exactly what one company did! Two welding companies had gone to litigation because one of them was refusing to pay the other one.

JMF Enterprises had hired Fired Up Fabrication as a subcontractor to do work on an apartment building and then refused to pay them in full. Finally, in arbitration, JMF agreed to pay Fired Up Fabrication $23,500, but the agreement did not stipulate how they would make payment. It was assumed that a normal means of payment would be made.

But that was not what happened! A few months later, the Fired Up Fabrication lawyer got a call from a delivery man trying to unload the $23,500 payment. He had arrived with a flatbed truck holding a 2' x 3' x 4' metal container which held the specified amount in quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies. The container weighed over three tons, weighing 6,500 pounds (which is about the weight of an elephant!).

Though JMF’s lawyer insisted that the whole payment was there, he admitted that “it required a forklift to move.” Danielle Beem, Fired Up Fabrication’s lawyer, refused the delivery. “Even if I wanted to take this box of coins, I had no way of doing so,” Beem told CBS News Colorado. She explained that the freight elevator in her century-old downtown Denver office couldn’t carry more than 3,000 pounds.

So, the heavy box of coins went back to JMF, and Fired Up Fabrication went back to legal wrangling. JMF’s attorney made a mighty attempt to defend their stunt, writing, “The coins, being current coin of the realm, constituted a tender of the settlement funds, and therefore, JMF has complied with the terms of the agreement. The settlement agreement did not outline any specific form for the payment.” Just in case there was any doubt, he went on to write, “JMF has no intention to harass Plaintiff, waste time, or frustrate the settlement.” JMF wanted a judge to force Fired Up Fabrication to accept the coins.

Fired Up Fabrication was asking for a more reasonable form of payment. Beem commented, “It’s petty and a grand waste of time.”

COMMON SENSE

In a brilliant, blinding flash of common sense, Judge Findley ruled that JMF had acted “maliciously and in bad faith” and that JMF should make payment in a more conventional manner, like a check or money order. He went on to contradict JMF’s claim that they had absolutely no intention of harassing, wasting time or frustrating Fired Up Fabrication by stating, “The defendants apparently obtained the coins in various denominations in neatly organized boxes but then took the extra step of removing the coins from the boxes and dumping them loosely and randomly into the large metal container.”

As a further punishment for wasting everyone’s time, he ordered JMF to pay all of Fired Up Fabrication’s legal fees, which Beem said would come to over $8,000. He then gave JMF 14 days to pay the debt that they owed.

Though JMF tried mightily to defend their foolish stunt, Judge Findley saw through it by looking at their actions. The bank had delivered the coins neatly packaged and clearly marked, but in a fit of spite they had torn open the packaging and tossed both it and the coins haphazardly into the container. Though they tried to make it sound good, there really was no defense for their actions.

PAYMENT FOR OUR DEBT

We, too, owe a great debt to God. We are born in sin, living in sin and sunk in sin so that we are separated from God. This debt of sin is so great that it is impossible for us to pay. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This is because God is holy and pure and cannot — will not — allow sin into His presence.

But God saw our hopeless condition and in His great love toward us said, “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom” (Job 33:24). He sent His beloved Son, Jesus, to suffer, bleed and die on a shameful cross to bear the penalty for our sins. “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the Just [Jesus Christ] for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened [made alive] by the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18). All of this He did for us so that we can have our sins forgiven and have eternal life.

JMF tried to excuse their method of payment by saying that the agreement didn’t specify how payment should be made. But God’s Word is clear. The Bible also tells us how to have our sins forgiven so that we can go to be with Jesus when we die. We must have “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). We can show the reality of our faith. We are told, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and ... believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

But we must receive God’s gift of salvation now, and we must receive it His way. Just as JMF’s way of payment was unacceptable, coming to God by any other means than repentance and faith will be unacceptable! Good works will not save us. Just one sin is enough to sink a soul into hell! Living for the pleasure of sin, such as drunkenness, drugs, immorality, stealing, and lying, will only harden your heart as time goes on. “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19) is the divine command, for “it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

Judge Findley made a ruling based on actions, but the Judge of all the Earth knows the motives and intentions of every heart. There will be no deceiving or fooling Him! If you have saving faith in your heart, you will hear Him say, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord” (Matthew 25:21). If you reject God’s plan of salvation, you will hear Him say, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10).

Consider a wealthy man and how he acted in Joseph of Arimathea.

Just Answer "Yes" or "No"

When somebody is being questioned in a committee, the person assigned to the job as interrogator may have just a few minutes to ask questions. Therefore, the one asking the questions needs to get to the truth quickly. The interrogator might say, “Just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following questions.” They do this in the hope of saving valuable time. Knowing your time is valuable, I thought we might try this technique with questions concerning your eternal welfare. So, if I might politely ask, just answer “yes” or “no” to each of these seven questions.

Do you believe in life after death?

If one rose from the dead, would that help you believe in life after death?

Do you believe Christ rose from the dead?

Do you believe sin (actions God hates) exists?

Do you believe a just God could let a single sin go unpunished?

Do you believe a God of love would find some way to save us from our sins?

Do you believe God could become a man and die in the sinner’s place?

Thanks for answering these questions. In this life, I hope you go on thinking about such questions until you answer “YES” to the Savior and say “NO” to a life of unbelief and sin.

If you come to Christ, be sure to tell others about it. You will never be sorry you did.

“If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed” (Romans 10:9-11).

Leaping on the Back of a Polar Bear

The great white polar bear lumbered inland from Hudson Bay. His large padded feet made no sound as he walked over patches of snow and wind-swept dry ground with tufts of grass growing out of it. He was lean with the outline of his ribs showing through his powerful physique. Often in the dark night, he would lift his nose to the wind to catch the scent of possible prey.

He was hangry, that is, hungry and angry at the same time: hungry because he hadn’t eaten for days and angry at not being able to find his usual prey. The ice in early December had not yet frozen over his favorite hunting ground, making seals difficult to catch. Seals were the mainstay of his diet. Through the night he wandered many miles until he came to the outskirts of Fort Severn, the northernmost permanent settlement in Ontario located just below the Arctic Circle. About 500 people lived in the settlement.

Small weather-beaten homes lined dirt streets. Occasional street lamps barely illuminated the night’s darkness. The polar bear came to the edge of this town in the early morning hours of December 3, 2024.

At 5 a.m., a husky dog, who was also a house pet, scratched the front door of the Crowe house. Elaine Crowe, 47 years old, rolled out of bed and pulled a heavy robe around her to keep her warm and slid her feet into a pair of slippers. She opened the front door and the husky dog slipped out into the darkness to do its duty. She wanted to climb back into bed but waited to let the dog back in. Her husband, roused out of his sleep by the scratching, followed her out of the bedroom into the living room.

After a few minutes she opened the door to let her dog back into the house. It was a routine she had performed hundreds of times before. However, her pet was not there. Out the front door and a few steps into the yard she stepped, softly calling the name of her pet so as not to wake her neighbors. The light bulb by the front door barely illuminated a little space around the house before it was swallowed up by the surrounding darkness. Peering into the darkness looking for her dog, she was shocked to see the huge white shape of a polar bear running towards her.

