A Daily Encounter reader writes: “About your ‘I Hate Religion’ article …It seems pretty judgmental to me. Are you saying that the ONLY right way to worship the one true God is Christianity? If you are, I have a little quote for YOU, ‘Judge not lest ye be judged.’”

Hello, Judy (name changed), you ask if I am saying that the only way to God is Christianity. Actually, I’m quoting Jesus and God’s Word. Jesus said without apology, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And again, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”²

In actuality, had there been any other way to God, why would Jesus, the Son of God, have come to earth to die on the cross for our sins? Furthermore, I would much rather listen to what God has said than listen to what man-made religions say. Also, when we decide what is/are the way/s to God, we put ourselves above God and his Word. This is a very dangerous path to follow.

As Jesus also said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”³

Yes, it is true that Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.”⁴ At the same time God’s Word also says, “But he that is spiritual judges all things.”⁵ In other words, while we are not to be judgmental towards people, we are to be wise and judge what others do, say, and teach.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a love for your Word so that I will always know the truth of what you say, and so that I am not deceived by what others say—no matter how comfortable their words may be. Help me to always choose the way of your Truth, no matter how uncomfortable and unpopular that may be. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: See God’s way based on God’s Word, the Bible, for “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. John 14:6 (NIV).

2. Acts 4:12 (NKJV).

3. Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV).

4. Matthew 7:1 (KJV).

5. 1 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV).

“A Bible scholar and pastor tells about a piece of wood that he keeps on his desk. He took this piece of wood from a vineyard in the San Joaquin Valley. It is a section of vine out of which grows a branch.

“The owner of the vineyard told him that if two people were in a tug of war using this section of the vine, it would break. However it would never break where the vine and branch are joined together for that is the strongest point of the vine. A vine, according to this teacher, is different from a tree. If you pull on a branch that goes into a tree, it will break at the trunk of the tree—in a tree that is the weakest place. But in a grapevine that is the strongest point—where the branch is joined to the vine.”²

Perhaps this is one reason Jesus likened those who truly put their trust in him as a branch grafted or joined into the vine, the vine being him. That bond is unbreakable. As Jesus said, “And this is the will of him [God] who sent me [Jesus], that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”³ For further help see: “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that my bond to Jesus is unbreakable, not because of anything I have done (except to believe that Jesus died for my sins), but because of what Jesus has done for me in giving his life to save me from my sins. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 15:5 (NIV).

2. The Best of J. Vernon McGee, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1988).

3. John 6:39-40 (NIV).

“There’s an old story about a small boy who was walking along the street with his parents during the Second World War. They saw a house with a gold star hanging in the window. ‘What does that mean?’ asked the boy. His parents told him that it meant that that family had lost a son in the war, and that star symbolized their loss. Later on that evening, as the boy saw the first star come out in the summer sky, the boy excitedly exclaimed, ‘Look! God lost a son, too!’”²

Regardless of the time of year may we ever be mindful of the “so great a salvation” God provided for us through the giving of his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins and, through his resurrection, to give us the guarantee that we, too, will arise and be given the gift of eternal life—that is, life after this life—through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is God’s promise to all who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and therein have received God’s forgiveness for all their sins*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you not only gave your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in my place, but also that he rose again giving me the hope and guarantee of the resurrection for all who believe in you and have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

*To be sure you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and received God’s forgiveness see the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Romans 6:5 (NIV).

2. “The Grief of God,” A sermon by Donald B. Strobe, of East Lansing, Michigan

“Maybe you know the story of Sir John Bowring. A brilliant man who spoke five languages, Sir John was twice elected to Parliament. Knighted by the queen, he served at one time as governor of Hong Kong. It’s said he wrote thirty-six books on a variety of subjects. If you visit a library, though, you will only find one of Sir John’s writings. It’s all we have left. And you’re likely to find it in a hymnal.

