Category Archives: Salvation

May 10, 2015 · 10:30

Mom

Elena Enriquez Carrasco (1928 - 2001)

Elena Enriquez Carrasco
(1928 – 2001)

Her children arise up, and call her blessed (Proverbs 31:28)

She was not yet 22 years old when she gave birth to me just a little over 64 years ago. I was not the first. By this time she had given birth to two older brothers who died in infancy, so by default, I was the oldest.

Mom was not well educated having only completed the seventh grade, but she was intelligent and wise. Later in life, after all us kids were grown and gone, she earned her GED which enabled her to secure a position with the State of Texas as a social counselor. She always encouraged us in our education and praised us for every passing grade we earned – a “C” was a passing grade, although “Bs” and “As” earned extra attention, but never money. Mom liked to brag on our achievements no matter how mediocre. I was usually embarrassed by the attention, but deep inside, I liked it. Mom knew the importance of education and she always encouraged us in that endeavor. I still remember her waking us for school every morning to the clarion call of Isaiah 60:1 – “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee”! And she always had something warm for us for breakfast. Life circumstances prevented me from completing my college education at the age of 21 or 22, but when I earned my bachelors degree at the age of 50, she was there to celebrate the occasion; and she beamed with as much pride as any parent of a 20-year old that just graduated college.

Mom loved to sing! Her favorite part was “segunda” which included both alto and tenor depending on what note best fit her ear. We sang all the time. When we went on road trips, we sang every hymn we could think of, and when we were out of hymns, we would start in on choruses both in Spanish and in English. Then when we had exhausted our repertoire, we would begin again until we reached our destination. After I left home, the songs stopped for me. It was Mom that raised the song in me, I guess, and without her, there was no reason to sing. One hymn that to this day I cannot sing without thinking of Mom and without getting an enormous lump in my throat along with leaky eyes is “God Will Take Care of You.” She must have sung it to me in the cradle a million times. I know I heard her sing it to my two younger brothers and my baby sister. Although, she sang it in Spanish: “Dios Cuidara de Tí.” The words and the tune haunt me to this day – even in English – and I always think of her:

Be not dismayed whate’er betide
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
 
God will take care of you
Thru every day, o’re all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
 

Those words have never failed. I suppose she continues to sing them in heaven because I continue to experience them here on earth.

We were a “low-income” family growing up, but we were never “poor.” Dad earned meager wages as a pastor of small Spanish-speaking churches. During the week he worked behind a cotton stripper shoveling dusty cotton bolls to the back of cotton trailers. Mom worked part time at grocery store or as a waitress, but she was always there when we got home from school. She always made sure we had what we needed. Before our sister came along, Mom liked to dress us all alike, and at Christmastime, we all got the same toys. There was enough sibling rivalry without battles over toys.

Mom was a strict disciplinarian too. He had a six-inch wide hand-tooled leather belt with MEXICO embossed in two-inch letters on the back, and she used it on all of us at least once at one time or another. Anytime we misbehaved, she just needed to mention MEXICO, and we straightened right up. Mom was all of 4’11”, but she commanded a huge amount of respect. The last time my mother attempted to use MEXICO on me, I was 10 years old. By this time, I was about a head taller than her. I don’t remember what I did, but it incited her ire, and she came after me. I took off running, but before I got too far out of her reach, wisdom took a strong hold on me, and I realized that the outcome would be worse, if I persisted in my escape effort. I knew it would go better, if I just faced her. So, I stopped dead in my tracks and turned and faced her. As she raised MEXICO high for the crushing blow, I wrapped my arms around her and started kissing her neck and telling her how much I loved her. She melted into tears and told me that I was too big for her to have to spank me. She never did again. Her tears accomplished more than any spanking could.

