Author / The Monahans

by The Monahans

Everyone Needs Jesus…Even You

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“Our idea of God tells us more about ourselves than about Him.” -Thomas Merton

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you believe (or don’t believe), you need Jesus. This is true whether you are wealthy, middle class, or poor. It is true regardless of the language you speak or the color of your skin. It is true whether you are male or female, young or old. It is true regardless of your religious background, whether you grew up Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, atheist, or any of the myriad other possibilities. It is true regardless of any lifestyle choices you have made and it is true whether you are willing to acknowledge it or not. You need Jesus.

You may be trying very hard to live a good life, donating money, helping others, serving your neighbor. Compared to others you might stand out as one who truly has compassion and genuine love for others. You may even be a social worker, medical professional, first responder, or a pastor or religious leader whose very vocation is to help and serve others. Even so, you still need Jesus. Because the truth is – we cannot be good enough. The Bible says: “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23) The prophet Isaiah wrote, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” (Isaiah 64:6)

We tend to compare ourselves to others, whether consciously or subconsciously. It helps us stave off the feelings of guilt we might otherwise experience; because deep, deep down inside our souls, we know we are sinners. God designed us with a built in sense of right and wrong, but we frequently ignore it, deny its existence, or we rationalize our actions because we want our own way. We “feel” something is right rather than rely on God’s Word to inform us; and in an effort to further justify our feelings, we recruit others to our point of view. There’s safety in numbers because if everyone’s doing it, we tell ourselves, then it must not be wrong.

We would never claim to be perfect in front of others, so we are being disingenuous when we deny our sinful nature, even if we are only denying it to ourselves. “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8) There must be a standard for right and wrong and there is, in God’s Word. When we’re honest with ourselves, we know it is not found in our self-comparison to others, or in how we “feel”, or by what we see others doing with seeming impunity. But then isn’t that why many of us do not read the Bible or go to church? Because when we do we may be confronted with the truth. Jesus said, “All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.” (John 3:20)

Yet the purpose of God’s laws is to protect us and to show us how sinful we are. When God says “don’t” he means “don’t hurt yourself.” As our loving Father, He sets boundaries and rules so that we may have life, abundance, and happiness. But like a small child testing his parents, we push the boundaries and do our own thing because it “feels” right. Convinced of our moral superiority and reliant on our self-knowledge, we rationalize our behavior until we are convinced God doesn’t exist or his Word is flawed. We start telling ourselves that all roads lead to heaven and we resent those who tell us there is only one way. In other words, our sinful desires drive us to buy into a lie rather than accept the truth.

“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24-25a)

Everyone needs Jesus because there is only one way. And that way is Jesus. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” And in 1 John 5:12, we read, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” The fact that Jesus is the only way is nothing anyone should be upset about, though, because it is an act of the purest love that God sacrificed his very own Son that we might be saved. “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him.” (John 3:16-18a)

Read the words of John 3:16-18a again very carefully. God loved you so much that he made provision for your redemption by sacrificing his one and only Son. How is it that love like this would make someone mad? And it is very inclusive, too, because God doesn’t exclude anyone – He desires that everyone should be saved.

So you need Jesus. And you can avail yourself of him right now and it couldn’t be easier. Just admit you are a sinner (remember you are being disingenuous if you say you aren’t) and ask Jesus for forgiveness. For “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” And remember, you are dearly loved, more than you will ever know.

God bless you.

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by The Monahans

A Den of Thieves

road-man-lights-legs    In Jesus’ day, it was customary for every devout Jewish male over the age of 12, to make the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover feast. Men traveled great distances to offer sacrifices at the temple. Because of the great distances many of the men traveled, it was inconvenient for them to bring their sacrificial animals with them. Further, the money in circulation at the time was the Roman coin, but temple worship required Jewish coinage. These logistical issues provided the occasion for opportunistic individuals to capitalize on the situation.

Tables were set up outside the temple where sacrificial animals could be purchased, often at exorbitant prices, while Roman coins could be exchanged for the proper Jewish currency for a nominal fee. With thousands upon thousands of Jewish people coming for worship each year, business was very good, and extremely profitable. And, as we all know, when large sums of money are involved, corruption is often the net result. It was no different with the “money changers”.

“For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)

The basis of true worship lies first in our recognition of who God is. We always start from the awareness that God is the Creator of all there is; He is holy, infinite, sovereign, powerful, with knowledge so vast and complete we cannot even begin to comprehend it. He is kind, compassionate, loving, slow to anger, forgiving. He is a father who guides us, teaches us, provides for us, and yes, at times, he cares enough to discipline us. God is big. Very big.

And we are small. And this is the next thing we remember in worship. This is not to say we are insignificant, quite the contrary. We are God’s special creation, made in his image, unique among all living things and each and every human life is of incomparable worth. But we have that worth because God ascribes it to us. We are valued because He first valued us. So our worship must recognize our special place as those ordained to steward God’s creation; unique among living things but, where God is perfect and holy, we are imperfect and fallible. Even rebellious.