TERROR IN THE NIGHT

A paroxysm of fear swept over her. She screamed, turned her back to the predator, and fell to the ground. Some bears will hesitate to attack a body lying on the ground but not polar bears. The polar bear rushed up to her prostrate body and was about to deal a death blow, when her husband came out of the house and ran to the aid of his wife.

He hadn’t anything to fight the polar bear but his bare hands. He didn’t have time to hesitate. If he didn’t act at once, the polar bear would kill his wife. He loved his wife very much and his love gave him courage. When the polar bear was about to deal a death blow to her with one of his giant paws, he leapt on its back and yelled. He tried to grab the thick fur with his hands, but the bear violently twisted his body and flung him off onto the hard ground. In a second, the polar bear turned his attack to the man. He raked the man’s arm with his long claws and bit him on the leg, nearly breaking his bone. The man fought back, flailing his arms and legs against the beast. To give up fighting was to die, and the man didn’t want to die.

Then a boom, boom, boom reverberated out of the darkness. A neighbor hearing the commotion had grabbed the shotgun by his front door and run to help. From several feet away, he fired multiple shots into the polar bear. Wounded and shocked by the turn of events, the polar bear quit his attack and ran off, disappearing into the night. He was found the next morning in a little copse of trees. He had bled to death from the shots. Tribal police heard the shots and arrived a few minutes later. The husband had huge wounds and had lost a lot of blood. They stopped the bleeding and then drove him to a medical facility where his wounds were disinfected and sewn up.

LOVE AS STRONG AS DEATH

The husband put his love in action when it came to his wife, and he stepped between her and her deadly enemy, even though it was likely to cost his life. “Love is strong as death,” a verse from the Song of Solomon reads (Song of Solomon 8:6). That is the kind of love he had for his wife.

It is also the kind of love the Lord Jesus has for all of us. When He saw us helpless and falling prey to sin, death, and the powers of darkness, He came into the world and stood between us and the enemy. “The Son of Man came not to be ministered unto,” the Lord Jesus said, “but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

He was betrayed, falsely accused, and crucified. Evil men took His hands and feet and pinioned them against a cross of wood and then drove nails through them. They stood the cross up in the air and then let it fall into a hole in the ground so it would stand upright, and then they stood back to watch Him die. At any time, He could have called to His Father in heaven and He would have sent angels to deliver Him, but this He would not do. He knew He had to die and give His life as a ransom to set men free.

Because of His death, all who believe in Jesus will receive deliverance from the powers of darkness. His truly was a love stronger than death. It is a love extended to you. When Christ died on the cross, He gave His life that you might turn from your sins and believe on the One made higher than every other. He has made eternal life possible for you. The Lord Jesus later rose from the grave and came back to life never to die again. All those who believe in Him will share in His endless life.

It is a beautiful thing when a husband loves his wife and is willing to give up his own life to protect her, and it is an astoundingly beautiful thing that God in the person of the Lord Jesus would come to earth and give His life for the life of the world. Will you believe in that love that is greater than any other and find life in His name?

Polar Bears Don’t Bluff shows another important lesson that polar bears can teach us.

Living in a Land of Make-Believe

People who think they will never have anything to do with the living God are living in a land of make-believe. They are dreaming that they can leave God out of their lives and all will be well.

They think that they are improving the world God has made by leaving all notion of Him out of it.

They make believe that this gorgeous world we live in somehow made itself. They make believe that life on earth was caused by something they refer to as “random chance.” They make believe that intelligence in the universe arose over a vast expanse of time from things that have no intelligence.

They make believe there is no universal code of morals in the world, and men and women are free to choose whatever they want to do with impunity. They make believe that humans have the ability to satisfy the deepest longings of their own hearts by their own endeavors. They believe sin is not a deadly thing.

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Are you living in a world of make-believe? If so, know this. The real world is far more interesting, beautiful and livable than any make-believe world could ever be. In the real world, God made all things in His wisdom and for His pleasure. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

In the real world, God gave men and women the ability to love and understand Him. In the real world, God orders all things by His providence. His eye is in all places. He gives breath to every creature, opens His hand and satisfies their desires. In the real world, God loves sinners and in an act of supreme love that surpasses our ability to understand, God became a man and gave His life for His creature’s sin. In the real world, sinners who could never have deserved it may share in the very life of God throughout eternity through faith in Christ.

In the real world, there is a heaven waiting for those who come to love and trust the Savior. In the real world, the God who made all things is not far from any of the men and women He made, and if they call out to Him in faith, He will certainly make Himself known to them. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). In the real world, God wants all to come to Him in repentance and faith. He wants all to trust the Savior for the forgiveness of sins and then to love Him with all their hearts.

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If you think you are going to live a long and happy life and then at death just cease to have any being at all, like the animals that perish, you need to think again. Your make-believe world is certain to come crashing down around you. After you die, you will come into judgment before God. (You might have believed your sins were harmless and trivial, but God does not. He knows the terrible insult they are to true holiness.) “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). After this judgment, those who die in their sins will be cast into the abyss of hell. There will be nothing make-believe about the miseries of hell. Once there, people will never escape the suffering.

In the real world, what we do always has consequences attached to it. In the real world, what we do with Christ will determine where we spend eternity. In the real world, decisions really do matter.

Because we are living in the world God has made, won’t you believe in the name of Jesus Christ, who came into the world so that eternal life could be yours? “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

What an absolutely wonderful truth this is! The Creator came to earth in the person of the Son so all those who would believe in His name may look forward to spending eternity in the glory of heaven. What a Savior is Jesus the Lord!

Can You See? gives a fresh and needed way of pondering what is ahead for all of us.

Lost in the Woods

In the early morning hours on Friday, September 22, 2023, dispatchers in West Virginia received an emergency call from a man lost in the Kanawha County woods. His situation seemed like a desperate one — he told dispatchers that he had been attacked by a bear and that he was stranded in steep terrain.

But the story grew, and with it, the desperate attempt to find him. He told dispatchers that he had been walking for days, his phone was dying, and he was afraid that he was going to die as well. He said that the bears were circling him and then stalking him. At one point, he told dispatchers that a bear was attacking him and began to scream, saying, “Please help me!” He also claimed to have a head injury that was bleeding.

Deputies and several search and rescue teams including two different fire departments responded to this desperate appeal for help. Flashing lights and sirens were activated to scare any bears away and to alert the man to come in their direction. An attempt was made to get a West Virginia State Police or other agency’s helicopter to assist in the search.

Two hours later, Christian Leonhardt, 47, was finally found. The complaint filed said that he refused treatment from fire and EMS personnel. He was not bleeding and had no visible injuries. He stated that he had been extremely intoxicated and apologized for wasting their time, but that he had just wanted a ride out of the woods. Not only had he been extremely drunk, but he had smashed his side-by-side vehicle in the trees and then stumbled around much deeper into the woods. You can imagine how frustrated and disappointed the search and rescue teams were! They were not impressed with the big lie that Mr. Leonhardt had made up. They obliged by giving Mr. Leonhardt a ride out of the woods and straight to the county jail, where they promptly arrested him and charged him with making a false emergency call before releasing him the same day.

Lying

Lying is very much normalized in today’s world. You see it in politics, in the media, in business and in personal relationships. But God includes lying in the list of sins that will land you in “the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8).

