An article in Our Daily Bread reports how, “In 1914 Ernest Shackleton led an expedition to sail to Antarctica, and then walk to the South Pole. The expedition went according to plan until ice trapped the ship and eventually crushed its hull. The men made their way by lifeboat to a small island. Promising to come back for them, Shackleton and a small rescue party set out across 800 miles of perilous seas to South Georgia Island.

“With only a sextant to guide them, they made it to the island. Shackleton then led his party over steep mountainous terrain to the whaling port on the other side. Once there, he acquired a ship to rescue his crew. Their leader had kept his word and returned for them. Not one man was left behind.”²

When Jesus completed his redemptive work here on earth, he promised that he would return again to take all his true followers and believers to be with him forever in heaven. “I will come again,” he promised. And on his word we can totally depend.

Furthermore, immediately following his ascension to heaven, two angels appeared to Christ’s eleven disciples and asked, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”³

If you are a true follower of Jesus of this one thing you can be certain, Jesus will come back for you. If you are not absolutely sure that you will be taken to heaven with Jesus when he returns, be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian,” online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for Jesus’ promise, and that of the angels, that Jesus is coming back to earth to take all his true followers to be with him and you in Heaven for all eternity. For this I will be eternally grateful. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 14:3 (NIV).

2. Dennis Fisher in Our Daily Bread November 8, 2005.

3. Acts 1:11 (NIV).

A year or two ago Joy and I had the opportunity to visit Israel. To walk where Jesus and his disciples walked in Jerusalem, by the Temple wall, on the Mount of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the “Place of the Skull” where Jesus was crucified; the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus, plus sailing across the Sea of Galilee made God’s Word, the Bible, come alive.

What is even more amazing is not only Israel’s return to the Promised Land and its restoration as a nation on May 14, 1948, but it’s survival against overwhelming odds. Ever since this time, including the six-day war in 1967, the surrounding Arab nations have been hell-bent on destroying the nation of Israel. Her survival is proof positive that God’s hand is on this tiny nation and that he will keep all the promises he made regarding her.

Prior to the time of Moses, God made the following covenant with Abraham, the father of the Israelites, saying: “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.”² God was referring to the land that was to become Israel.

Later, God said through Moses, some 3,600 years ago, that Israel would disobey him and be driven from their homeland and scattered among the nations.³

It took 900 years to happen, but it did! In 721 BC, northern Israel was taken captive by Assyria. In 586 BC, southern Israel was taken to Babylon. Seventy years later, a small remnant of 40,000 returned to rebuild Israel. But in AD 70, Jerusalem was again destroyed, this time by the Romans, and those who survived were scattered among the nations—where most Jews still live today.

A thousand years after Moses, God said through Ezekiel: “I will gather you (Israel) from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.”⁴ God also predicted that Israel would once again “blossom as the rose,”⁵ and that he would “gather the scattered Israelites from the ends of the earth.”⁶ Through Amos, God added, “I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and live in them.”⁷

Every one of these promises made by God has been fulfilled in minutest detail, so we can be equally as certain that Israel will always survive because this land was given by God to the Israelites forever.

In fact, when Jesus returns to set up his millennial reign on earth, he will rule the world from Jerusalem.⁸ Immediately prior to this breath-taking event, will be the seven-year Great Tribulation when the Antichrist will arise and seek to control the entire globe. Three-and-a-half years into the Great Tribulation he, the Antichrist, will enter the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem claiming to be God.⁹

But, you say, there is no longer a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and there can’t be because the Temple Mount is controlled by the Palestinians upon which they have built the Dome of the Rock. Not so fast, however, because when Joy and I were in Jerusalem, we visited the Temple Institute and learned firsthand that the Jewish leaders are right now making preparations for the re-building of their Temple. The plans are made, the priests are being trained to minister in it, the needed worship vessels are all being made and, knowing the Jews, you can be certain that somewhere “in the backwoods” they are cutting all of the needed stonework so the new Temple can be erected almost “overnight” when the time is ready. That could be a whole lot closer than all current-day political leaders in Washington and in the Arab nations—who are wanting to divide and/or conquer Israel—even consider.