“You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (Psalm 51:16-17)

When we approach God in recognition of who He is, and who we are, we sense our frailty and contrition starts to enter our hearts and souls. We begin to understand our need for forgiveness because, in the knowledge of His supreme excellence, we can comprehend our imperfect, fallen nature. And it is in this context that true worship can be experienced. We feel the desire to be in His presence and the fear of our judgment commences to fade away. We stand exposed before the one, true God, and we feel the comfort of His gentle and loving forgiveness. And we begin to mirror back to Him our love and devotion.

This is true worship. Jesus saw that temple worship had become nothing more than a physical routine and money making enterprise. So he drove the money changers out in no uncertain terms. He did this twice. Once at the beginning of his ministry (see John 2:13-18) and a second time near the end of his earthly ministry (see Matthew 21:12-17). Jesus said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13) You can imagine the stir this caused among the religious leaders of the day. But Jesus wanted to lead us into true worship.

True worship is first reflected back to God from deep in our hearts and souls as we come to understand our relationship to Him; then it becomes apparent in our actions as we begin to change how we live and how we treat others, and finally, songs of praise are offered as we strive to express our adoration and appreciation back to our Creator. A wise friend once taught me that worship isn’t something we get, but rather something we give. It took me a long time to truly understand what that meant, but it is becoming clear to me now.

Jesus drove out the money changers to turn hearts back to true worship. Today Jesus remains our path to direct communion with God.  Jesus said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) If you have not yet made the decision to follow Jesus, may you do so right here and right now. And if you are following Jesus, may you experience true worship in spirit and in truth.

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by The Monahans

A New Year’s Resolution

happy-new-year-2017  How many times have you made a steadfast New Year’s resolution, saying to yourself, this time it’s going to stick? Perhaps you even told your friends, made a pact with a family member, or in some other way determined to assure success. Were you trying to quit smoking, lose weight, stop drinking, or maybe shop less? Maybe you wanted to spend more time with your spouse, or avoid relationships altogether. Maybe you resolved to drive closer to the speed limit? How many times has your resolution failed mere days or even hours after you made it?

Often at this time of year we find ourselves focused on what we want to change about our lives. We look in the mirror and want to change what we see or we gaze at our bank account balance and focus on changing what we spend our money on. Some of us will devote real time and energy into a new diet plan or exercise routine while others may focus on improving our relationships. Still others may decide now is the time to find a new job or make that big geographical change we’ve been dreaming of. Without a doubt, New Year’s has become the time to look forward and plan for the changes we long to make.

But what if the tomorrow never comes? Mathematically speaking, the probably exists that at least some of us reading this right now may not live to see New Year’s 2018 and it is in light of that possibility that I wish to emphatically urge each of you reading this to consider the chance that you will not see tomorrow. Psalm 39:4 states: “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.”  The Bible tells us it is appointed for all to die once, and then face judgment (Hebrews 9:27) but that Jesus Christ was sacrificed to take away our sins (Hebrews 9:28) that we might have eternal life with God in heaven (John 3:16). Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant because “It is written, ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” (Romans 14:11)

Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. That is the reality facing each of us when we die – whether or not we choose to believe it now. The difference is this: those who believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him for their salvation will be saved. And then there is everyone else. As it is written: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12).

So with the finite nature of our earthly lives as a back drop, I want to implore each of you to consider the brevity of your mortal life on this planet, to recognize that physical death is not the end, and to challenge you with the task of accepting the free gift of salvation that is available through Jesus Christ, if you haven’t already. For the temptation, when it comes to our relationship with God, is to assume we have another day…or another hour. The fact is, we may not even have another minute. Please, please, reach out to God now, while there is still time.

And know that accepting Jesus Christ as your savior is a New Year’s resolution that will never fail!

Here are some resources that may help you:

NeedGod.com
Church Finder
Lee Strobel
Answers in Genesis

Take the time, do the research, learn for yourself the truth about God. But do it now, for tomorrow could be too late. Of course, we’re always happy to help answer your questions, too. Email us anytime at ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com

God bless.

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by The Monahans

Jesus is the Reason for the Season

christmas-tree2 Christmas is almost upon us once again, and many of us are busy making those last minute shopping trips to find just the right gift for that special friend or family member. And whether or not you live in an area with a snowy white Christmas, or a warm tropical setting, the stress of the holiday shopping and budgetary strain seems to affect us all. But amidst all this stress, let us take time to reflect on the real reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ.

It is very fortunate for us that Luke took the time to thoroughly research the facts surrounding the birth of Jesus when those facts were still contemporary and that he put those facts down in a written record that is still available to us today. But can we really trust the record Luke left? Well, the evidence supporting the historical accuracy of Luke’s narrative is myriad, but let’s look at one specific piece of evidence right now. First, we’ll start with an excerpt from the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 2:1-21 (NIV): In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.

This part of the Christmas story starts with a census being taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. Publius Sulpicius Quirinius is known to have governed Syria during 6-9 A.D. Josephus records that a census taken in 6 A.D. sparked a violent Jewish revolt, this is also mentioned by Luke in Act 5:37. Quirinius oversaw this census and played a major role in putting down the rebellion. But this cannot be the census Luke is referring to here in the Christmas story because it occurred much too late to fit Luke’s chronology. Luke was far too meticulous in his recounting of events to be accused of such a chronological error.