“We put a lot of resources into this. To find out that’s not factual, that’s disheartening,” Belle Fire Chief David Armstrong told the media. “If he’d have called and said, ‘I’m lost, scared,’ we would have gone anyway. To add that to the story, that was not the right thing to do.”

The fire chief was right. There was a right way to call for help and that was by simply telling the truth instead of fabricating a lie. God tells us how we can have a relationship with Him through His Word, the Bible. We must first realize that we are all sinners before God and cannot come into His presence in our sinful condition. “There is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23). But God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. “God commendeth [demonstrates] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet [still] sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Through the perfect and complete work that Jesus did on Calvary’s cross, we can have a relationship with God, if we will accept it through faith. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Tell God that you know that you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive your sins for Jesus’ sake. Tell Him from your heart that you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and thank Him for it. Tell Him that you want to make Jesus Lord of your life and live for Him. The rewards are eternal, and you will never regret it! “As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

Sometimes seemingly harmless decisions are deadly, as you’ll see in The Necklace Knife.

Millionaire Spends Fortune to Stay Forever Young

Ryan Johnson was a very successful tech entrepreneur who sold his business and made a small fortune. As he was entering middle-age, he got distressed at all the signs of aging his body was going through. He decided, not sparing any cost, he would do everything it took to get his body back to the condition it was in when he was 18 years old and then keep it there.

The more he thought about it, the more he was certain, if he worked hard, it would be possible. The hope dawned in his heart that if he did everything right with his health, he would live a very long time, indeed he might live several hundreds of years, or maybe he might live and never die. His experience as an entrepreneur had taught him it often pays to be bold and think big.

Total Focus

Obtaining perpetual youth became the main work of his life. He hired doctors, dieticians, personal trainers, sleep experts, and every other type of health expert. They developed a very rigorous health plan which Ryan devoted himself to. Early on, he realized that part of him wanted to throw off his new regimen and return to his old ways. He called this part of his mental makeup his “rascal mind” and decided to resist it wholeheartedly.

These are a few of the practices he adopted to keep himself in a state of perpetual youth:

Let nothing interfere with regular hours of sleep.

Take more than 110 pills and vitamins a day.

Receive a daily blood transfusion from his teenage son.

Drink a daily dose of pure olive oil.

Give up alcohol.

Instead of eating, drink a plant-based smoothie that tasted a bit like chalk.

Keep a strict workout schedule, exercising several hours a day.

Keep out of the sun’s harmful rays.

Besides these mostly physical activities, he realized his thinking patterns affected his health and needed to be altered too. He decided to take these steps to improve them:

Spend several hours a day in solitude where he would only think deep thoughts.

Avoid superfluous talk.

Eliminate all negativity.

Limit the company of other people to those who support his ideas.

After several years of keeping to this plan most rigorously at the cost of over 4 million dollars a year, he has reduced his body weight to that of a very active 18-year-old. At a glance somebody might mistake him for an 18-year-old, but taking a closer look they would see the inevitable signs of aging: a receding hairline, thicker cartilage in the nose, reduced muscle mass and, sadly, as several doctors have noted, an unhealthy pallor to his face.

Who Knows?

After several years he still believes that all these health practices may make him live hundreds of years.

Of course, who can predict their own life expectancy with any assurance? Life for all of us is uncertain. In the unsolicited opinion of many sensible people, this fellow would be a lot better off if he lived a moderate life, without going to extremes, and accepted his mortality.

A Bible verse found in the book of Ecclesiastes that speaks about death says, “There is no discharge in that war” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). That is a poetic way of saying we all must die and no one will escape death. Many people, including Ryan, are reluctant to believe the truth of their own mortality.

The Other Side
of Death

By exercise, a positive outlook, and a good diet a person might extend their life by several years, but they will never obtain perpetual youth.

There is a way to obtain perpetual youth though. There is no secret about it. It has been proclaimed for thousands of years. It is not obtained by any human efforts, but through the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. He suffered, bled, and died to make this perpetual youth available to all. We may still have to pass through death to get there.

The Lord Jesus said, “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26).

Resurrection will happen for all. Those who have died with faith in Christ will be resurrected when He comes back for His own. At some future moment, all those in the graves will hear the voice of the Son of God. “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice” (John 5:28). Even those who heard the gospel and refused His offer of eternal life will hear the voice of the Son of God. All will arise from the grave, but not all will arise to everlasting life. Those who refused to turn away from their sinful lives on earth will arise to everlasting shame. “And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:29).

Those who have part in the resurrection of life will have their bodies, which have been decaying in the graves, transformed and reunited with their souls. In these resurrected bodies they will enjoy the presence of God. They will enjoy Him forever. They possess eternal life — a gift from God that can be received this very moment.

Those Who Don’t Repent

However, those who never repented and believed in the Son of God will have no part in the resurrection of life. They will be raised from their graves. They too will have bodies when they appear before God to be judged. These bodies will be indestructible, but they will not be free from suffering. They will suffer endlessly in the place where the conscience never dies, and the fire is not quenched. The fires of hell will never destroy them. And instead of being full of light and clarity, they will be in darkness forever.

Ryan devised a plan which he felt would enable him to be perpetually young. What he didn’t consider is the truth that we have all sinned and earned the wages of death. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6:23).

Life Forever

The Lord Jesus came to earth and gave His life for sinners so they may have the opportunity of living with Him forever. After He was slain on the cross, He was buried. For three days and nights His body lay in the grave before He came back to life and arose from the grave. Then after He showed Himself alive for many days, He ascended into heaven to take His seat at the Father’s right hand. This is where He is now. Someday all those who are in the grave will hear His voice. Before that day comes, will you believe in His name, receive the forgiveness of sins, and start living a life of obedience to the risen Lord? Then, if you die, you would still have your part in the resurrection of the just.

Take another intriguing and necessary look at spiritual health in A Diet Ever Ancient Yet Ever New.

Miserable in the Middle of Plenty?

Imagine somebody dressed in rags and moaning about hunger pangs when all around them there was plenty of food free for the taking if they only had eyes to see it.

That is the plight of every person who doesn’t know the grace of God.

They are dressed in rags. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Right now, millions of people are dressed in the rags of unrighteousness and don’t even know it because they don’t know anything about God’s holiness or grace.

Spiritual hunger troubles them as well. How could it be otherwise when God has made us to feed on Him? That means to find our satisfaction, fulfillment and daily purpose through Him and what He provides. But instead we try to fill our hearts with everything but God. I have heard of people eating pies made out of mud because they suffered from so much physical hunger. That is hard for me to imagine, but it is just like people trying to fill up the emptiness of their hearts by sinning. There is nothing the least bit nutritious for the soul about sin. Do you think there is anything wholesome and enduring about lies, theft, greed, hatred, extramarital sex, pride or slander? There isn’t — not a bit.

Spiritual Blindness

Blindness too afflicts them. Sinners become blind by their unbelief and evil desires. Evil passions wreck their eyesight when it comes to God and His goodness. They just can’t perceive it. Spiritual blindness, when a person can’t see where they are going or what they are tripping over, is a rotten state to be in. “Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house” (Ezekiel 12:2).

