That You May Know

Dear Farrah C.,

Like your fathers before you, you are living under the erroneous idea that all is right between you and God. This misconception is based on your awareness that you sincerely care for your family, your moral standard is higher than most and that you rarely exceed the speed limit. But you go farther still. You stand out among many of the heathen by your acknowledgement of the existence of Jesus Christ. Unlike your ancestors who rejected His claim to deity and messiahship, you quickly agree that Jesus was God's Son and that He did indeed die for sinners. What you do not understand is that the weakness of this confession, revealed by your lifestyle of unbelief, places you in harm's way. Though you are correct in your general assessment of Christology, your intellectual assent has carried you no further than the same level occupied by demons. They, too, believe that Jesus is God's Son and that He died for sinners. Unless there is a change within your heart and mind, your profession will only carry you as far as it does them-hell.

You are correct in your assessment that you are better than other men. But remember also that other men are better than you. Or better yet, forget both truths. They are irrelevant. You are playing by your rules, not God's. No matter how high you might score on the scale of earthly righteousness you will lose your soul. All your good works, all the kisses you have given your children, every moment you have been faithful to your wife, all your charitable giving will add up to sure and certain damnation.You need to break this family tradition of embodied cynicism by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.

Let me tell you a story.

Ernest moved into his cabin late in the spring. By his own design, one of the features of the small two story house was a huge window overlooking the woods of his closest neighbor, the Ocala National Forest. Because of its special design, this beautiful window had been late in coming and was the carpenters' last task the afiernoon before. Ernest was quite pleased with himself as he stood looking out from the second floor. The view was so clear that the window appeared invisible. This too was deliberate. You see, Ernest was an ornithologist. The cabin was to be his weekend retreat to study his favorite subject, birds.

With excitement he left the room for a moment to get his binoculars. Today was going to be the first day of a long anticipated research project. As he looked through boxes trying to remember exactly where he had left his optics a loud Thump! interrupted his search. The sound had come from the window. Looking out all was still. Then he noticed a mark just off center on the glass. The mark was red. Something had struck the window.

Outside, Ernest located the mark on the glass high above him. Then looking directly below the crimson stain he discovered lying in the grass a dead bird. It was one of his favorites, a red—winged black bird. It had broken its neck attempting to fly through what it had thought was sky. Stooping down to pick up the lifeless beauty his eye caught a slight movement in the hedge. There was another victim, a black capped chickadee. At some point that morning, probably while Ernest was sleeping, this little puff of winged color had met the same fate as the black bird. But the chickadee was still alive! Quickly Ernest pulled the bird from the bushes that had broken its fall and rushed inside. He began to search frantically through the boxes of field guides and texts looking for anything that might aid him in treating the small patient. Then he remembered those books were still in his office at the college. Returning to the den he held the chickadee in his hands and watched it die. He felt helpless. What could he do?

He returned outside and looked up at the window. As he stood there trying to figure out what to do, to his horror another flash of color struck the unknown barrier. "Stop! Stop!" cried Ernest to his beloved winged neighbors flitting here and there through the tops of the trees. What can I do? How can I warn them from a danger they do not see? Picking up the latest victim, a robin from whose eyes and mouth blood ran, he looked at the lifeless form thinking out loud. If I could just communicate with them, speak their language. If there was some way to become one of them, I could move among them, I could explain...

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

"But God commended His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..."

"For born to you this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord..."

Jesus, the Son of God, entered time and space. The Creator clothed himself with human flesh and walked among His creatures. His purpose was not that we embrace Him by our own definitions. He came and declared that those who would have life, must obey His word. This is a favor to mankind. Without His intrusion into our lives, we would all perish. Without his intrusion we would continue to fly blissfully to our own deaths.

Forsake your sin and your own righteousness. Cry out to the holy God. Let tears of repentance be your meat and drink until your heart is changed by His grace and you rise, rejoicing in His salvation.

"Now therefore, be wise...Be instructed...Serve the Lord with fear...Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way"

Sincerely,

Laurence Windham