And, indeed, archaeology has upheld Luke’s accuracy. A fragment of a stone tablet discovered near Rome in 1764 contains an inscription in honor of a Roman official who was twice governor of Syria during the reign of Augustus. The name of this official is not found, but details listed among his accomplishments could fit no one other than Quirinius. Thus, we conclude that Quirinius served as governor twice. And other ancient records mention a “first” census being ordered by Augustus in 8 B.C. Evidently, this earlier census was not carried out in the Palestinian region until 2-4 years later, perhaps due to political difficulties between Rome and Herod. But Luke does state in verse 2 that the events he recounts occurred at the time of the “first” census taken while Quirinius was governor (obviously indicating there were more than one). So Luke’s accurate rendering of these historic events is validated by the evidence and can be considered completely trustworthy.

So based on this we can conclude that Luke’s telling of the Christmas story is reliable and I hope presenting this evidence helps you see that Christmas really is a celebration of true historical events. And, as such, should inspire us to pursue relationship with our Creator who loved us so much He sent His one and only Son to live among us, to die for us, and to be raised again that we might be reconciled to Him. Yes, Jesus truly is the reason for the season!

If you would like more information, we are happy to help. Please drop us an email at ReignDropsBlog@gmail.com. Have a Merry Christmas!

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by The Monahans

Happy Thanksgiving!

thanksgiving  Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. (Psalm 95:1-2)

It’s Thanksgiving time in America. That annual time when we gather as families and friends, feast on turkey and potatoes and pies of various kinds, and celebrate all that we are thankful for. In our country, most of us have more to be thankful for than we can even begin to list. The Bible tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1Thessalonians 5:18) so in honor of this splendid holiday I wanted to share with you some of the things I am grateful for. Since an exhaustive list is beyond the allowable space, I’m going with my top five (in no particular order!).

My wife. I have discovered that Donna isn’t just an extraordinary wife, she’s an extraordinary human being. Her kindness, elegance, grace, and consideration know no limits and she’s well-read, intelligent, thoughtful, engaging, and fun. We have so much in common that we easily find things to do together and spend as much time with one another as we can. On many occasions she has demonstrated her outstanding character and her loving demeanor, not just with me but with everyone she encounters. She is accepting of others, finds the best in people, and is always there when I need her. She isn’t just my wife, she’s my best friend.

My parents. My mother and father are both still alive and have been married for more than 65 years. I learned so much from my parents. I actually have good manners and can hold my own in virtually any social situation – thanks, Mom! She taught me all kinds of social graces and the kind of respect for others that most of us want our children to have. My dad loves my mom and loves our family and is the finest example of a man I will ever know. As a teen I freely admit I was a difficult child, and I really didn’t get much better until about age 30, but my mom and dad never gave up on me and were always there for me. My mom and dad are amazing people!

My job. Four and a half years ago I was feeling dejected and wondering if I had outlived my time. Then I got this job. It is the perfect job for me as I have the privilege of being a mentor to several younger coworkers and I have influence at all levels of the company. Rather than being at the end of my usefulness, I find myself working on what I think may be the signature accomplishments of my career. I work with very talented people that help me learn and grow and make each workday as enjoyable as a work day can be. Many of them are more than coworkers, they are friends.

My sobriety. There was a time where I was a rebellious, self-centered, obnoxious man who was rarely sober and not much good to anyone. I had an ego as big as the moon yet I was a coward to my very core. Without alcohol coursing through my veins, I couldn’t face the world and with alcohol I didn’t want to. That was my life at one time. It’s now been more than 26 years since I last took a drink. A quarter century. So many people have helped me along the way it would be impossible to name them all. And God truly has done for me what I could not do for myself. My sobriety isn’t just important….it’s everything!

This blog. When Donna and I started Reign Drops, it was certainly a simple beginning. I’m not sure more than a few people, mostly friends, ever read those first few posts. As much as we tried to promote our writing, growth in our audience seemed to come slowly. My how things change. According to the statistics on our host site, we have now been read in 98 countries around the world including: Brazil, Italy, India, Canada, Spain, Australia, Portugal, Malaysia, France, Germany, Jamaica, Hong Kong, Peru, Ireland, England, Algeria, Russia, Greece, Argentina, Philippines, Serbia, South Africa, and Pakistan. We prayed God would use our writing to help advance His kingdom, and it seems we now have a worldwide reach! Donna and I love to write and we’re able to use that love to serve God so I am very thankful to have this blog and for those who read it.

It is written in 1Chronicles 16:34, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Without a doubt, my list could go on and on. I am blessed beyond anything I could ever have a right to hope for and I praise God for all my blessings. How about you? Have you been working on a gratitude list this year? Is now the right time to tell God how thankful you are?

Donna and I would like to wish you and your family a blessed and happy Thanksgiving from the bottom of our hearts. And we thank you for reading Reign Drops Blog. We’re grateful for each and every one of you! God bless.

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