A newly adopted child found himself in a big mansion. His new father said, "This is yours, and you have a right to be here. I have made you a joint heir with my only begotten Son. My son paid the price that set you free from your old taskmaster, who was cruel and condemning. I purchased it for you because I love you." It seemed too good to be true, but the child was deeply grateful, and he soon began to form new relationships with the other adopted children.
He especially enjoyed the buffet table from which he freely ate. Then it happened! He accidentally knocked over a stack of glasses and a valuable pitcher crashed to the floor and broke. Some dark figure outside the mansion began to accuse him, and he thought, 'You clumsy, stupid kid! You will never get away with this. What right do you have to be here anyway? You'd better hide before your new master finds out, or he will surely throw you out.' At first he was caught up with the wonder of living in the new mansion with a new family and a loving father, but now he was confused. Old tapes created in early childhood began to play again in his mind. He was filled with self-condemning thoughts. 'You don't belong here. You belong in the basement.' So he descended into the basement.
The cellar was dreary, dark and depressing. The only light came from the open door at the top of the long stairway. He heard his father calling for him; but he was too ashamed to answer, and he was starting to question whether he had ever been adopted in the first place. Old friends would try to encourage him to come back upstairs, but he didn't think he would fit in. Besides, he was tired and didn't feel like being around people. He made a few half-hearted attempts to climb the stairs, [but never seemed to make it to the top]...
Then one day a shaft of light penetrated his mind and reason returned. 'Why not throw myself on the mercy of this one who calls himself my father?' So he mustered his strength and climbed the stairs to face his father. "Father." he said, "I knocked over some glasses and broke a pitcher." Without saying a word, his father took him by the hand and led him into the dining room. To the boy's utter amazement, his father had prepared a banquet for him! "Welcome home, Son," his father said. "There is no condemnation for those who are in my family."
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus and the matchless grace of God. If we could accept our heavenly Father's gracious love, we would never confine ourselves in the basement of depression or succumb to the grip of hopelessness. "In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will" (Eph. 1:5). "We who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged" (Heb. 6:18), because God has confirmed our inheritance by His unchangeable promise and the unchangeable oath that confirms His promise. Our hope in God is a solid anchor for our souls, and the answer to hopelessness and depression. Since God cannot lie, then the basis for our hope is found in His character and His Word, and not in our failures or in the circumstances of our lives.
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:19
I Gave My Life For Thee
I gave My life for thee, My precious blood I shed,
That thou might ransomed be, and raised up from the dead
I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?
I gave, I gave My life for thee, what hast thou given for Me?
My Father’s house of light, My glory circled throne
I left for earthly night, for wanderings sad and lone;
I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me?
I left, I left it all for thee, hast thou left aught for Me?
I suffered much for thee, more than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony, to rescue thee from hell.
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me?
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee, what hast thou borne for Me?
And I have brought to thee, down from My home above,
Salvation full and free, My pardon and My love;
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me?
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee, what hast thou brought to Me?
Daily Smile:
Q:Why don't blind people skydive?
A:It scares the heck out of the dog.
In The News:
Are You Willing to Be Despised for Your Beliefs?
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee asked students at Liberty University on Monday if they are willing to be scorned for taking a stand for what is morally right, saying that as Christians, they should be different than others in the world.
Huckabee charged the audience attending the weekly Liberty University Convocation to be bold Christians that take a stand for what is right and not just what is popular. "Sometimes we as believers have to say no. Are you willing to be hated, despised and take the type of stand that will not make you popular?" he asked the students.
Liberty University's convocation is North America's largest weekly gathering of Christian students that invites well-known Christian leaders as speakers, including Franklin Graham earlier in January, and will feature NFL quarterback Tim Tebow later this semester.
At Monday's convocation, Huckabee did not mince his words, telling the evangelical students, "If going to a Christian University does not make you uniquely different to the point that you develop such a deep sense of personal calling from what God has called you to do that you are not willing to take man's scorn in order to experience the glory and grace of God, you may be in the wrong place."
The former Republican presidential candidate and leading Christian conservative leader is no stranger to taking a stand on cultural war issues, including spearheading a grassroots Chick-fil-A appreciation day last year that sent hundreds of thousands of Christians to buy meals at the fast-food chain to support the owner's support of traditional marriage. Huckabee also expressed public support for Hobby Lobby in January as the crafts store fights the HHS mandate that requires employers to cover contraception, including abortifacient drugs.
"Godly people have failed to say no to the ungodly things," Huckabee said at Liberty University. "Culture is moving away from godly values that it is almost unrecognizable from what it once was. You must find God's purpose and do it no matter what the cost."
"What we have is a sin problem. And since we've ordered God out of our schools and communities; the military and public conversations... we really shouldn't act so surprised when all hell breaks loose."
Prior to his political career as Arkansas governor and then presidential candidate, Huckabee served as a pastor for 12 years and became one of the youngest-ever president of the Arkansas Southern Baptist Convention. He now hosts a number one-rated weekend television show on Fox News and has been named by Time Magazine in the past as one of America's best governors.
Huckabee last spoke at the Liberty University Convocation in 2009.
By Diana Bridgett
February 1, 2013
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee asked students at Liberty University on Monday if they are willing to be scorned for taking a stand for what is morally right, saying that as Christians, they should be different than others in the world.
Huckabee charged the audience attending the weekly Liberty University Convocation to be bold Christians that take a stand for what is right and not just what is popular. "Sometimes we as believers have to say no. Are you willing to be hated, despised and take the type of stand that will not make you popular?" he asked the students.
Liberty University's convocation is North America's largest weekly gathering of Christian students that invites well-known Christian leaders as speakers, including Franklin Graham earlier in January, and will feature NFL quarterback Tim Tebow later this semester.
At Monday's convocation, Huckabee did not mince his words, telling the evangelical students, "If going to a Christian University does not make you uniquely different to the point that you develop such a deep sense of personal calling from what God has called you to do that you are not willing to take man's scorn in order to experience the glory and grace of God, you may be in the wrong place."
The former Republican presidential candidate and leading Christian conservative leader is no stranger to taking a stand on cultural war issues, including spearheading a grassroots Chick-fil-A appreciation day last year that sent hundreds of thousands of Christians to buy meals at the fast-food chain to support the owner's support of traditional marriage. Huckabee also expressed public support for Hobby Lobby in January as the crafts store fights the HHS mandate that requires employers to cover contraception, including abortifacient drugs.
"Godly people have failed to say no to the ungodly things," Huckabee said at Liberty University. "Culture is moving away from godly values that it is almost unrecognizable from what it once was. You must find God's purpose and do it no matter what the cost."
"What we have is a sin problem. And since we've ordered God out of our schools and communities; the military and public conversations... we really shouldn't act so surprised when all hell breaks loose."
Prior to his political career as Arkansas governor and then presidential candidate, Huckabee served as a pastor for 12 years and became one of the youngest-ever president of the Arkansas Southern Baptist Convention. He now hosts a number one-rated weekend television show on Fox News and has been named by Time Magazine in the past as one of America's best governors.
Huckabee last spoke at the Liberty University Convocation in 2009.
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