“It’s a poem which he wrote after a boat trip, sailing along the coast of China. Passing Macao, a city devastated by an earthquake, he spied the ruins of a mission church. Protruding from those ruins was the cross which had stood atop the chapel. The impact of that cross caused him to write these memorable words:”²

In the cross of Christ I glory / Towering o’er the wrecks of time / All the light of sacred story / Gathers round its head sublime.

When the woes of life o’ertake me / Hopes deceive, and fears annoy / Never shall the cross forsake me / Lo! it glows with peace and joy.

Bane and blessing, pain and pleasure / By the cross are sanctified / Peace is there that knows no measure / Joys that through all time abide.³

Still today the cross of Jesus Christ towers over the wrecks of time—faded dreams, lost hopes, disappointments, violent acts of terrorism, wars, and the lack of peace. In the end, however, the cross of Christ will triumph over all. It is the only hope of mankind.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the Cross of Christ and all it means for lost mankind. Thank you that in the end it will triumph over all evil, sickness, sadness, and sorrow, and death. Most of all I thank you for the Christ of the cross who, on this day so long ago, gave his life in my place to pay the penalty for all my sins so that I could be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV).

2. From www.sermons.com.

3. Sir John Bowring, 1825.

“A new young teacher won over the boys, however, by letting them write the rules for the school—which were very strictly enforced with a rod. For example, cheating would be punished with five strokes of the rod, and stealing with ten strokes, both to be given with the offender’s coat off.

“Everything went well until one day Tom’s lunch was stolen. A frail little boy in hand-me-down clothes that were too big for him admitted his guilt. The school rules demanded that he be whipped. When the teacher called the little fellow up front, he came whimpering and begging to leave his coat on. The pupils insisted he obey the rules and take off his coat. When he did, a deathly silence settled over the room, for he had no shirt on and his emaciated body looked like skin stretched over bones. The teacher gasped and dropped the rod. He knew he could never whip that little boy.

“Suddenly, big Tom strode up and stood between the two. ‘I’ll take it for him, Teacher, for after all it was my lunch he stole.’ He shrugged out of his coat.

“At the third blow the switch broke, and the teacher threw it in the corner and said, ‘That’s all, school dismissed.’

“The frail little boy laid his hand on big Tom’s arm and through his tears said, ‘Thank you, Tom, it would have killed me.’”²

And that’s exactly what Jesus did for you and me when he died on the cross on Good Friday some 2000 years ago—he took your and my punishment for all our sins so we could be freely forgiven and given God’s gift of eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and, if so, have you accepted God’s full and free pardon? You can do that right now by praying the following prayer:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be, and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please let us know by going to: http://tinyurl.com/pgntm or for further help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. John 3:16 (NIV).

2. Cited on www.sermons.com

I can certainly identify with Dr. Paul Brand who said, “I used to think it strange that the Bible keeps talking about the cleansing power of the blood.² It seemed to me that blood was messy stuff. I needed to wash my white lab coats if they became stained with blood. Today, I love the analogy; it is so true of the body. The blood is constantly cleansing every cell, and washing away all the debris that accumulates all the time. I like Paul’s phrase in Hebrews.³ ‘How much more shall the blood of Christ purge [cleanse] your conscience from dead works?’”⁴

God’s Word also says, “The life of the flesh is in the blood.”⁵ When Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday so long ago, he gave his life and shed his blood so we could be cleansed from every sin and stain and made pure in God’s sight—so we would be able to live with him forever in Heaven.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, how can I ever thank you enough for dying on the cross and shedding your blood so I could be forgiven of every sin and stain and made pure in your sight and thereby qualified for Heaven. Because you gave your life and died for me, I give my life to live for you. So help me God to do this. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and received God’s forgiveness, please read: “How to Be Sure You’re a real Christian Without Having to Be Religious” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Hebrews 9:14, 22 (KJV).

2. 1 Peter 1:2.

3. Hebrews 9:14.

4. Dr. Paul Brand in God’s Forever Feast, Discovery House, 1998.

5. Leviticus 17:11 (KJV).