February is here and it is clear that God loves us! After all, He died for us and now He lives for us. There is a beautiful human we sometimes sing entitled, "Because He Lives." The chorus is a most worthy theme for this newsletter, the month of February and really, for each day we live. 

"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living, just because He lives."

     Living life with a "Just Because" mindset is a good way to live by faith. The substance of things hoped for and the presence of things not seen all fit well in the hull of "Just Because" like two peas in a pod. "Just Because" is why we go to church. "Just Because" is why we ought to forgive others when they have hurt us and it's also the reason we should help someone who is down and out. "Just Because" is the very reason we get up in the morning and go to work or to the doctor. "Just Because" will comfort and encourage us when face disappointment and heartbreaking circumstances. We should do what God says do, go where God says go, wait when God says wait and face what God sends our way, jut because He lives.

I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

     The greatest valentine card ever written is the Bible! And this card, written by God, is sent to those He loves just because He wants us to know He loves us and what He has done for us. When we read His book, we will know that we love Him just because He first loved us. Brother Khai sang a beautiful solo recently at SPBC entitled, "People Need the Lord." People need the Lord because people need to be loved. People need love not because they deserve it, but "Just Because" they need it. God doesn't give us mercy because we deserve mercy, but He gives us mercy "Just Because" we need mercy. It is good to know, that God loves sinners like us "Just Because" Jesus died on the cross and not because we repent or do a good work.

     February will probably offer some cold days and nights but our hearts and hoes can stay warm and welcomed just because of God's amazing love. I once visited Brother Dewberry Edenfield, who lived near Metter and lived almost one hundred years. His wife had recently passed away, and Brother Dewberry had been attending the Lake Primitive Baptist Church where I pastored. When I walked into his house, I noticed a multitude of cards hanging over a string that Brother Dewberry had placed from one wall to the other near the ceiling of the room. As we talked that day, he said with tears in his eyes that he placed those cards, which were Christmas cards and condolence cards from people who loved him, where he did to remind him that others cared and that his cause was not forgotten. If the only valentine card we received is from God, that will be enough. Read His card "Just Because" He sent it to you. God cares and He wants you to know that He does!

      The love of God is our encouragement and a catalyst that will cause us to press on to our high calling from Christ to follow Him in His kingdom here on earth. Satan is an evil deceiver, but his vices should no longer keep us from living a victorious life in Christ.

"For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:4

Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or Lo There! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:21

"O victory in Jesus, my Saviour forever

He sought me and bought me with His redeeming blood

He loved me ere I knew Him,

and all my love is due Him,

He plunged me to victory,

beneath the cleansing flood."

     The hymns "Victory in Jesus" and "Amazing Grace" are the only two hymns I know of that uses the word "wretch" in the verses. Jesus' victory is so complete, so deep, and so high that He saves the lowest of lows and gives us the highest of highs. Now it took the blood of the sinless Son of God shed on the cross for us to do that, but that it did. Yes, our God can make something out of nothing and He can also transform a wrath into a saint! When it comes to sin, Jesus Christ is undefeated. Lots of people tried to get Jesus to lie, cheat and steal, but not one smidge of sin did He do. Even the devil himself tried to bribe Him to cover over to His camp, but Jesus stayed with God because he was God, and Satan left with his tail tucked.

     The word of God tells us things looked pretty bleak on Good Friday and it says that when Jesus, the Son of Man died, it got pitch black dark at high noon, there were earthquakes, and dead people got up out of their graves and walked around. But Sunday was coming and so was the victory. But Sunday was coming and so was the victory. When Jesus Christ rose from the dead, He conquered our greatest enemy -- death!

"For He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 1 Corinthians 15:25-26

     I have officiated several funeral services which have included the hymn, "Victory in Jesus" as one of the songs for the service. Most of the time it was sung by the congregation as the family followed the casket of their loved one to the cemetery for burial. The truth of that grand song resonates with hope which has its foundation in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

     Not only is victory over death a reality, victory in this life is possible also. Jesus' life is possible also. Jesus' life, death, and resurrection not only paid the penalty for our sin. He also demolished the power of sin in our lives here on Earth. It is true that we all still sin every day, but the truth is, we don't have to sin. We have the ability, once saved by grace, not to sin. Unfortunately, most of us make wrong choices very often. Sin will burden us and cause us to feel guilty, but that is necessary for us to embrace the victory in Jesus because when we confess our sins, He forgives us and changes us from all unrighteousness. By the way, this is forgiveness for our daily sins which affect our fellowship with God. We have already been declared righteous and forgiven of all sins, past, present, and future so our status with Almighty God in relationship never ever, changes. Our daily sins are serious enough because they hinder our kingdom life and fruit bearing capacity. They are sort of like a "guerilla warfare" where you have these little faction fighters springing up from hideouts even though their government has lost the war. Because of our victory in Jesus, we are not living in the kingdom of our Great King worried and worn down in defeat, but with a winsome spirit and gladness that Jesus has gotten the victory for us.