Having spiritual blindness, they can’t see the wonderful fullness of God’s grace all around them. They miss out on God’s goodness. They have no use for the truth that God sent His Son into the world. They can’t see their need for repentance or their need to have their sins forgiven. They can’t see that the thought of a loving God makes any sense at all. In their blindness they run after things that will never satisfy.

Good News

Spiritual rags, hunger and blindness are all troubling problems that are very symptomatic of sinners. But the good news is that there is a remedy to sin’s misery. In the fullness of His love, God sent His Son into the world. Christ Jesus had so much love for people that He freely gave His life at Calvary. Because of His death, sinners dead in sins and trespasses can be brought back to life. The blood He shed at the cross has the power to wash away sins. Sinners are reckoned righteous and justified when they believe in Him. God takes away the rags they were dressed in and gives them the garment of true righteousness. He heals their blindness so they can see God’s goodness and grace. And He feeds them with the finest of spiritual wheat, for He enables them to feed upon His Son, who is the “Bread of Life.” “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). The Lord Jesus, both man and God in the same person, is true food for the human soul.

God’s Plenty

God makes known His plenty for those who repent and turn to Jesus in faith.

He is overflowing with mercy. “Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon Thee” (Psalm 86:5). There is an abundance of mercy for those who believe in Christ. “God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us” (Ephesians 2:4).

God is overflowing with redemption. “Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption” (Psalm 130:7). Redemption means God will deliver you from all your problems, even the problem of sin and death. To deliver men and women from the eternal death sins deserve, Christ died on the cross. “I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Through His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus became the great Redeemer for the human race. Will you believe in Him?

And He is overflowing in truth too. “Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth” (Psalm 86:15). The Lord Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6). The truth has the power to set us free so that we can look up to God in faith.

He is a God who can make all grace abound. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you” (2 Corinthians 9:8). Grace is what we need as sinners to find salvation. “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). And it is grace that we need as believers every day of our lives until we are brought home to heaven. In heaven believers in Christ will celebrate God’s grace forever. “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). God will share the riches of His grace with believers throughout eternity. Will you be in heaven to celebrate His grace? You will be, if you genuinely believe in the Lord Jesus as your Savior.

Why continue another day in the rags and ruin of sin when God has done so much for you? If you only had eyes to see, you would see how ready God is to bless you with His grace.

Come to the Savior by faith that the blessing of eternal life may be yours! There is so much grace, love, mercy and truth in Christ that the whole world may come to Him and be saved.

Find out more about true riches in a world filled with despair in Deaths of Despair.

My Next Adventure Is Dying

Jane Goodall is highly respected in the scientific community for her work with primates in their natural habitat. For years she lived among chimpanzees in Tanzania, studying their habits and interactions with each other. There have been movies and a documentary created about her and her work in animal research. She has received many awards and much recognition in honor of the research that she has done. There is even the Jane Goodall Institute to carry on her work after she is gone.

After a life full of adventure, at 90 years of age, she commented:

“My next great adventure at age 90 is going to be dying. There’s either nothing or something, and if there’s something, I mean if there’s nothing, there’s nothing, that’s it. If there’s something, I can’t think of a greater adventure than finding out what it is. I happen to think there is something because of experiences I’ve had, because of experiences other people have had, very powerful ones.”

Articles were written commenting on how Jane’s comments were “surprisingly insightful” and “surprisingly hopeful.” People were taking comfort in Jane’s supposedly “wise, insightful” words. Rather than fearing the unknown, she chose to view it as an adventure, though, instinctively, she believes that there is “something”!

The Bible’s View

The Bible tells us that “there is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). The sentiment expressed above, though sweetly stated, is actually quite terrifying! It is similar to if you were to jump off a high cliff into a pitch-black chasm with outstretched hands desperately hoping for the best outcome!

God has not left us to guess or imagine or to come up with some fanciful ideas as to what will happen to us after we die! To the repentant thief on the cross, Jesus said, “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Of the rich man who lived lavishly every day and thought only of himself while ignoring God, Jesus said that when he died, “in hell he [lifted] up his eyes, being in torments” (Luke 16:23). To all unrepentant sinners God says, “These shall go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46). To those who have put their faith in Jesus, He promises that they will go into “life eternal” (Matthew 25:46). Each and every one of us will go to either heaven or hell when we die, and our souls will live on forever and ever in eternity. God makes it very clear that when we die, our eternal destiny is set, irrevocably set. “It is appointed unto men ONCE to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).

The time to choose heaven or hell is now. In love God warns us, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). We must choose now, while we have physical life on this earth whether we will accept Christ’s death on the cross for our sins or reject His free gift of salvation. What choice will you make?

Our next story is about a man who made deliberate choices and refused to believe that there could be any deadly consequences to them.

My Savior

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned;
I only know at His right hand
Is One who is my Savior!

I take Him at His word indeed:
“Christ died for sinners,” this I read;
For in my heart I find a need
Of Him to be my Savior!

That He should leave His place on high,
And come for sinful man to die,
You count it strange? So once did I,
Before I knew my Savior!

And, oh that He fulfilled may see
The travail of His soul in me,
And with His work contented be,
As I with my dear Savior!

A Nearly Impossible Catch

Connor Halsa, with his father and cousin, were out on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, on a fishing expedition. They intended to catch walleye, but instead they hooked a fat wallet!

Connor had cast his line when he felt something big on the other end. Setting the hook hard and reeling in quickly, he pulled up a big brown billfold out of the water. Opening it, they found a lot of mossy, soggy money totaling $2,000! In with the money was a business card with a name and number on it. Connor and the others instantly agreed that they should return the money to the rightful owner, so they called the number on the card.

It turned out that the money belonged to a farmer in Iowa, Jim Denny, who lived 600 miles from Moorhead, Minnesota, where Connor and his family lived. Thrilled to hear that the lost wallet had been found, Jim came to Moorhead to retrieve the lost cash. Though he offered Connor a reward, he refused it, saying, “We didn’t really work hard for the money. He did, so it was his money.”

Losing His Money

But how had Jim Denny managed to lose $2,000 at the bottom of the lake? He explained that he had been on a fishing retreat over a year ago. He had put the wallet in his back pocket and went out to the lake in a boat to fish. The water was quite rough and choppy that day, and as he sat on the back of the boat, he was jostled back and forth. He figured that the wallet had wiggled its way out of his pocket and into the water. He did not realize that it was missing until he had to pay for his stay at the resort. Much to his immense embarrassment, they extended credit for his stay there.

Of course, John Denny was very appreciative and grateful to Connor and his family for their honesty in returning the wallet to him! Since they wouldn’t take any money, Jim gave Connor a fancy, personalized cooler and took the family out to dinner. He also gave Connor a compliment: “I would take Connor for a grandson any day, and I would fight for him any day.”

Reporters, newscasters, John Denny and Connor’s family all took a moment to contemplate the near mathematical impossibility of the wallet being found. Lake of the Woods is a HUGE lake! It is a million-acre lake, the sixth largest freshwater lake in the U.S. It is 70 miles long and 70 miles wide. It is half the size of Yellowstone National Park and 210 feet deep in places. Jim Denny marveled, saying, “The odds of ever, EVER, finding a billfold in there, hooking a billfold in 20 feet of water ... I don’t think there would be a number.”