When we see these things happening before our eyes, we can be assured that the setting of the stages for both the entrance of the Antichrist, and the return of the real Christ are accelerating. While only God knows the exact day of Chris’s return, the important thing is to be ready. For instance, if Jesus were to return today, would you be ready to go with him, to rule and reign with him, or would you be left behind—ultimately to face the Great White Judgment throne of God at the end time? To make sure that you are ready for Christ’s return please read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Genesis 17:8 (NIV). 2. Genesis 13:14-15 (NIV). 3. Leviticus 26:32-33. 4. Ezekiel 36:24 (NIV). 5. Isaiah 35:1. 6. Isaiah 11:12 (TLB). 7. Amos 9:14 (TLB/NLT). 8. Zephaniah 3:14-17. 9. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

In an Agape Press news report, Mark Creech shared how “Mike Yaconelli once wrote in the Wittenburg Door about his life in a small rural community where there were lots of cattle ranches, and once in a while a cow would wander off and get lost. He wrote, ‘Ask a rancher how a cow gets lost, and chances are he will reply, ‘Well, the cow starts nibbling on a tuft of green grass, and when it finishes, it looks ahead to the next tuft of green grass and starts nibbling on that one, and then it nibbles on a tuft of green grass right next to the hole in the fence. It then sees another tuft of green grass on the other side of the fence, so it nibbles on that one and then goes on to the next tuft. The next thing you know the cow has nibbled itself into being lost.’”²

Over the last two centuries liberal theologians and churches have whittled away at the Word of God until they have gotten to the point where they decide what is God’s Word and what isn’t. Among many church leaders and church members today abortion on demand is accepted and approved, homosexuality and the gay lifestyle are no longer questioned, and gay marriage is permitted—all of which God’s Word, the Bible, strongly opposes. And the reason God is opposed to any and all sinful behavior is because it hurts and ultimately destroys those whom he loves—us!

Mark Creech also shared how a fairly recent poll of members of a major Protestant church in the U.S. “found that only 43% of parishioners, 50% of elders, and 39% of clergy could agree that Jesus Christ was the only way of salvation.”³ At this point such adherents have nibbled themselves into being lost—eternally lost—because Jesus made it very clear that he and he alone was the only way to God. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”⁴

Furthermore, had there been any other way for men and women to come to God, why would Jesus, the Son of God, have needed to come to earth in human form, to be crucified and die on the cruel and excruciatingly painful Roman cross to save us from our sins?

Whenever we ignore God’s Word and go our own way, we do so to our peril. And in so doing, we can drag other people down with us into an eternal hell.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your Word, the Bible, in which you give clear instructions for this life as well as the next. Please deliver me from the sin and folly of adding to your Word or detracting from it. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV).

2. Mark H. Creech, “The Right Frame of Mind. How

Did Mainline Churches Get This Way?” August 25,

2003. Agape Press.

3. Ibid.

4. John 14:6 (NIV).

Tragically the church in the U.S.A. today is in sad decline. “Few have spoken as sharply concerning the failures within the Church as Wes Moore, Founder of Evidence America, who wrote: ‘We have no strategy to recruit and train new evangelists within our congregations. We don’t organize our people to effectively reach the lost. Over 90% of our people have absolutely no intention of sharing their faith. Our leaders are often too apathetic to make any worthwhile changes. All the while, the numbers stare us in the face: 85% of our churches are declining. When you measure church growth against population growth, only about 4% of churches in America are actually growing (that means 96% of churches are actually declining)… And, according to the Barna Group, of the more than 350,000 Protestant churches in America, over 60,000 don’t have a single convert each year.’”²

I can’t help but wonder, too, is another reason why the church in the U.S. is in decline because we have substituted entertainment for prayer supposedly to attract the younger generation? I think that Pastor Jim Cymbala, pastor of the once struggling Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City (now with 10,000 members), might agree. In a Sunday morning church sermon he was stressing the critical importance of prayer if their church was going to be blessed by God, and shared the following:

A minister from Australia (or perhaps New Zealand) happened to be present that morning—a rare occurrence. I introduced him and invited him to say a few words. He walked to the front and made just one comment:

“I heard what your pastor said. Here’s something to think about: You can tell how popular a church is by who comes on Sunday morning. You can tell how popular the pastor or evangelist is by who comes on Sunday night. But you can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting.”

And with that, he walked off the platform. That was all. I never saw him again.³

From my observation the weekly church prayer meeting, by and large, is a thing of the past. No wonder we are in decline.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a vital part of a praying church that believes—in obedience to Christ’s commission—that the supreme task of the church is the evangelization of the world. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 16:20; Matthew 28:19-20.

2. Source: http://evangelicalviewpoint2006.blogspot.com/ May 1, 2012.

3. Cymbala, Jim; Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, Zondervan, p. 28.

Walter Wangerin in his book, The Manger Is Empty, “has a wonderful story, called ‘Matthew, Seven, Eight, and Nine’ about how he tried to stop his son Matthew from stealing comic books. He tried various uses of the law over several years and continued to fail. Finally, he resorted to something he rarely used: a spanking. He did it deliberately, almost ritualistically, and he was so upset when he finished that he left the room and wept. After pulling himself back together, he went in to Matthew and hugged him.

“A number of years later, Matthew and his mother were doing some general reminiscing, and Matthew happened to bring up the time when he kept stealing comic books. ‘And you know why I finally stopped?’ he asked. ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘because Dad finally spanked you.’ ‘No!’ replied Matthew, ‘No, because Dad cried.’”²

When Jesus’ friend, Lazarus, died, the Bible records that Jesus wept.³ And, today, when you and I suffer, and when people reject him, Jesus still cares and grieves deeply just as he did over the death of Lazarus, and as he did over the people in Jerusalem in his day when they rejected his offer of eternal salvation.

Frank E. Graeff, the hymn writer, asked, “Does Jesus care when my heart is pained / Too deeply for mirth and song / As the burdens press and the cares distress / And the way grows weary and long? O yes, he cares; I know He cares / His heart is touched with my grief / When the days are weary, the long nights dreary / I know my Savior cares.”

Yes, dear reader, Jesus cares about you and longs that you will come to him with all you heartaches, and especially that you will come to him for the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. If you have not received God’s forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, for help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious,” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you know and understand me more than anyone else ever could, and that you care deeply for me. Please help me to grasp the fullness of your love and concern and learn to trust in you implicitly no matter what. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Luke 19:41-42 (NIV).

2. Walter Wangerin, Jr., The Manger Is Empty, pp. 116-132. Cited on http://girardianlectionary.net/year_b/lent5b.htm

3. John 11:35.

In the last quarter century or more we’ve spent millions of dollars on church growth but there has been little increase in the number of Americans being born again. Much of what we have seen is church movement—people moving from one church to another. Furthermore, according to surveys conducted by research specialist, George Barna, here in America there is little or no measurable difference in lifestyle between average Christians and non-church people. As Vance Havner put it, “Our doctrine is sound—sound asleep.”

In the 1800s many of the great spiritual movements were coming out of Great Britain. At the beginning of the nineteenth century fifty percent of the British people were in church. I have read that, by the end of the Twentieth Century, it will be less than five percent. People left the organized church by the multiplied thousands. According to Gavin Reed (a British minister) in his book, The Gagging of God, over time in England the needs of the people changed, but the average church program remained the same and became irrelevant. Church people ended up talking mostly to themselves and except for scattered pockets of revival, the church in Great Britain lost its impact of bygone years. The same is true throughout Europe, once the cradle of Christianity.

Are we doing any better in the U.S. and other Western nations at communicating effectively to those outside the church? Aren’t most of our efforts in the print media, Christian radio, music, TV ministries, and now in Christian web and email ministry talking primarily to ourselves and “preaching to the choir?”

What will happen to over-the-seas evangelism if across-the-street evangelism dies?

And what will happen to this nation of U.S.A., built on a spiritual foundation with justice and liberty for all, if the church here becomes irrelevant to the needs of today’s generation and loses its impact. The consequences for our children and our children’s children are unthinkable. And the sad fact is that the church in the U.S. is already in decline.

Perhaps the answer begins in God’s word to King Solomon: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please send a revival and a spiritual awakening to churches and Christians everywhere and let your work begin in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 4:35 (NLT).

2. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV).

“While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them.

“Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, ‘It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!’ They replied, ‘We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other that he may come today.’”²

Jesus Christ’s first coming to earth is an indisputable fact of history. His death, burial, and resurrection are also facts of history, as all were verified by many reliable witnesses. At his ascension back into heaven two angels appeared to Jesus’ disciples and followers saying, “Men of Galilee … why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”³

Jesus also had promised that he would come again. In speaking about heaven he said, “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”⁴

And God’s Word also assures us that Jesus is coming back again to take all his true followers to be with him forever in heaven.⁵

Jesus is coming again. What if it were today? Would you be ready? If not you can be. For help be sure to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the wonderful promise that Jesus is coming back again to take all his true followers to be with you in heaven forever. Help me to be sure that I am always prepared and ready for his coming. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 24:44 (NIV).