Win Some Lose Some

     There is no need to let what's wrong with us mess up what's right with God. God often reminds us that we are not perfect. And one way He does that is by our losses. But really, to lose a few is not all that bad, especially when we have such a Redeemer as we do. Our losses are our crosses and Jesus says to take them up daily and follow Him. That means losses and all! Furthermore, if we wind all the time we would also forget just how dependent we are on God.

     Winning is wonderful and we can thank the Lord that we win some. A baseball player hits a home run and points to the sky as he rounds the bases, but you will never see one point to the sky after striking out. Yet, God causes or allows both. By the way, did you know that the one who hit the most home runs in the major leagues also holds the record for the most strikeouts? Winning can go to our heads if we let it, but losing goes to our hearts. Now God looks closer at our hearts than He does our heads, for He knows how foolish we can get; so, He arranges some losses for us jut to keep our hearts from listening to our heads. 

     When we lost a high school football game on the road, Coach Fred Shaver had a rule that we could not say a word on the bus ride back to SEB. He wanted us to think about our loss. This would help us prepare for the next game by magnifying the areas of correction and redirecting our direction . We miss a lot of life lessons by not paying more attention to our losses. America today is not about making it the old fashioned way by "earning" it, but rather we give everybody a trophy and call everyone a winner  even if they never play in the game.

     You won't find anyone in the Bible who did not win some and  lose some. Even Jesus had many walk away from Him and He lost His very life and fellowship with His Heavenly Father for a time on the cross of Calvary. The apostle Paul was an astute religious man, but he was also a sinner saved by grace and so he hated sin with a passion. Yet, the great apostle, like you and I, still committed sin. It was no fun though, and even though he didn't sin all the time, his win some, lose some state revealed who he really was and made Christ Jesus a more valuable and precious treasure.

"O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7:24, 25A

Win by Losing

     True success is defined as how far one rises after hitting the bottom. A marriage, a business, a church, even our relationship with Almighty God are all strengthened and are even the results of losses of one form or another. The Bible calls for a leaving before the cleaving to make a marriage a winning relationship. A business success and expansion often comes by needs created by losses. A farmer purchase peanut or cotton seed and then buries them in the ground and then continues the sacrifice of fertilizing, chemicals, and time. But the farmer wins by losing at harvest time!

     Sometimes our greatest victories come through great defeats. Jesus' death on the cross appeared to be such a loss, yet if He had not lost His life, we would have no hope in glory. Grief is the price we pay for love and it's well worth the price. God is especially near when our hearts are broken, but we hardly notice Him when we're in the winners circle. God knows we win by losing; yet, that's a hard lesson for us to grasp. Sometimes we have to have our heads cracked before we can think right, we have to be blind before we can see and crippled before we can walk. Heaven is really seen more cearly through the prism of tears caused by our hurts. We need not be overwhelmed because of our losses because Jesus Christ has gotten the victory for us. Go ahead and let God have it all, for He can do more with what we lose than we can do with what we win.

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Matthew 16:25

Winners Either Way

     The hardest decision for a Christian would not be whether or not to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but rather whether or not it would be better to die and go to Heaven or continuing to live in God's will on this earth. Thankfully, that's not a decision we have to make, for God has made it for us. And, because of our victory in Jesus, we are winners either way.

"For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." Romans 14:8

      When God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, He made us winners eternally in every way. It matters more who's on our side than it does side  whose  side we're on. God is on our side and if God is for us, no one nor no thing can effectively be against us. The lamb slain yet standing assures our victory over death, hell, and the grave. So, as you travel on with Jesus by His grace, remember you can't even walk without holding His hand; but, as you do, no matter what happens, you're by His side and you are on the winning side.

Brother Randy