Mom spent the last year of her life with June and me. She was in and out of hospitals all that year. It was a hard year for all of us. When she wasn’t in the hospital, we spent a lot of time talking. June was impressed at Mom’s ability to listen and quietly take in what we said. When she finally spoke, her words were few but laden with years of wisdom. One thing that she made clear to us that final year was that she was ready to be with Jesus, and that was her greatest desire. Just before Christmas of 2001, we had just come home from another stent in the hospital. Mom looked at June and said, “No more pills. No more hospitals.” Mom made it past Christmas day, but before the New Year, Jesus granted her greatest desire, and she went to be with Him. Before her departure, while still coherent, her concern was for us. I assured her that everything would be alright. I told her, “Don’t worry, Mom. When you meet Jesus, you are going to look back, and we will be right behind you.” I truly believe that. I don’t think there is a sense of time in heaven like there is here on earth. For me, Mom has been gone so long – almost 13 years. I miss her still, but for her it’s been no time at all.

Some reading this can probably relate similar stories. Our mothers are so precious to us, and often, we do not appreciate them until after they are gone. If you still have your mother, “arise and call her blessed” while she can still hear your voice. Let her know how much she means to you. If your mother is in heaven, as I know mine is, you need to make sure you are on the Only Way to be with her. Happy Mother’s Day.

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April 19, 2015 · 10:30

Too Rich for Heaven

camel-needle

And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.  (Luke 18:23)

Let’s face it. With the possible exception of the homeless, many of whom are in that condition by choice, poverty – the third-world kind of poverty where people live on one bowl of rice a day, have only one change of clothes, no shoes and live in cardboard houses – in the United States does not exist. I have visited in homes of the “poor” here in America and found giant-screen TVs in their living rooms with play stations for their kids. They might not have the best food – usually as a result poor choices – but they are a long way from starvation. They may be “low income,” but they are not poor in comparison to third-world nations. They own several changes of clothes and shoes, and many of their vehicles sport shiny custom “rims.”

Affluence often erects an insurmountable obstacle to the Gospel here in America. Many people here in the U.S. are self-sufficient enough that they do not perceive their need for God. They get along fine without Him, so why should they give up their lifestyle to follow Christ who asks them to change their way of living?

Our verse above is taken from an account recorded in the three synoptic Gospels: Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10:17-27, and Luke 18:18-27. Matthew points out that the man was young (Matthew 19:20, 22). Luke notes that he is a “ruler” (Luke 18:18), perhaps indicating that he significantly, or even solely supported the local synagogue. Such support would place him in a position of high leadership in the synagogue and in the local community. Jairus whose daughter Jesus raised from the dead is such an example (Matthew 9:23-26; Mark 5:35-43; Luke 8:49-56). Mark omits his youth and position, but focuses on his, perhaps, feigned homage in kneeling before Christ.

However, all three Gospel writers point out that the man was rich. In that culture, wealth indicated God’s favor, and was a source of false pride by those so blessed. Jesus often berated the religious leaders for overt exhibition of opulence in their giving of alms and offerings at the temple to be “seen of men” (Matthew 6:5; 23:5). No doubt this “rich young ruler” approached Jesus in a similar hypocritical, arrogant and prideful manner “saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18) Jesus saw right through him. By “good,” he meant “good like I am good.” “And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God” (v. 19). In Texanese, what Jesus said was, “Boy, you ain’t so good. Only God is good.” Jesus went on to ask him if he “knew” the commandments (v. 20). “And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up” (v. 21, emphasis mine). He lied. No one can keep all of the commandments perfectly! James says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

Jesus then gets to the heart of the matter. So, you really are good! “Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me” (v. 22). The hidden sins kept the rich young ruler away from that which he sought – eternal life: the sin of pride, the sin of hypocrisy, the sin of selfishness, the sin of covetousness.  “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions” (Matthew 19:22). He valued his stuff more than the riches of heaven.

In America, we suffer from the fatal disease of “affluenza.” “Fatal” because in many cases it resists the very source of eternal life. Affluenza blinds the victim from seeing “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Affluenza deafens the victim from hearing the Savior’s words, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

As Jesus watched the dejected young man walk away He said, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God” (Luke 18:24-25). Some suggest that a “needle’s eye” was a small opening in the bulwark of a city that would allow a camel to crawl through once the city gates were closed. I don’t think that is what Jesus meant here. If there were such openings in the in the city walls, a camel could enter even with difficulty, but so could attackers. No, I believe Jesus meant the eye of a “sewing” needle. That would indeed require a miracle for a camel to pass.