A Miracle of Grace

Despite the odds, it was possible, and Connor’s hook did pierce the hide of the small billfold. And so it is with us. We were far from God, separated by our trespasses and sins. Many people feel that their case is a hopeless one! They feel that they have sinned too deeply and too long, sunken in drugs, alcohol, immorality or some other vice. Many are looking in all the wrong places for peace and happiness, such as New Ageism, paganism and spiritism. They feel that forgiveness of their sins, peace with God and the certainty of an afterlife in heaven are impossibilities for them.

If this is the case with you, there is hope, mercy and peace available to you, if you will accept it. The Bible tells us, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear” (Isaiah 59:1). The love of God is even able to break a heart of stone! “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

As impossible as it may seem, it is possible to have peace with God. It is through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. “There is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). God sent His beloved Son Jesus to come down to this earth and to bleed and die on a shameful cross for our sins. Because He was perfect, holy and sinless, God raised Him from the dead on the third day. Now all those that come to God, repenting of their sins and realizing their need of a Savior, can have their sins forgiven. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). “If [you shall] confess with [your] mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in [your] heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, [you shall] be saved” (Romans 10:9).

When we come to Him in repentance, having faith in the work that the Lord did on the cross, we will be saved — saved from hell and saved for heaven! God, who cannot lie, says it is so. There is mighty power in the shed blood, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is possible to have peace with God today! His ear will hear the faintest cry, no matter how far away you are in your sins from Him! Do you have peace with God? Can you say that you are “redeemed ... with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19)?

A Judge’s Call gives another important lesson from a strange money story.

The Necklace Knife

Some things seem so harmless, but they aren’t. Take, for instance, a necklace knife. You might want to wear one because you think it’s unique or a good conversation piece to wear, even though common-sense and discretion should tell you that it’s not a good idea.

Patrick Kenney Jr., 42, was celebrating a birthday at a local restaurant in Saugus, Massachusetts. As he was walking through the parking lot to catch a bus to return home, he tripped and fell, apparently stabbing himself with the knife. What a freak accident, but it ended up costing him his life! It left his family, his wife and two young children “trying to make sense of this horrific tragedy. Patrick was a loving father and husband, brother, son and loyal friend to many.”

This man certainly had no intentions of dying that day. Clearly, he thought that wearing a knife hanging off a necklace was not a dangerous thing to do. And many people do not realize the danger that they are in because of their sins. They mistakenly think that God will overlook their sins in the end because of their good works or their good intentions. But God clearly tells us, “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:2).

After Jesus rose from the dead, having paid the penalty for our sins on the cross, He said to His disciples, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel [good news] to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be dammed” (Mark 16:15-16). Have you yielded your heart to the Lord Jesus?

Friends, a luxury yacht, a party — what could go wrong? A Costly Decision has the answers.

Polar Bears Don't Bluff

Polar bears are fearsome predators that have been known to stalk human beings. With the average adult male weighing about 1,300 lb. (600 kg, 7½ times the weight of an average man), they are the largest carnivore on earth. With their great size, they need a lot of calories to keep their bodies going, and they may consider human beings as a potential food source. Unlike other bears, they are not omnivorous. They are meat eaters only and human beings fall into that category. If you journey to the cold north regions where polar bears live and come across a polar bear, remember this: Polar bears do not bluff.

With their white fur, they blend perfectly into their ice and snow-filled surroundings. They are highly skilled ambush predators, capable of approaching prey undetected.

Unlike other bears, polar bears may not show any aggressive behaviors before attacking. They may appear emotionless, with a “deadpan” expression on their face before making a swift lunge to overpower their prey. They can move amazingly fast.

Anyone traveling in polar bear habitat should exercise extreme caution and have a plan on how to deal with an attack.

ABSOLUTELY NOT BLUFFING

Polar bears don’t bluff. They need to be taken seriously. You may never be in polar bear country and so have nothing to worry about, but there is One who is very great in every way, whom we will all have to deal with, who is absolutely not bluffing about what will befall men and women if they fail to prepare to meet Him.

This One is God who is supremely good, holy, right and just — and who has also promised to bring every human being into judgment for their sins. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

“Well, what is so dangerous about that?” you might ask. “God is full of kindness and love.” The danger is that we are sinners in the sight of God. Sin is any deed, thought or word performed independent of God’s will. Adultery, fornication, drunkenness, drug abuse, child abuse, theft, murder, taking bribes, lying, pornography and extortion are examples of grave sin. God’s Word states that those who do such things shall not enter the kingdom of God. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).

The alternative to inheriting the kingdom of God is to be cast out of God’s presence into a place called hell. God can’t have anyone in His presence who is unclean with any sin — no matter how small they may consider it to be.

Just as the joys of heaven will far surpass the joys we feel in this life, so will the miseries of hell far surpass any miseries experienced on earth. There will be terrible pain in hell, and the awful thing about hell is that it will be forever.

Beware! If you want to wander through this life, continuing to live as a stranger to the God who loves you, know this: God is not bluffing. Impenitent sinners will end up spending eternity in the outer darkness of hell, where there is constant weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth. “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). Hell is not an illusory place invented by some medieval thinker in order to scare superstitious people into behaving. It is a real place to which those who refuse to repent and turn away from their sins are headed.

To make a way so no man or woman has to end up in hell, the Lord Jesus came into the world and gave His life at the cross. “When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8). Through faith in Christ, sinners may be pardoned, cleansed and made fit for heaven.

God is not bluffing about souls ending up lost in hell. Not in the least bit. Oh, be wise and renounce your sins and turn by faith to Him who is mighty to save!

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved, and [your] house” (Acts 16:31).

It’s really not complicated to believe in Jesus, as Just Answer “Yes” or “No” makes clear.

Proclamation by Exclamation

The world needs salvation!

All have sinned!

The Savior has come!

He lived a perfect life!

He made the blind to see!

He made the lame to walk!

Multitudes hung on His every word!

He was betrayed into the hands of sinners!

Evil men nailed Him to a cross!

They meant it for evil!

God overruled it for good!

They laid Him in a grave!

The grave couldn’t hold Him!

He arose from the dead!

All may be forgiven through faith in His name!

Forgiveness, what a joyful sound!

Let heaven and earth proclaim it!

Let every heart exclaim it!

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Recipe for a Happy Life

Who doesn’t deeply desire to be happy? Wise men have pointed out that we all want to be happy, but that many are seeking happiness in a way that makes it impossible to find. A Betty Crocker Cookbook contains thousands of recipes that bring happiness to our hungry bellies, but where oh where can a recipe for the lasting happiness of our hearts be found?

Most people would agree on many of the ingredients that make up a happy life. These would include:

 Health

 Friendship

 Meaningful work

 Family

 Love

 Laughter

 Stability

 Security

 Positive outlook

These are definitely some of the wholesome ingredients that help make a happy life. Mix those ingredients together and stir until well blended and then you will have a happy life. Right?

Wrong! A person can have all those things in the right measure and still be unhappy. The reason for this is that, through the disobedience of our first parents, sin and death has entered the world.