2. Author unknown. Cited on eSermons.com.

3. Acts 1:11 (NIV).

4. John 14:2-3 (NIV).

5. See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

Yesterday we shared experiences that Dr. Maurice Rawlings had when working with near-death patients. “Dr. Rawlings was a specialist in cardiovascular diseases at the Diagnostic Center and area hospitals of Chattanooga. He served in both the Army and the Navy and became chief of cardiology at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. He was the personal physician at the Pentagon for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which included Generals Marshall, Bradley, Patton, and Dwight Eisenhower. In civilian life Dr. Rawlings was appointed to the National Teaching Faculty of the American Heart Association, specializing in teaching methods for the retrieval of patients from sudden death.”²

A study of near-death cases by Dr. Rawlings was also reported in Omni magazine. “It is no longer unusual to hear about people who have almost died who speak of seeing a bright light, lush green meadows, rows of smiling relatives and experiencing a deep sense of peace. However, Dr. Rawlings obtained additional information from his patients by interviewing them immediately following resuscitation while they were very much in touch with their experience.

“Dr. Rawlings says that nearly fifty percent of the 300 people that he has interviewed have reported lakes of fire, devil-like figures and other sights reflecting the darkness of hell. Rawlings says that these people later change their story because they don’t want to admit where they’ve been, not even to their families. ‘Just listening to these patients has changed my whole life,’ claims Dr. Rawlings. ‘There is a life after death, and if I don’t know where I’m going, it’s not safe to die.’“³

Of one thing we can be certain and that is that death happens to us all as nobody gets out of this place alive. Life can be dreadfully uncertain. A friend’s husband was on his motorbike when a dog ran out at him. Trying to dodge the dog he fell from his bike and was killed. Last month another friend’s 49-year-old wife died of cancer. Last week a long-term friend of my wife’s died suddenly of a heart attack. Not so long ago my oldest sister died. I wrote today to another friend whose husband died suddenly in his sleep. He was in his early to mid-40s.

How foolish it is to make all sorts of preparation for this life but none for the next. Time and again God has warned us in his Word, the Bible, that there is a heaven for all who have accepted God’s forgiveness and a hell for all who haven’t. As Jesus said, “This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”⁴

As God warned ancient Israel, his Word also applies to us today: “Prepare to meet your God.”⁵ God’s Word also reminds us that, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”⁶ Also, God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”⁷

It’s not God’s will that anyone should go to hell. He has given his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins so we can be freely forgiven and delivered from hell. So whatever you do, don’t neglect God’s warning regarding the terrible doom of hell for all who have never accepted Jesus as their Savior, and God’s forgiveness and gift of eternal life.

Accepting Jesus as your Savior and God’s forgiveness is God’s “passport into heaven.” Whatever you do don’t leave earth without it. And don’t leave it until it’s too late to “apply for it.” You can receive it today by praying a simple prayer such as the following.

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs and sins that I have committed. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me and 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 want to be what you want me to be and the want 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. Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please Click on: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php to let us know you have done this and to receive your e-copy of “How to Grow” and the URL for the “Ten Steps to Christian Growth” … all without charge.

For further help be sure to read the article, “Passport for Heaven,” online at: https://learning.actsweb.org/passport.php.

1. Revelation 20:15 (NIV).

2. Eugene P. Harder, “Positive Praying for People in Danger Pastor,” Sermon, April 20, 1996. New Hope Community Church.

3. Aaron Burgess. “Winning the Lost,” Sermon, SermonCentral.com, http://tinyurl.com/7n4xn.

4. Matthew 13:49-50 (NIV).

5. Amos 4:12 (NIV).

6. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

7. 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV).

Hell. Not a popular topic by any stretch of the imagination. And these days it isn’t a popular or politically correct topic to preach, write or talk about as if it were a reality. For many, hell is a place they hope doesn’t exist and, if it does, they don’t expect to go there. For others, hell is a figment of the imagination from outdated folklore, or a place to curse people to whom you don’t like. Many believe that death ends all.

Think of natural disasters such as Hurricane Sandy that caused devastation over hundreds of miles in the eastern states of the U.S, or Hurricane Katrina that caused the city of New Orleans to be hopelessly flooded so that thousands were stranded and many lost their lives. How unthinkable it would have been had the “powers that be” known about these impending disasters and not warned the people to evacuate areas that were in danger zones. And how tragic it was for those who could have left but failed to heed the repeated warnings? How much greater the tragedy not to let people know about the warning that God’s Word has clearly given for all to flee from the wrath of hell to come. In fact, Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven. C.S. Lewis wrote, “There is no doctrine which I would more willingly remove from Christianity than Hell … but it has the full support of Scripture and specifically of Jesus’ very own words.”

The Bible describes hell as a place of utter darkness … also as a lake of fire that burns day and night forever. Whether this is literal or figurative I do not know. What we do know is that Jesus described hell as a place of eternal torment. It is a place that was prepared for the devil and his fallen angels/demons—a place to where those who have never received forgiveness for their sins will be banned forever. It’s not that God sends us to hell, but that we send ourselves there when we don’t heed God’s warning and receive his forgiveness for all our sins and his gift of eternal life. Hell is a place where we choose to be when we choose to leave God out of our lives.