If your stuff matters more to you than following Jesus, then you are too rich for heaven.

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April 12, 2015 · 10:30

Thou Fool!

lightstock_80572_xsmall_ernie

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? (Luke 12:20)

That seems like a rather harsh assessment considering that Jesus Himself said, “but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). What would cause God to look upon an individual and make such an assessment? What qualifies as a fool in the eyes of God?

To begin with, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Psalm 14:1, 53:1). Actually the words “there is” have been inserted in the English for readability, but they are not found in the original Hebrew. Therefore, the strict literal translation would be: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘No God.’” This implies more than just denial. It is outright rejection. The Bible teaches that there are no true atheists, i.e., someone who truly believes there is no higher power, i.e. God; “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them” (Romans 1:19). Every person knows that God, or some “higher power” exists. So when the fool says, “No God,” he is not simply in denial, or ignorant; he is in rebellion. And when one considers against Whom he is rebelling, he really is a fool!

Fools display distinct characteristics. A fool prates; that is, he utters empty or foolish talk and talks excessively and pointlessly (Proverbs 10:8, 10). A fool utters slander (Proverbs 10:18). “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes” (Proverbs 12:15). “A fool’s wrath is presently known” (Proverbs 12:16). A fool readily displays his silliness (Proverbs 13:16). “A fool despiseth his father’s instruction” (Proverbs 15:5). A fool is hard-headed (Proverbs 17:10); he doesn’t learn (Proverbs 26:11). A fool is contentious and his mouth often gets him into trouble (Proverbs 18:6-7); he continually gets into arguments (Proverbs 20:3), and he is always happy and eager to speak his mind (Proverbs 29:11). A fool does not seek nor listen to advice (Proverbs 23:9). One can also recognize a fool by his self-centeredness or self-focus as seen in one of Jesus’ parables.

Our beginning verse concludes the parable Jesus told starting at verse 16. He recounted a story of a rich land owner who experienced a bumper crop one year, and rather than give thanks to God for the blessing, he took the credit for his success upon himself and planned on what to do with his profits. In the course of this short parable, the protagonist employs personal pronouns (I, me, my, mine) thirteen times in only three verses (vv. 17-19). Like any fool, he boasted of his own success. His plans for the future were “right in his own eyes,” and he had no qualms about taking all the credit for his gains.

God called him a fool. In all of his efforts he discounted God – the One who gave him the very basis for obtaining his wealth – his very life. Now, at the height of his self-perceived success, God comes to claim what belongs to Him – the fool’s life. And what about all of his stuff? “Then whose shall those things be?” What a fool! Jesus said, “So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Jesus admonishes, “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). The fool is self-focused rather than God-focused. The fool lives his life in either overt or covert rebellion against God. He behaves as though God does not exist, and presumptuously assumes credit for all of his achievements. How terrible it would be to hear God say, “Thou fool! Today your soul is required of you.” In the words of the Doxology: “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow,” and you may not hear those awful words, “thou fool !”

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March 29, 2015 · 10:30

Nephology

blue-sky-and-white-clouds-high-definition-green-sky

Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

“Nephology” is the study of clouds. As a young boy between six and ten, I was quite the nephologist.  I could spend what seemed to be hours observing cloud formations in the blue Texas skies. Cloud types were of no great concern. I didn’t care if the clouds were cirrus, cumulus, cumulonimbus, or whatever; I searched for recognizable figures within the clouds: birds, dogs, giants, cars, etc.