Any recipe for happiness worth its salt must consider the truth that we are sinners in the sight of God. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

A recipe for happiness that ignores the truth that we are sinners couldn’t possibly be complete. It would be lacking the main ingredient, which is faith in the Redeemer of sinners, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only through faith in Christ may those who have sinned ever be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

A great many people who have a genuine appetite for happiness are insisting they can find happiness apart from God. But how could anybody be happy when they are living in unforgiven sin and headed to a lost eternity in the darkness and total misery of hell?

In truth, any recipe for a happy life that leaves out faith in the Savior is a pretty poor recipe indeed.

God knows exactly what we need for the well-being and happiness of our life and eternity. Without the Lord Jesus we will never know the lasting happiness of heaven. He is the way. “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” the Lord Jesus said; “no man cometh to the Father but by Me” (John 14:6).

Family, friends, love, laughter and more are all ingredients that go into making a happy life, but the most important ingredient by far is faith in Jesus Christ. He is ready to be part of your life the moment you repent of your sins and place your faith in His name.

If you want happiness in a marriage, be devoted to your spouse. If you want happiness in life, believe in the Lord Jesus. Being devoted to Him will come next.

Will you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ that the everlasting happiness of heaven may be yours? “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house” (Acts 16:31).

Regrets

Regret is an interesting word. The first part of the word is the Latin prefix “re” meaning “again,” and the second part of the word is the base word “gret” which comes from the very old Germanic word “graetan” meaning “weep.” So, the word literally means “weep again.” Regrets are things that we have done or that have happened to us that make us “weep again.”

It is best to go through life avoiding doing things we will regret later. However, since the beginning of the human race, not a single man or woman has lived their lives so as to have no regrets.

We have all done things that we should deeply regret. We have all sinned. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Sin is deeply regrettable because it brings dishonor to God. Sin also goes hand in hand with death. “The wages of sin is death,” reads Romans 6:23.

Although men and women might excuse their sins in their own minds as if they were no big deal, or they might accuse those around them as if others were responsible for the sins they have done instead of themselves, the terrible fact remains — each one of us has sinned.

Sin is also highly regrettable because it incurs the debt of eternal punishment. In ourselves we have no way to pay off that terrible debt.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,” has made a way for that debt to be paid off that restores His honor (Ephesians 2:4). God came to earth in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and gave His life at Calvary. As a man, the Lord Jesus could die. His death has the infinite value to cancel the debt of sin for all who believe.

Because of His sacrificial death, those who believe in the name of Christ will have their sins forgiven. Their sins are removed from them as far as the east is from the west, and they are cast, so to speak, into the depths of the sea.

We have all sinned and done things we deeply regret. The Lord Jesus shed His blood so that the stain of sin may be washed off our souls so we may live united to Him through faith.

All sin is deeply regrettable. But one type of sin will be more regrettable than all others. It occurs when a person never returns to God. Those who die in their sins will be cast out of God’s presence and will have no opportunity of ever being readmitted into His love and favor again. In hell’s darkness, lost souls will weep, and their weeping will never cease. “Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,” the Lord Jesus said (Matthew 25:30).

The time to repent and believe in the Savior to avoid that fate is now! “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Don’t continue to live a second longer in unbelief. If you die in unbelief, it will be forever too late to be right with God. You will end up suffering forever from your choice to delay coming to Christ. Come to the Savior today!

Sacagwea and the Muddy Missouri

In 1805 lands west of the Mississippi River were largely unmapped. They were part of a wilderness without roads or permanent towns, where giant herds of buffalo roamed, and where grizzly bears and mountain lions hunted.

Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States, organized the Lewis and Clark Expedition to travel across this vast expanse, map it out, and also to report on the land forms, plant life and animal life. Another part of their mission was to make friendly relations with the native tribes.

The Lewis and Clark expedition consisted of several brave men including a French-Canadian interpreter named Charbonneau and his young wife, Sacagawea, who had given birth to a baby boy just a few months before joining the expedition.

The expedition began in St. Louis. They spent the first winter in a camp near a Mandan village. This village was near the banks of the Missouri River. The men in the expedition had built pirogues, or dugout canoes out of large trees. Men in these pirogues would paddle against the flow of the river. Sometimes if the wind was blowing in the right direction they could spread a small sail. Paddling was back-breaking work. Working from dusk to dawn, the men could only make an average of 15 miles a day.

The expedition was spread out along a bend in the river when suddenly a squall, or a small wind and rain storm, hit. High winds from the squall tipped a pirogue over. Water rushed into it. Supplies carried in the canoe were washed overboard. Among these supplies were the journals full of information that Lewis and Clark had carefully collected.

Charbonneau and three other men panicked and feared for their lives. Only Sacagawea kept her wits about her. When she saw the journals go overboard and sink in the Missouri, she marked the spot in her mind using landmarks from the nearby shore.

She unstrapped her baby boy from her back and laid him in the canoe, and then she dove into the Missouri. She swam to the spot she marked in her mind and dove. Almost miraculously she recovered the journals. I say “miraculously” because the current of the river might have carried them away, and the visibility in the flowing muddy water was very poor.

Lewis and Clark were both extremely thankful their journals had been saved. They knew they owed their recovery to the quick thinking and quick acting of Sacagawea. She had saved the day.



To honor the memory, almost 200 years after the event, the U.S. Treasury issued a Sacagawea one-dollar coin in the year 2000. On the coin is a portrait of Sacagawea holding her baby boy.

Sacagawea deserved this honor for the quick thinking that saved the journals. Do you know who else deserves all the praise and honor of every human heart? It is the Lord Jesus Christ who left the glories of heaven and came to this earth. He came to earth seeking people lost in sin. “The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.”

Sacagawea dove into the muddy waters of the Missouri River to retrieve the precious journals. The Lord Jesus went all the way down into death to retrieve people who had sinned, in order to bring them back to God. The blood He shed at the cross has the power to wash away the sins of all those who believe and to make them clean and ready for heaven. If it weren’t for the Lord Jesus dying for people, they would have all remained lost and carried away from God by the current of sin forever.

The Lord Jesus will retrieve every soul who trusts Him from the murky depths of sin. He will redeem them and make them fit to enjoy the presence of God forever. This the Lord Jesus has done for countless others, and He will also do it for you if you call out to Him in faith. “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

He is waiting for you to call out to Him in faith.

Saving Lives

Life is precious. It is normal to do everything in our power to preserve life. This is why we can be so thankful for firefighters, medical personnel, good Samaritans and just law enforcement. Here are the stories of four people whose lives were saved by such people.

SAVED FROM A BURNING CAR

A man was driving down I-94 in Minnesota when he lost control of his car, which then veered off the road and smashed into a light pole, causing the front of his car to burst into flames. Other drivers, witnessing the accident and seeing the towering flames, stopped to see if they could help.

As it turned out, the driver desperately needed help. His car had gone over the guardrail, trapping him inside the car. Several good Samaritans tried to open the driver’s door but couldn’t because the guardrail was in the way. Kadir Tolla, one of the people who stopped to help, attempted to smash the driver’s window with a piece of plastic that he found by the roadside. Car cameras caught the scene of flames literally smacking the rescuers in the face as they tried to extricate the driver. But they absolutely refused to give up! Tolla told news outlets that the driver was conscious and kept saying, “Pull me out; pull me out; pull me out!”

Finally, a highway worker ran to help with the right piece of equipment to shatter the window. Several bystanders were then able to pull the driver out of the car. They were just in time! Immediately after, flames could be seen entering the driver’s side of the car before completely engulfing it. These total strangers had saved the driver’s life, enabling him to escape without injury.

Tolla will remember this incident for the rest of his life. “That could be me one day,” he said. “What would happen if I was in that situation and my life was in the hands of strangers that I didn’t even know?”

It is amazing. People realize the deadly danger of fire and will do everything in their power to escape it. Jesus warned that the wicked would one day be cast into “the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:50). Yet people are determined to live their lives as if eternity doesn’t exist, or if it does, it’s not important. Many treat their afterlife with a careless flippancy, such as, “I’ll deal with it when I get there!” Worst of all, many people think that they’re too good to go to such an awful place when they die. But because God loves us and is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9), He is faithful to tell us the truth. “God sent not His Son [Jesus] into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18). Are you saved? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, that repentance toward God and faith in Him will save you, and that God will give you eternal life?

SUBSTITUTE DOCTOR SAVES LITTLE GIRL’S LIFE

The mother just knew that something wasn’t right with her little girl. Yet over a period of months, frustratingly, doctors kept assuring her that she was fine and that there was nothing to worry about. But her daughter was not thriving. After yet another visit to the pediatrician’s office, a substitute doctor saw her and decided to order a series of blood tests. It ended up being the salvation of the baby’s life by just days!

The mother posted on TikTok, thanking the doctor for saving her little girl’s life. “He was like the fifth doctor that saw her. We went to neurologists, cardiologists, PCPs [Primary Care Physicians] and the hospital. We were running into brick walls. All they had to do was run blood work.” She had heartfelt thanks for Dr. Zachary Johnson, a critical care medicine specialist at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. She commented that she had gone to that office for years and never met him before. She thought it was “very bizarre” that he happened to be filling in on that particular day.

Blood work proved that her little girl had two existing conditions: Protein Enteropathy and Severe Anemia. Her hemoglobin was only 2.5, causing her body to fill with fluids, which were crushing her organs, which were then shutting down. It’s not an exaggeration to say that she was literally days from dying!

She was immediately taken to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), where the family spent four days while she was being treated. Treatments included four blood transfusions and two iron infusions. Testing was also being conducted for any underlying conditions. We can only imagine how grateful her parents were that they had persisted in discovering what was wrong with their little girl!

Instinctively, this mother realized that her daughter had a health issue. Thankfully, she didn’t ignore it, or the result would have been death. We too have an inner awareness that there is a God and that there is life after death. It’s our spirit within us, that God-consciousness that we are all born with. “The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Proverbs 20:27).

We too need to realize that we are lost in our sins and that even our good works are as filthy rags in God’s sight. We are in desperate need of a cure for our sin problem! It is only through faith in the shed blood of Jesus on the cross for our sins and repentance toward God from our heart that we can find healing and forgiveness for our sins. “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). To ignore our sin problem is spiritual death. To be cleansed from our sins will give us eternal life. Which will you choose?

COUGAR ATTACK!

Washington State is known for its breathtaking beauty with many biking trails for cyclists to enjoy the outdoors. This is what a group of five friends were doing one Saturday afternoon near Fall City, when suddenly, without warning, a cougar jumped out of the woods and attacked a 60-year-old lady among them.

But her friends were true friends! Bravely and courageously, they managed to get the cougar off her and pin it down under one of their mountain bikes, holding it there until help arrived. “It jumped from the side of the road and latched onto her, and her friends were able to detach and fight this thing off,” said Sgt. Carlo Pace, who was with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The woman suffered serious injuries to her face, neck and jaw, but she was able to survive, thanks to her loyal friends. “They 100% saved their friend’s life,” said Pace. “They were able to pin down a good size lion with its claws and teeth and everything else under a mountain bike until we arrived.” The cougar was later shot and killed by fish and wildlife police.

Cougars are powerful, dangerous animals. Though attacks on humans are rare, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has made a list of things you can do if you are ever approached by a cougar. If you have small children, pick them up and face the cougar. Do not run, but back away slowly, talking to the cougar firmly, while leaving it an escape route if you can. Face the cougar and do not turn your back! Do not take your eyes off the cougar, and do not crouch down or try to hide. If you are with others, stand shoulder to shoulder and try to make yourselves look as large as possible. If the cougar refuses to leave, be more aggressive. Wave your arms, yell and throw anything you have at it, but do not back down. If the cougar attacks, fight! People have been able to fight off cougars by using sticks, stones and even their bare hands!

We, too, have an adversary that wants to destroy us spiritually. “Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). How does he try to devour us? When we hear of the love of God and salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus, we may not understand it at first, so the devil tries to harden our heart. He will tell us lies, such as other things are more important and that our soul’s destiny really doesn’t matter. He will tell us that we’re not really all that bad, certainly not as bad as others. He will cloud our judgment, so that we don’t realize our desperate need of a Savior, our absolute need to have our sins forgiven.

Satan, as a roaring lion ready to kill, wants to blind your mind to the glorious gospel of Christ. “In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan will only offer you spiritual death and eternity in hell. God offers you cleansing and forgiveness of your sins through the death of His Son Jesus on the cross for your sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

HEART ATTACK AT THE AIRPORT

On an early Friday morning, June 7, a crowd of people were at Charlotte Douglass International Airport waiting at their gate for a flight to Knoxville, Tennessee, to take off. While waiting, a very observant registered nurse, Claire Cerbie, noticed that a man near her was having a heart attack. Acting quickly, she got other good Samaritans nearby to help as she performed CPR. Another person grabbed a defibrillator.

The man whose life she saved was 57-year-old Ken Jeffries from Jacksonville, Florida. They later connected on a Zoom call with WBTV. Claire gave further details on what had happened. “Just the way that you were snoring and breathing sounded like you were having a heart attack based on what I’ve seen before,” she said. It took her and the others about 10 minutes of working on him before he had a pulse and was breathing on his own. She further explained, “We put the pads on him,” she said. “It indicated a shockable rhythm, and it shocked him in between while we were doing compressions.”

Cerbie and others that had helped stayed with Jeffries until medical help arrived. He was rushed to the hospital where immediate surgery was performed by Dr. William Downey, a cardiologist. Dr. Downey stated that Jeffries would surely have died had not Cerbie and others cared enough to help him. Jeffries later said that he didn’t notice any signs or symptoms associated with having a heart attack.

A visibly emotional Jeffries thanked Cerbie for what she had done that day for him. “A thank you is not enough, Claire. Thank you for what you did. I’m so appreciative and indebted to you.”

Those who have been made spiritually alive by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ can say, “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Revelation 1:5). We will thank and praise Him for all eternity for all He has done for us, for so great salvation! “Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19). Will you be one of those who give thanks, praise and glory to God in heaven forever? As wonderful as having our lives spared is, to be saved for eternity is incomparably greater!

Carl was near death and under attack in Vietnam. Learn a lesson from him in Helpless!

The Staggering Cost to Feed the World

Hunger is on the rise in the world. Hunger is defined as, “An uncomfortable or painful physical sensation caused by insufficient consumption of dietary energy.”

By this definition, experts estimate that nearly 800 million people in the world are experiencing hunger at any given time. Approximately half that number are experiencing hunger so severe that they are approaching starvation. That is more than the population of the U.S. Most of the starvation in the world is caused by war between nations.

