"I demand justice!" Even the worst sort of human will demand justice if wronged sufficiently by others. Steal a nicotine addicted ax murderer's cigarettes for example and you'll see what I mean. I find it almost laughable that those who commit even the most heinous crimes demand they be given justice. Even if it's found in the form of a legal loophole, they'll scream for justice! But doesn't justice demand just that--justice! As human beings we are quite warped in our understanding of, and our demands for justice. It's as if we think that God owes us something. God owes us nothing, and God needs nothing from us. In J. I. Packer's book, "Knowing God," he puts it this way. "We can only claim from him [God] justice--and justice, for us, means certain condemnation. God does not owe it to anyone to stop justice taking its course. He is not obliged to pity and pardon; if he does so it is an act done, as we say, 'of his own free will,' and nobody forces his hand." In this simple truth we find the incredible nature of God's gift to us in the form of "grace." Grace is what we were given when we deserved condemnation. What was due US was placed on Jesus, and what Jesus deserved is given us through His blood. It is free from anything we could ever do to earn it and available to all who ask. Merry CHRIST-mas to all who will receive Him! "Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification." Romans 5:16 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

What is it that drives you? What is it that makes your heart jump for joy and consumes all of your days? For most, it's the pursuit of happiness. Happiness that they might find for sheer moments, but that never lasts long enough to be worth the chase. For those driven by the Spirit of God, the desires for material wealth and worldly pleasures are overshadowed by the things of heaven and the work He has given them to do. I quite often bump into brothers and sisters in the Lord who tell me the Spirit is urging them to move forward with Him, but they just can't seem to leave this or that behind. What holds them, though it may seem dear at the moment, is nothing compared to the glory that awaits those who will let go. Is there something that's holding you back? My guess is that it is something that only the sinful nature desires. Let it go today! "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." Romans 8:5 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I saw a bumper sticker on a pickup truck today that read, "If you love your life as much as I love this truck, don't mess with it!" While I can clearly understand the sentiment, I can't imagine a person's life is worth less than a truck! It also made me think of times when I have put the "stuff" in my life in a position higher than people, and sometimes even God. Twenty something years ago, I bought my first new car and I know for a fact that I spent many hundreds of hours cleaning, waxing and doting over it. No matter how well I cared for it, today it's surely found its way into a recycling program somewhere. When I think of the hours I could have spent with my children who were small at the time instead of with that stupid car, it makes me sad. And while I believe I've grown enough not to make the same mistake, at times I can still see remnants of that type of thinking in my mind. When you think about it, what's more important to you: Stuff, friends, or God? When you get right down to it, not even the most prized possession is worth a friend, or even a friend's feelings. Then he [Jesus] said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." Isaiah 65:17 It's the last day of another year... While one thing is ending, another is beginning. And so it is with many things in life, and in the Christian walk as well. The Scriptures say that even the terrible things we see in the world today are signs that Christ is coming again, "to make everything new." In order for "new" to come, "old" must end. There must be an end to evil so that good can prevail. So, even as humans often stress over change, don't fret the end of anything, up to and including your life! Remember, if you hadn't died to self, you wouldn't be new in Christ! And if you are secure you are secure indeed! "Therefore, if anyone is he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

For many people, Memorial Day is a great day for backyard barbecues, friends and family. Many also mourn and remember loved ones who've passed. This Memorial Day I spent some time remembering a few close friends and some family members, and also one brother in Christ who passed away just this year. And since I was at it, I remembered someone else. I remembered myself! I reminded myself that every thing I say and everything I do will one day be my a memorial to my family, to the Church, and to my Lord. I even penned my name and my date of birth under "Deaths" in a family Bible. I left the date I will pass blank for now. Unless the Lord returns soon, my family can fill it in later and hopefully remember I was a faithful Christian--that I did not live for myself, but for them and for my Lord. "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." 2 Corinthians 5:15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

As a New Testament buff, I find myself looking at the great characters I find there and almost trying to model their faith and deeds. The other day I was talking with a friend about how I often feel like I just don't have the faith I should, when I told him "The Apostle Paul's faith was so strong that people touched him with handkerchiefs and then touched others with them and healed them!" Now, that would be awesome, if it were only true! I was right about the actual act of taking things that had touched Paul and having other's healed through them. But I was wrong in the critical area of who got the credit. Upon re-reading, I found that although Paul was surely no slouch in the faith, it wasn't Paul who performed the miracles. "God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them." Acts 19:11 It was GOD who did the extraordinary miracles, and it was the person touching Paul and then carrying the article to the sick person who had the incredible faith. Paul... He did what he always seemed to do--he set a great example of how a Christian was to live. No doubt that's why God did things "through Paul" and why the faith of those watching him was able to grow so strong. So... is it you who are trying to do great things, or are you just trying to be faithful to God? If it's the later, you also will have extraordinary miracles done THROUGH YOU! Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

When it comes to understanding Christianity, some people just don't get it! For those who have yet to be introduced to Christ, that makes perfect sense. But what about for those who call themselves Christians and still don't seem to have much of a grasp on the tenants of the faith? In the Apostle Paul's small but powerful letter to a man named Phile we learn something about why some believers are very slow to understand their position in Christ (if they ever do!). Believe it or not, much of it is their own fault. They may or may not spend time in the Scriptures, but even if they do, they will be slow to learn if they don't go out and apply what they find there. Seeking knowledge for the sake of having knowledge is absolutely worthless. On the other hand, even the newest Christian who follows God's commands to go and share their faith will grow quickly and have an amazing grasp on the Truths of God's Word. "I pray you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Philemon 1:6 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I did some pretty stupid things when I was young. It started when I was a pre-teen and seemed to continue right into my late twenties. If I could undo some of my life and do it correctly, I would go back and unhurt some of the innocent bystanders. Most of all though, I just wish I hadn't dishonored God the way I did. As a friend of mine once tearfully wrote in a song, "I wandered through His garden taking things that didn't belong to me!" And as the great Psalmist King David wrote to God, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight" (Psalm 51:4a). To hear some Christians give their testimony you'd think they were bragging about their exploits. That type of testimony rarely marks true repentance. Repentance is obvious because the soul that bears it is broken before God. That soul regrets what was done against God. Frankly, regret is the one thing I find hard to live with as a man who didn't walk with Christ until far too late in life. Regret for the things I did, and regret for the things I failed to do. If you haven't strayed off the path, don't let high-sounding testimonies lead you astray. Regret is something you can do without! "After I strayed, I repented; came to understand, I beat my breast. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth." Jeremiah 31:19 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate