THE BRIDGE IS OUT!

 

THE BRIDGE IS OUT! Preacher Davis was driving home one night with his wife and two daughters in the car. It was raining and dark, and because of the intensity of the rain he could hardly see past his headlights. On the way he had to drive over a huge bridge. There were signs posted all along the road that said "DO NOT PICK UP HITCH-HIKERS." There was an institution for the criminally insane near the base of the bridge and sometimes people would escape from it and try to hitch a ride. On this particular night, as he turned his car onto the bridge, he had to drive very slowly because he could hardly see the road. Somewhere near the top of the bridge a man suddenly appeared in the headlights. He was soaked, standing in the middle of the road with his shirt off frantically waving it over his head and screaming. Preacher's wife began to say, "Oh please don't stop, try to drive around him!" But the man was unavoidable and there was nowhere for the car to go to miss him. So, Preacher Davis had to stop the car and as soon as he did, the man slapped his hand down on the hood of the car and was screaming at the top of his lungs. Preacher looked over at his wife and said to lock the door after him and not to unlock it until he returned. His family was now crying and pleading with him not to get out of the car. But he opened the door, and as soon as he stepped outside, he was immediately soaked from the rain. As Preacher approached the front of the car, he suddenly understood what the frantic man was screaming, "THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT! AND A CAR JUST WENT OVER, INTO THE FLOOD!" As these words registered in Preacher Davis’s mind, he looked back in the car at his wife and two daughters. Then he wrapped his arm around the man and wept in gratitude. Preacher stood there with the man for the next hour in the middle of the road, waving his jacket above his head screaming, "THE BRIDGE IS OUT! THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" We need to warn this lost and dying world that "THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" For people heading to a Christ-less eternity, they desperately need to know that "THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" Where are the men and the women who will stand in the middle of the road and forbid people to perish? HELL has opened its mouth wide and many are speeding into it! Where are those who will stand in the gap, on the streets, the highways and the byways to forbid multitudes from going to such a horrible place? Jesus left his disciples with one primary task: go into all the world and spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Tell them Jesus is the only bridge to eternal life and they need to get on it because the BRIDGE THEY'RE ON IS OUT. Author Uknown, Social Media source.

 

A SOUND HEART

 

A SOUND HEART May my heart be fully committed to keeping your statutes, so that I might not be ashamed. Psalm 119:80 This prayer holds within it the assurance that those who stay close to God’s Word will never regret it. Notice that the prayer is for a sound heart. A solid understanding of the Bible is good, and having sound judgment about it is even better. But having a heart that loves the truth and lives by it is best of all. We must love, feel, and obey the truth. Otherwise, we aren’t truly sound in God’s ways. How many people in these difficult days are truly sound? Many will be ashamed on the final day when all disputes are settled before God. They’ll see the foolishness of their own ideas and feel deep regret for their pride and rejection of the Lord. But those who believed what God taught and lived by what He commanded will be vindicated. Those who were slandered and insulted will see their shame turned into glory. Let’s pray this prayer, trusting that God will fulfill its promise. If the Lord makes us sound in heart, He will keep us safe. By Charles H. Spurgeon

 

THE FINAL END OF BABYLON

 

THE FINAL END OF BABYLON REVELATION 18.20 “Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her.” 18.21 A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all. -WEB Bible IMAGE DESCRIPTION: This remarkable image is from a 13th century manuscript. In the upper right, the Apostle John relates the vision that he sees. A mighty angel carries a millstone to the sea and cheerfully drops it into the depths with a flourish. The millstone is a symbol of Babylon, and how she is disposed of forever, never to rise again. The book of Revelation contains three long chapters detailing the sins of Babylon and the celebration that follows her destruction. Nothing else in Revelation gets such extensive coverage. Babylon is a human story: she is OUR story. She is a word-picture story of all human folly. Babylon is the end result of Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden. Eve took the fruit because the serpent convinced her that God was withholding good things from her. In the same way, Babylon took all she desired and whatever gave her pleasure. Babylon is the ultimate fulfillment and the end result of Eve's sin. The whole earth has been corrupted by insatiable greed and vanity; and the corruption grows steadily worse in these days. If we can understand how pervasive the world's value systems are and how they touch everything we do, it will help us understand why Jesus deliberately detached himself from material things when he walked this earth. Jesus didn’t own anything but the clothes he wore. Jesus was the opposite of the greed, vanity and perversion of Babylon. Jesus taught his disciples to live the same way he did. We cannot comprehend what a relief it will be to have the false value systems of Babylon removed from our lives and influence. I JOHN 2.15 Don’t love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father’s love isn’t in him. 2.16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s. 2.17 The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever. -WEB Bible IMAGE CREDIT: The Douce Apocalypse is one of several richly illustrated manuscripts of the Apocalypse made in England in the thirteenth century. (Wikimedia Commons)

 

THAT I MIGHT GAIN CHRIST

 

THAT I MIGHT GAIN CHRIST In order that I may gain Christ and be found in him... That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, I press on to make it my own; because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Philippians 3:8-12 Recently a friend told me a story about her father and his faith. At the time, her parents were staff members at a Christian Retreat camp where they ran the kitchen. Since this was a faith ministry, the camp staff often had to "pray in" the food required to feed hundreds of people. Michelle was only 7 years old at the time. One morning she wandered into the big dining room and saw her Dad sitting in a booth. He had his Bible with him, and she could see that he was praying so she sat quietly with him until he was finished. She knew he was praying about the food situation. Then Michelle asked her Dad, "Wouldn't it be great if a millionaire came to camp and gave us all their money?" But her father stopped her and said, "No, if we had everything we need we would miss out on the opportunity to witness how God answers prayer." Michelle said this was typical of her father's life: he loved how God answers prayer. I knew her father a little bit back then; he was a quiet, unassuming man. Who knew that such spiritual strength was there? This is one of the most beautiful testimonies of faith that I have heard. Jim didn’t wish for earthly comfort and pleasures; he just wanted to know God more fully and deeply.