For every person in the world to eat as well as the average North American, it would cost approximately $168,000,000,000 per day, according to one expert. That is a staggering sum of money. But this sum is a mere pittance when compared to the cost for every individual in the world to have their spiritual hunger satisfied. Spiritual hunger has the potential to be even more painful and disastrous than physical hunger.

Satisfying Spiritual Hunger

In truth, all the gold and silver in the world would not be able to cover this cost. It cost far more than all the wealth ever produced from the beginning of the world. It cost the life of the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, on the cross. His precious blood was the cost for God to redeem the world from sin and death. So that people could have fellowship with the Father and the Son, and thus have truth and meaning restored, the Lord Jesus died for sinners.

Once a sinner places their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are entitled to feed on Him — to find in the Lord Jesus the one food that can satisfy their spiritual hunger. This is good news for those who haven’t been able to satisfy their spiritual hunger apart from Christ. They don’t have to remain painfully hungry.

To a hungry, starving world Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:47-51).

Jesus is the bread of life because He is more than just a mere man. He is God and man in the same divine person. He gave His life so that all may live through Him. As a man, He could suffer death. His death has the incalculable value to cancel out sin. Because He gave Himself for the life of the world, sinners who deserve death and condemnation may look to Him in faith and find forgiveness and life.

Every spiritually starving sinner in the world may come to the Lord Jesus and find food for their spiritual hunger. He is the food source that will never run out. “Labor not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you” (John 6:27). He will never fail to satisfy the hunger of any who look to Him in faith.

Sin creates a gnawing, painful emptiness in the hearts of men and women. God alone, through the Lord Jesus, can fill the emptiness in their hearts. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). If you believe in Him, you will receive eternal life. With that new life, when you follow His teaching and seek to honor Him in all your ways, you will find Him to be wonderful food for your life. In truth, there is such a superabundance of grace in Him that everyone in the world could find food for their spiritual lives if they would only believe.

It would cost a staggering sum of money to feed every person in the world for a day. However, to make it possible for hungry, starving people to find food which would last to life eternal, it cost the life of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He gave His life because He loved us and didn’t want us to perish. That God was willing to pay such a supreme cost should astound us. Will you come to Jesus so that you will never hunger and thirst again?

Stretch Out Your Hand

Stretch out your hand, your empty hand;
No gift of yours will God commend;
The empty hand that shows your need,
Of this alone will He take heed.

Stretch out your hand; on Christ believe;
Stretch out your hand; the power receive;
He offers grace so full for you;
Stretch out your hand: He speaks to you.

Stretch out your hand, your helpless hand;
Upheld by God, your soul will stand;
Fight not in your own strength the foe,
But trusting Jesus onward go.

Thou Shalt Be Saved

Behold how plain the truth is made:
Since Christ the ransom price has paid,
And all our sins on Him were laid,
We must in Him be saved.

The death of Christ upon the cross
Was for the judgment due to us;
He died that He might ransom us
To live by faith in Him.

By raising Jesus from the dead,
Our blessed God has surely said
That He accepts the blood He shed
As cleansing us from sin.

The Ultimate Caregiver

If you have ever had a severe injury or illness, you have probably appreciated the caregivers who helped you through the difficult time. Caregivers do exactly what their name implies. They give care. Since we are all more or less children of weakness, we all need caregivers. Who is the ultimate caregiver?

Is a nurse who gently brings medical treatment to you with skill and compassion the greatest caregiver?

Maybe a doctor, who has obtained knowledge through many years of study, is the ultimate caregiver?

How about mothers who pour all their hearts into the care of their young ones?

How about fathers who work their fingers to the bone so their families have what they need?

Perhaps angels that are mightier and more intelligent than the brightest men are our greatest caregivers? God knows we need care so much that He has set an angel to watch over His own. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14). They may care for us in many ways of which we are totally unaware. Angels are mighty, but there is one far mightier than they, and He cares for you very much.

GOD’S CARE

Have you ever considered that God is the ultimate caregiver? First Peter 5:7 reads, “Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” Aren’t those some of the most beautiful words you have ever heard?

He cares for you. When you were born, He was there. “By Thee have I been holden up from the womb: Thou art He that took me out of my mother’s bowels: My praise shall be continually of Thee” (Psalm 71:6).

As you have grown up, He has cared for you. He has watched over you every moment of your life.

Also, consider that He is the One who has brought every human caregiver into your life. Each caregiver was a gift expressly from Himself to you. The mother’s caress is an expression of His love. Your parent’s toil is God working through secondary causes to provide for you. The knowledge a doctor possesses was imparted by His wisdom. God has given all these caregivers the ability to care for you, and He has placed them in your life.

If they are a human caregiver, you can be sure they have faults and failures. Sin and selfishness have left a dent in the entire human race. They often fumble when it comes to the tasks God has appointed to them.

Human caregivers fail, but God never fails. God is the ultimate caregiver.

He knows that you are a spiritual as well as a physical being. He knows that you are a person that has gone far from Him into paths of selfishness and sin. “All we like sheep have gone astray” (Isaiah 53:6). Without His intervention, the damage sin has done in our lives will never be undone.

This one life is not all there is. After it is over, eternity begins. Those who die in their sins will spend eternity in hell, where there will be endless weeping and gnashing of teeth.

God knew our lost condition. He doesn’t want a single soul to perish in hell. He cared for us so much that He opened His heart and gave His only begotten Son.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

He loved us even when we were sinners. “God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

If God was willing to give His Son for our sakes, do you think He will withhold some other good when it is in our best interest to have it? “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

When He created us, He didn’t ask our permission to do so. He just did it. But unless we come to Him and bow our hearts and receive His forgiveness, we will never be saved. It is a decision each individual must make for themselves. Some may encourage us, while others may try to discourage us. But it doesn’t change the truth — no one else can receive Christ for us.

Will you come by faith to the One who cares for you so much He was willing to give His life to put away your sins? Jesus is His name. Has anyone ever cared for you as much as He has?

Echoes of Grace: 2025

Table of Contents

500 Feet Down

Airborne Into Oncoming Traffic

Can You See?

Coming Home Tonight

A Costly Decision

Custer's Last Stand

Deaths of Despair

Decisions Have Consequences

Deep Sea Adventure

A Diet Ever Ancient Yet Ever New

A Diving Disaster

Drake's Passage

The Gift of Life

The Great London Fog

The Greatest Knight in the Age of Chivalry

He Died for You

Heart Monitor

Helpless!

I Thought We Were Enemies?

Joseph of Arimathea

A Judge's Call

Just Answer "Yes" or "No"

Leaping on the Back of a Polar Bear

Living in a Land of Make-Believe

Lost in the Woods

Millionaire Spends Fortune to Stay Forever Young

Miserable in the Middle of Plenty?

My Next Adventure Is Dying

My Savior

A Nearly Impossible Catch

The Necklace Knife

Polar Bears Don't Bluff

Proclamation by Exclamation

Recipe for a Happy Life

Regrets

Sacagwea and the Muddy Missouri

Saving Lives

The Staggering Cost to Feed the World

Stretch Out Your Hand

Thou Shalt Be Saved

The Ultimate Caregiver