Eugene P. Harder shared how, “In his book titled, To Hell and Back, Cardiologist Maurice Rawlings recounts the startling near-death experience of a patient taking a cardio stress test on a treadmill.

“The patient became breathless and began to sweat profusely. The monitor showed a dangerous rapid heartbeat. This was followed by a long pause in the beat and then by a flat line. Charlie’s heart had stopped, his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell.

“One of the nurses breathed ‘the kiss of life into Charlie’s lungs.’ Another nurse started the IV but the heart would not beat properly. A temporary pacemaker was needed. Whenever Dr. Rawlings stopped pushing Charlie’s chest to adjust the pacemaker, his heart would stop. Charlie’s eyes would roll up and he would turn blue.

“This time when Charlie’s heart re-started he was screaming the words, ‘I’m in hell! I’m in hell!’ Hallucinations, Dr. Rawlings thought. Most victims scream, ‘Take your big hands off me, you’re breaking my ribs.’

“But Charlie was saying the opposite: ‘Don’t stop! Don’t stop. Every time you let go I’m back in hell!’

“When conscious, Charlie begged the Doctor to pray for him. Dr. Rawlings said, ‘I felt downright insulted. In fact, I told him to shut up. I said I was a doctor, not a minister and not a psychiatrist. The nurses looked at me as if to say, “Do something!”

“‘So I composed this make-believe prayer to keep Charlie off my back. “Jesus Christ is the Son of God, keep me out of hell. If I live, I’m on the hook. I’m yours.” Say it Charlie!’

“Charlie said the prayer and then a very strange thing happened that changed both the Doctor’s and Charlie’s lives. Dr. Rawlings said, ‘A religious conversion experience took place. I had never witnessed one before. Charlie was no longer the wild-eyed, screaming, combative lunatic who had been fighting me for his life. He was relaxed and calm and cooperative.’

“‘It frightened me. I was shaken by the events. Not only had that make-believe prayer saved Charlie McKaig, but it got me too. It was a conviction that to this day I cannot explain. Since then, Charlie has outlived three permanent pacemakers. It’s difficult to believe that my simple prayer opened the road to both Charlie’s and my own salvation.’”

To be continued ….

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to know for certain in my heart the facts about heaven and hell … and help me to make sure that I am prepared for the day that I meet you face to face and there give an account of my life.* Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 10:28 (NIV).

* NOTE: To be sure you are prepared for the day you meet God face to face, read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

In Australia, where I grew up, outdoor lawn bowls was a very popular sport. I never took an active interest in it even though my mother and some cousins were avid players. The idea is totally opposite to that of indoor bowls where the goal is to make a strike with your bowling ball so you knock down all the ten pins. Not so with lawn bowls. Simply put, the idea is to bowl so your ball gets as close as possible to the jack (the small white ball at the other end of the bowling green) without hitting it. There are other rules of course but basically, as I understand the game, the one whose ball ends up the closest to the jack, without hitting it, gains the highest score.

Sounds simple, but it’s a lot harder than it looks because the lawn bowl ball is more saucer shaped than the fully round indoor bowling ball, and has a weighted bias on one side. This bias causes the ball to pull to one side when bowled for which the bowler has to compensate.

In some ways this is similar to people in that we, too, have a bias that, if we don’t acknowledge and compensate for, will lead us astray. The bias is our sin nature that we inherited from birth. This is why we have a bent toward sinning. If you don’t believe this, take a look at all the evil in the world.

So how can we live so as to compensate for this bias? First, we need to admit that we have this sin bias (sin nature), and that we are guilty of sinning which, in turn, has separated us from a holy God.

Second, we need to confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness based on the fact that he gave his Son, Jesus, to die in our place on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins.

Third, we need to acknowledge God’s great solution for our sinfulness and accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

Fourth, we need to grow in our Christian life so that we become whole and mature spiritually, and be filled with God’s Spirit to enable us to overcome our sinful bias and live a life pleasing to God.

Therefore, if you have never confessed your sins and sinfulness to God and received Jesus as your Savior, I encourage you to read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious,” online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that even though I am a sinner you loved me so much you gave your Son, Jesus, to die in my place on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins. Please help me to grow to become whole and mature, and fill me with your Holy Spirit to enable me to live a wholesome life that will bring glory to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Romans 3:23 (NIV).