Thankful, Day Fifty-Five

Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before His presence with singing.

Know that the Lord, He is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100, NKJV

We are living in a world where truth is relative and ever-changing, and the call of its modern-day prophets is one of tolerance, acceptance, and universalism. No one person or group could possibly have a corner or God or truth, therefore no one person or group can be totally right. All religion is the same; all holy books are the same; all believers are the same, no matter what you believe. And if you stand up and say, "I am right," you are decried and abused, shouted down and outcast. You cannot possibly know what you are talking about! Who do you think you are?

One group says the way to God is to do more good things than you do bad things, but there is nothing to objectively determine what is bad and what is good. You just do your best, trying to do better than you did the last time thorough this life, and maybe you'll get it better next time, until finally you achieve oneness with the cosmic consciousness and merge with the universe.

Another group says there is no God, but rather a state of perfect nothingness where all is peace and harmony with the universe. Just deny yourself, deny your emotions, deny your heart, deny your desires, until you achieve deep inner peace. And once you achieve that deep inner peace, POOF, you're gone.

Another group says nature is God, and the way to God's heart is environmentalism and communion with creation. Recognize your oneness with the trees and the mountains and the flowers and the rivers. Channel those energies and focus them on unity with all humanity. And just keep doing it over and over again forever.

Another group says you have to strictly follow more than 600 specific rules in hopes of pleasing God and attaining to eternal life.

Another group says you have to perform certain daily rituals and pray certain prayers, and if all else fails, blow somebody up, and then you will please God and have eternal life.

Another group says you have to go through expensive counseling to rid yourself of the alien parasites that are leeching onto your soul, and once you have achieved enough levels of purification, you will be perfected.

And on and on the list goes.

The Bible says, "Repent, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins."

The Bible says, "If you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and if you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you will be saved."

The Bible says, "All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved, and will in no way be put to shame."

The Bible says, "God love the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life."

Jesus Himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me."

That truth is dependable; that is truth that endures.

I am thankful for the ones who first brought the truth to my father, a wretched and sinful man who, because of the gospel truth, found forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ. It changed his life, and it changed the destiny of his family. Thank God for the gospel, for in it is the power of God that brings salvation to them who believe!

I am thankful for my dad who first presented that truth to me. He couldn't save me or make me serve Jesus, but refused to let me serve the devil. He told me of my own sin, and of my need for a savior. He told me about Jesus Christ who would save me from my sin and give me eternal life. And when the Spirit quickened that truth in my heart, I too gave my life to Jesus and he changed me forever!

I am thankful for the call to give this truth to others. I could feed the hungry, clothe the naked, house the homeless, comfort the afflicted, care for the needy, and love everybody. But if I don't give them message of Christ's salvation that is available and free, I have cheated them out of the one thing they so desperately need. Good works are good; but they should always accompany the gospel truth.

Thank you God, for the truth that changes lives and offers us eternity!