No Brownie Points

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.— Ephesians 2:8-9

Some years ago a poll conducted by a major news magazine found that most Americans were sure they were going to heaven, but most didn't expect to see their friends there. A majority of those polled anticipated that Mother Theresa would make the cut, and a number also cited certain celebrities and politicians whom they thought would qualify.Sadly, this shows the confusion and the flawed reasoning that go into the most important decision we will ever make in life: the decision regarding where we will spend eternity.Though this may come as a surprise to many people, Mother Theresa, as wonderful of a humanitarian as she was, did not have any better odds of making it into heaven than anyone else. Why? Because our entrance into heaven is not on the basis of what we have done for God; it is on the basis of what God has done for us. That is what it comes down to.The lowest of the low, if they repent and ask God to forgive them, in spite of what they have done, will be admitted into heaven. And the best of the best, in spite of all of the good they have done, will not necessarily get in if they have not put their faith in Christ as their Savior. It doesn't matter what we have done, as commendable as it may be. Our entrance into heaven has nothing to do with good deeds or bad deeds. But it has everything to do with what Jesus did on the cross and our recognition that we cannot meet God on our own merit.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Under New Management

"And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places."





— Matthew 24:6-7

From the beginning of time, humanity has searched for peace. We have joined peace movements. We have marched for peace. We have given prizes for peace. We have even gone to war for peace. And when we hear that people have been arrested for disturbing the peace, we wonder where they actually found any. Some people tell us via their bumper stickers to "Visualize world peace." Then they cut us off on the freeway.Displayed above the doors of the United Nations are the words of Isaiah 2:4: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks." We are a people who want peace. But we need to know this: neither the United Nations nor politicians nor people who visualize it will bring about the long-awaited peace on Earth that humankind so desperately longs for. The peace that we long for will only happen when the Creator Himself returns, repossesses what is rightfully His, and hangs a sign over this war-weary planet that says, "Under New Management."It would be nice to think that with all of our technology, we could somehow bring about global peace. But according to Jesus, in the last days we "will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass . . . " (Matthew 24:6). Tragically, war will be a part of the future of humanity until Christ Himself comes and establishes His kingdom.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Carpenter Shop

Here is a little thought I have run around in my mind lately. In the wake of this Benet stuff on TV, and the birth of Liberty…

Many parents have to suffer the death of a child, at birth or at a very young age. There probably is no greater suffering than losing a child, since it so radically interferes with the desire of a father and mother to see their child grow up to be a beautiful, healthy, mature, and loving person. The great danger is that the death of a child will take away the parents' desire to live. It requires an enormous act of faith on the part of parents to truly believe that their children however brief their lives, were given to them as a gift from God, to deepen and enrich their own lives.Whenever parents can make that leap of faith, their children's short lives can become fruitful far beyond their expectations.

May we learn this truth, and may your children be blessed today in God protection.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Protecting our Hiddenness

If indeed the spiritual life is essentially a hidden life, how do we protect this hiddenness in the midst of a very public life? The two most important ways to protect our hiddenness are solitude and poverty. Solitude allows us to be alone with God. There we experience that we belong not to people, not even to those who love us and care for us, but to God and God alone. Poverty is where we experience our own and other people's weakness, limitations, and need for support. To be poor is to be without success, without fame, and without power. But there God chooses to show us God's love.Both solitude and poverty protect the hiddenness of our lives.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

The Hidden Life of Christ

Wow!

The Hidden Life of JesusThe largest part of Jesus' life was hidden. Jesus lived with his parents in Nazareth, "under their authority" (Luke 2:51), and there "increased in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and with people" (Luke 2:52). When we think about Jesus we mostly think about his words and miracles, his passion, death, and resurrection, but we should never forget that before all of that Jesus lived a simple, hidden life in a small town, far away from all the great people, great cities, and great events. Jesus' hidden life is very important for our own spiritual journeys. If we want to follow Jesus by words and deeds in the service of his Kingdom, we must first of all strive to follow Jesus in his simple, unspectacular, and very ordinary hidden life.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com

Something's Missing

For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.





— Philippians 1:23

I read a story about a little dog named Mugsy, who was walking across the street one day and, tragically, was hit by a truck. His sad owners took Mugsy down to the pet cemetery and buried him. They were so sorry they would never see their precious little dog again.But three days later, much to their surprise, they found Mugsy scratching at the back door. They could hardly believe their eyes. They opened the door and let little Mugsy in. He was covered with dirt but alive. It turns out their little dog wasn't dead after all. They had buried him alive, but the industrious little pooch clawed his way out and found his way home.There is no place like home. And I want you to know there is a home waiting for every child of God, a future destination for all believers. It's called heaven. We need to be homesick for heaven. Though we have never been there, we still have something God has built within us that gives us a certain homesickness, a desire to be there.I love the way the apostle Paul put it when he said, "For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ. . . . Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you" (Philippians 1:23–24).God has put a homing instinct inside every man and woman, a sense there is something more to life. In fact, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, "He has put eternity in their hearts." Because of this, we will never be fully satisfied in this life. There is always going to be something missing.

Trev Carpenter
www.btmcallen.com