Jesus - Our Savior

This past week one of the news stories which stood out to me
was the teacher who had students write the name of Jesus on a piece of paper,
then told them to put it on the floor and stomp on it. Our world has lost the
understanding of who Jesus is and what his purpose is. He is the Savior of all
mankind.

What or who do you trust to save you? I for one have never
understood the mentality of the folks who want to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel or some other way.
It just makes no sense to me to put your life at risk for no good reason.

After reading about a number of those people who have gone
over Niagara Falls
I noticed one thing they all had in common. None of them expected to die! All
of them had some idea of protecting themselves from the dangers of going over
that powerful water fall.

One of these dare devils was Robert
Overacted, a 39 year old man challenged the mighty Horseshoe
Falls on October 1st 1995. He planed this stunt for months, he
checked and rechecked all of he figures and plans. He planned on riding on a
single jet ski until he reached the brink of the Falls. There he would deploy a
rocket propelled parachute, which would help him land in the River below the
Falls to allow for a rescue.



Overacker launched himself into the Niagara
River upstream of the falls. At the brink of the falls, Overacker ignited
the rocket which deployed the parachute as planned. Unfortunately, as the
parachute deployed it did him no good at all, because Overacker, he had
forgotten to attach the parachute to his body.

To me that was a perfect, howbeit
sad, example of what will happen if we trust in men or man made things to save
us rather than Jesus. One of the most powerful testimonies about Jesus is found
in Matthew 1:21 where the angel says
of the coming birth of the Savior, "And she will have a son, and you are to name
him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

Many today live dangerous lives,
going through life with nothing to protect them or save them from what really
counts. Until they (and we) join ourselves to Jesus, we are just as near death
as Robert Overacker. You may think you have it all together and are safe, but
are you really?

This week our world celebrates
Easter, which traditionally is a remembrance of the Death, Burial and
Resurrection of Jesus. It's not about Easter Bunnies or colored eggs, it's
about remembering the one who can save us from our sins.

Russ Lawson

Leaving Sin Behind

Getting away from sin and temptation is probably one of the
most difficult things we have to do as Christians. Through the years people
have tried many ways. They have tried starting private communities where only
believers are allowed. Some have joined monasteries, in hopes of escaping sin,
but the results are always somewhat mixed, because Satan is not easily foiled.
He fights for our souls and far too often makes himself look attractive to us.

We often handle sin like the children in a story reported in
the news paper awhile back. It seems that a mother of eight in Darlington, Maryland
had been visiting next door. When she came home and went into the living room,
she saw her 5 youngest children huddled in the center of the floor, on her new
carpet, very much involved with something wiggly and squirmy. As she got closer
she saw, to her horror, that the children were gathered around a family of
skunks. She screamed, "Run, children, run!"  Hearing their mother's frantic scream, each
child grabbed a skunk and ran.

Sadly this story is often a reflection of our lives. We may
have some very troubling things in our lives, yet, try as we may, we can't seem
to run away from them, we just take them along with us.

I Peter 5:8-9a
tells us, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around
like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and
be strong in your faith."

This passage tells us, rather than running off and carrying
Satan or temptation with us we should stand firm against him! Another
translation says to "resist" him. Being able to succeed in staying
away from temptation is not accomplished by walling ourselves up in a
monastery, but is taking the fight to Satan that keep us free. Matthew 16:18 tells us that when we
fight with the knowledge of God in us, the gates of hell itself will not be
able to stand against us.

So, you have a choice, grab you skunk and run or stand up
and be counted as you join with your brothers and sisters in Christ in the army
of God to overcome Satan.

Increasing Security

We have had a problem at our church building for the past
few years, which seems to be getting worse instead of better. Folks are leaving
doors to different parts of the facility unlocked. It varies by days of the
week and times of the day. We speculate that folks just don't remember to lock
up after themselves when they leave, but it makes you wonder if there is
something more sinister going on. Could someone outside of our members have
gotten a key?

There is no denying that security has become a major concern
in our world today. Each of us tends to be a little more cautious with our
personal security. We make sure we lock our cars and our homes; we install
alarms (and try to remember to set them). We are told that in our community, crime
has risen by 14% in the past few months, (mainly breaking into homes).

I understand, from those who are suppose to know, that no
matter how hard you try and secure your stuff, there are always weaknesses in
your preparations. Someone who is an experienced thief will find those
weaknesses and exploit them to get you stuff if they really want it.

What are we to do? What can you do, when you've done
everything you can to secure your stuff or even your own safety and it's not
enough? Who do you trust in then?

As a Christian you know the answer already, you trust in
God.

I love the story about Thomas Edison when a fire completely
destroyed his research facility. His son found him watching the blaze destroy
everything he had created. Rather than dwelling upon the destruction he told
his son, "Go and get your mother, she'll never see another fire like this
as long as she lives." 

He of course picked up the pieces of his life and
laboratories and went on to invent even more wonderful things.

In Matthew 6:19-21
we read: "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust
destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in
heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and
steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be."
(NLT)

Maybe we need to stop and ask ourselves, "Just what is
it in this world in which I really trust?" In Matthew 28:20, after giving directions as to what he expects his
followers to do, he makes this promise: "And be sure of this: I am with
you always". (NLT) I will continue to trust in the Lord, the maker
of heaven and earth (Ephesians 3:15).