I still study the clouds, but for a very different reason. In our passage above, Jesus had just spent His final 40 days on earth. Now He made His final declaration: “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). And as He said these final words, “he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). What an incredible sight! It reminds me of watching my helium-filled balloon float away into the clouds as a boy. I stood there mouth gaping, staring after the vanishing orb until it became a dot and was finally swallowed up by the clouds. No matter how long I searched the skies, the balloon never reappeared. It was gone. Jesus’ disciples must have felt the same way. So consumed were they in their nephology that they failed to notice the newly arrived heavenly beings that now accompanied them. “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

I’m a nephologist not because I study clouds for weather patterns or even for the fanciful shapes my mind can conjure. I look to the clouds because Jesus ascended into the clouds and beyond, and the angels delivered His promise saying that He would return “in like manner.”

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, emphasis added)

After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither … (Revelation 4:1, emphasis added)

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8, emphasis added)

For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Titus 2:11-14, emphasis)

I practice nephology daily hoping that perhaps today, I will see Him coming in the clouds.

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March 22, 2015 · 10:30

Seeing to Believe

"My Lord and my God."

“My Lord and my God.”

And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10)

My blog is titled “Ernie’s Musings” because I write about things that cross my mind – when I can remember them. So it was this last week as I was in the shower in an effort to wake up and start the day. These days I think a lot about the Lord’s return with great anticipation as well as some dread for loved ones that are not prepared for the event. As I thought about that great event, I recalled the Scripture passage above and imagined the scene described in Revelation 19:11-16:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

God long ago selected Israel among all the other nations for a particular purpose:

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 7:6-8, emphasis mine)

God chose Israel for the purpose of bringing Messiah into the world and identifying Him with an undeniable lineage so that He wouldn’t be missed (see Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 3:23-38). God also promised the land of Israel to Abraham as an eternal possession (see Genesis 13:14-15). “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deuteronomy 7:9, emphasis mine).

The history of Israel, from the time of the Exodus to the Babylonian captivity and beyond has been one of rebellion against God. Even now the majority of Israelis practice Judaism more out of tradition than out of a sincere devotion to God. Indeed, Israel is primarily a secular nation. Salvation for Israel has never been a “done deal.” God’s salvation is for individuals, not nations. John the Baptist made this point when a group of Pharisees and Sadducees came to him to be baptized: “And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham” (Matthew 3:9).  Salvation is not a national right for Israel. Israel exists as a sign to the world and to give testimony of God’s faithfulness. “God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19) God, because of His mercy and faithfulness, will give Israel one final chance to repent, and when they see the Lord returning in the clouds, “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10), but each individually, not as a nation.

As I mused on this, I recalled John’s account of Thomas, the apostle, following the resurrection of Christ. Jesus was crucified during Passover and placed in a tomb where He laid for three nights and three days (John 19:38-42). Then early on the first day of the week (Sunday), He reclaimed His life and rose from the grave (John 20:1). There He was seen by Mary Magdalene who clung to Him when she saw Him. “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17). Apparently, His absence was brief. Mary Magdalene gave Jesus’ message to the disciples who were holed up in the upper room “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19). It was the same day in the evening (prior to 6 PM), when “came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (v. 19). Thomas was not in the group. When the others gave Thomas the news, “he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). The following Sunday, Jesus once again appeared to His disciples, and this time Thomas was with the group.

Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:27-29, emphasis mine)

I see a parallel here between this account of Jesus’ resurrection and His return at the last days. The day of Jesus’ resurrection is the presentation of the Gospel which the Apostles received upon seeing Him. Thomas was not there to witness the risen Christ, but the message was presented to him, and he rejected it. The period between the Sunday of Christ’s resurrection and the following Sunday can be compared to the “Church Age” where the Gospel – the good news – is proclaimed but the only evidence is the testimony of the messengers. Those who believe must do so by faith and the credibility of the message. The following week, Christ returns and this time Thomas sees Him in the flesh. This can be compared to the end of this age when the Lord returns to set up His millennial kingdom (Revelation 20). At that time many of the Jews who rejected Him by faith shall look upon Him “whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). And Jesus will say, “because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29, emphasis mine). Jesus will return very soon. Don’t wait to see Him in order to believe. It may be too late then.

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