Freedom from hell came at a high price
by Barrett Vanlandingham
July 4, 2012

            For some reason, the odor of exploding fireworks brings back good memories for me each year around the fourth of July.  But even though a little bit of burning sulphur smell doesn’t bother me, I cannot imagine what it would be like to breathe-in the levels described in scripture where hell is concerned.

            Revelation 20:10 says, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.  They will be tormented day and night forever.”

            Brimstone or burning sulphur is described as toxic and dangerously irritating, producing a choking feeling, and can lead to permanent respiratory problems or death due to choking.

            I don’t know about you, but those descriptions alone are enough to convince me that hell is a place I DO NOT want to be, EVER, much less FOREVER!

            You may have seen tragic images in the media lately of the thick smoke, blazing wildfires, and destruction in parts of Colorado Springs.  My sister and her husband helped set up an evacuation shelter at the Eastside Church of Christ there for those who were driven out by smoke or fire. 

            In a matter of days or weeks, the last spark will be put out, the smoke will fade away, and life will begin to get back to normal.  That cannot be said for hell.  And that’s why no one wants to go there.

            Here’s the good news.  You don’t have to go there!  Not for an eternity, a day, an hour, or even for a second.  Here's the scary part and the victory all wrapped up in one verse, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).”

            Jesus chose to pay the ultimate price for the sins of mankind so we could all have hope.

            In John 3:16 Jesus said it best, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

            That doesn’t mean Christ was happy about the punishment inflicted on him at the hands of those he came to save.  But Jesus most certainly found great joy in defeating the devil.  Jesus knew that his sacrifice would result in salvation for all who would act on their belief in Jesus as God’s son, and do the will of his Father in heaven (ref: Matthew 7:21).

            Have you made that choice?  Have a great week!

Sunburn season can bring a variety of lessons from God
by Barrett Vanlandingham
June 27, 2012

            A week after going to the lake I am still suffering the effects of too much sun!  I was sitting in the shade, driving a pontoon boat most of the day.  I wore a wide brim camouflage hat just in case I needed to step out from under the canvas.  It seems the biggest mistake I made was not wearing a shirt!  

            Still, I felt pretty confident that I was safe or at least mostly protected from the ultra violet rays.   WRONG.  I had forgotten that sunrays can bounce off the water at an angle and still cause burns.  And the fact that my hat was camo did not even begin to hide me from the rays.  I will save you the scorching details, but let’s just say I don’t plan to make that mistake again!

            I figured as much pain as I went through in the days following my sunburn episode, there must be a spiritual lesson that could be derived from this.  After all, I’ve preached over and over that good things can always come out of bad things.  And somehow, joy can be experienced and God can be praised even in the midst of getting burned by life’s trials. 

            Speaking of sunburns!  Jonah had to learn a lesson the hard way because of his stubbornness to submit to the will of God.  Actually, several lessons.  You would have thought being swallowed by a giant fish would have convinced him to see things God’s way.  Jonah did obey God, at least to a point.  He preached in Nineveh to the evil people he felt didn’t deserve to be saved.  As a result, the Ninevites changed their ways!  Lesson one: Be a willing vessel.

            Even though the Ninevites repented, Jonah was still angry with God for showing compassion to people with such an evil history.  So he sat down under a shelter outside the city to see what God would do to Nineveh.  But evidently the shelter was not sunray proof.  So God provided a vine to quickly grow over the shelter.  This eased Jonah’s discomfort from the sun.  But the next day God sent a worm to destroy the vine.  This concerned Jonah greatly as he almost passed out from heat blazing down on his head!  So God told Jonah that he had no right to be concerned about a vine that he did not create, while ironically hoping God would not be concerned about the well-being of the Ninevites.  Lesson two: Be compassionate.

            God wants us all to spend more time showing concern in the form of Christ’s love to others in preparation for his return, and less time storing up treasures on earth that will eventually burn.  Have a great week!

Spiritual Growth Is a Choice
by Barrett Vanlandingham
June 20, 2012

            When I was a kid, I thought people grew spiritually simply by growing older.  I’m not sure why I felt that way.  Maybe, it was because my young life revolved around my family at home and my Christian family.

            Whatever the case, as I began to pay more attention to adults while tagging along with my parents, it became apparent to me that growing older did not necessarily mean growing spiritually.  But now that I’ve been around for a few years, 47 to be exact, I am well aware that age and Christian maturity rarely go hand in hand.  They should (Ephesians 4:13), but as the Bible points out, they just don’t (Matthew 7:13-23).

            Romans 6:4 says, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

            It would be difficult to misunderstand Paul’s inspired words in the above passage.  When we re-enact Christ’s death through baptism, we have the privilege and honor of starting a new life just like Jesus did when he was resurrected from the grave.  It takes action on our part to put-on Christ in this way.  But even then our job as a Christian is far from over.

            The writer of Hebrews 10:36 said it well, “You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

            In 2 Peter 1:3-11 the writer says that Christians not only need to possess Godly characteristics such as goodness and love, but should also increase in them so as to not become ineffective!   Peter goes on to say that by doing these things we can actually make our “calling and election sure”, and even receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of Christ.

             As a minister, I attend a lot of weddings and a lot of funerals.  And it is always sad to see a young couple begin a life together that does not include a solid relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is even sadder to see someone at the end of their life who never chose to believe and obey the Gospel message.  And then there are those who have professed all their lives to be a Christian but their words have not been supported by their actions or continued obedience.  The joy of living the Christian life is available to everyone who is willing to do the will of the Father.  Will you commit to Him today?  Have a great week!

Our Creator provides plenty of opportunities to learn about him
by Barrett Vanlandingham
June 13, 2012

             It’s amazing what you can learn about God just from walking around on a farm.  This past week, I took groups of kids on a “Fun Day at the Farm” in Tahlequah.  We ride horses, bikes, play basketball, croquet, fish, have lunch and a Bible study.

            One young lady was riding a horse in the round training pen.  But everytime the horse walked by a certain spot, it was as if it was drawn to a clump of grass poking through the fence.  The horse would stop and eat as much grass as it could before the young lady kicked it back into gear, which was not an easy task for a fifth grader.

            I told the kids to take notice of how God provides for every living creature.  While the horse could hardly stay away from the grass, and appeared to love it like a kid loves cotton candy, none of us was tempted to eat even a little of it.  God provides for all of His creation.   He is compassionate, thoughtful, and pays attention to detail.

            The beauty of the intricate leaves, incredibly designed trees, creative clouds, ponds that provide life for creatures big and small, and rolling hills that were formed by the hand of God gave each child on the trip something to think about. 

We serve a creative God who has thought of everything!  We breathe out the very thing that trees need to survive (carbon dioxide), and trees emit the very thing that humans need to survive (oxygen).  There are more than 5000 products made from trees!

            While Colossians 1:16 and John 1:3 remind us that all things were created by Jesus and for Jesus, Romans 1:20 reminds us that from the very beginning, mankind has been able to understand a lot about God’s qualities by what has been made.

            Our “Fun Day at the Farm” experience unfortunately did not include catching fish, but it was not for lack of trying.  Even so, patience, perseverance, self-control, and the importance of simple fun and fellowship are valuable lessons that come to mind when I think about my failure to catch even one fish on our trip.   Who knows what God was up to?  He very rarely works within my time frame!

            Whatever the case, summer is a great time to take notice of God’s creation no matter where you are.  Have a blessed week!