Program 111: The gift of obedience

Yahuwah has provided everything necessary for salvation, including obedience that is necessary but impossible with fallen natures. Obedience itself is a gift!

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Hello, hello! This is Miles Robey and I want to welcome you to WLC Radio. At World’s Last Chance, we strive to bring you the latest on developments in prophecy—events as well as new light in interpreting it; we cover various aspects of victorious Christian living; we shine light on widely embraced error; and, of course, our primary focus is on the magnificent gift of salvation by faith in Christ alone.

With me is Dave Wright. He always brings deep, spiritual insights to any discussion we have that I, personally, appreciate, and I know our listeners do, too.

Dave Wright: Thank you, Miles. It’s a privilege to be here and be a part of sharing truth with others.

Miles: One thing you’ll notice right away is that at WLC we prefer to use the Creator’s personal name instead of the generic titles of “god” or “lord.” His name is Yahuwah, or Yah.

Dave: Yahuwah comes from the Hebrew verb of being, hayah. It’s used in the first chapter of Genesis throughout the Creation account. Light—be; light was. Dry ground—be; dry ground was.

The “be” and the “was,” that’s hayah. So the very word that was used when the Creator spoke the world into existence also forms the basis of His name! It’s really very beautiful.

Miles: It is, as well as faith inspiring. When you combine that verb of being with your need, it becomes a powerful promise you can claim! That’s why, I believe, Scripture repeatedly talks about “calling upon the name of Yahuwah.”

Our modern versions say, “Call upon the name of the Lord,” but what the original Hebrew actually says is “Call upon the name of Yahuwah.” It’s a true privilege to know and be able to use the Father’s personal name, and the fact that it becomes a promise we can use is incredibly faith-inspiring.

Dave: The Saviour’s name is also faith-inspiring. Christ’s personal name is Yahushua or, as it is commonly known, Yahshua, and it means “Yahuwah saves” or “Yahuwah’s salvation. So, in everything, the Father has sought to inspire in us faith and trust in His love.

Miles: El and elohim are Hebrew titles that refer to Yahuwah throughout the Old Testament, so you might hear those sometimes in Old Testament passages. They appear in our modern translations as “god.”

So. Dave. What have you got for us today?

Dave: I want to talk about a misunderstanding. You’ve heard of the Yucatan Peninsula?

Miles: Sure! It juts out and divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean.

Dave: Right. Well, the story goes that when the Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortes, arrived there in the 16^th century, he asked the local indigenous population, “What do you call this place?”

The answer was, “Yucatan.” Now, I don’t know what that word means, but some people claim the word Yucatan wasn’t actually a word but a phrase that meant, “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

Miles laughs: Are you serious?

Dave: Well, some etymologists say the word “Yucatan” actually comes from a local word meaning “massacre.”

Miles: As in, “Get off our land or we’ll kill you”?

Dave chuckles: Something like that. Either way, what was said by the locals, was not what was understood by the invaders.

There’s a Bible verse that has been misunderstood in much the same way. In fact, if you compiled a list of Scripture verses that have been misunderstood, it would make the top 10.

Miles: Which is it?

Dave: Why don’t you read it for us? John 14, verse 15.

Miles: All right. Give me just a moment to turn there.

Here we go. It says: “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

What? That’s misunderstood?

Dave: Yep!

Miles: How?

Dave: Because of the baggage we attach to it. Think about it: what is your gut reaction when Yah gives a command?

Miles: Well … to do it. To go and obey.

Dave: “All that the lord hath spoken, we will do.”

Miles: Yeah, that’s about right. That’s what the children of Israel said and that’s kind of my gut reaction, too. Yah says it; you do it.

Dave: And how well did that work out for the Children of Israel?

Miles laughs: Not that well, as a matter of fact.

Dave: So why, then, do we think we can obey Yah in our own strength? It didn’t work out for the Children of Israel, and it won’t work for us, either. And that’s what I want to talk about today: obedience. Is it necessary to obey? And if it is, just how are we supposed to do it?

Miles: I do believe it is necessary to obey. Adam and Eve were lost because of one thing: disobedience. This idea that we can be saved while in active rebellion against the very law, the breaking of which led to the fall, is completely inconsistent. It’s foolish.

Furthermore, give me just a second to turn there …

1 John 3:4. John says, quote: “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” Unquote. Well, if sin is the transgression of the law—and the Bible says it is—then if we want to be saved, we need to keep the law. So, I’m not seeing a misunderstanding here. Seems pretty clear to me.

Dave: The misunderstanding enters into it in just how we obey.

We all know that salvation is a gift, right?

Miles: Of course.

Dave: We all know that. That’s the good news of the gospel; the foundation on which the entire Christian religion is built. But what most of us don’t realize is that obedience itself is also a gift!

Miles: What do you mean?

Dave: Obedience that comes from our own strenuous, by the “sweat of our brow” and the “skin of our teeth” efforts is nothing more than salvation by works. As such, it’s unacceptable to Yah.

Miles: That’s true. Only obedience that comes from the heart counts, and that’s a problem because our hearts are sinful. So … how do we reconcile this dichotomy?

Dave: We let Scripture explain itself.

Were you aware that Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer, was dead set against the book of James?

Miles: Yeah, I’ve heard something to that effect. It’s been a while, though.

Dave: Well, Luther, as all Protestants know, was used by Yah to restore to Christianity the doctrine of righteousness by faith, or “justification” by faith. At that time, the Catholic church taught that you could commit whatever sin you wanted, and still be forgiven, just by purchasing an indulgence.

Miles: Yeah! Remember that one guy in Germany? He bought an indulgence to be forgiven for stealing … then he stole all the money from Johann Tetzel, the friar in charge of selling indulgences in Germany!

Dave: You don’t obtain forgiveness just by adding more money to the papal coffers. But you don’t obtain forgiveness either by obedience!

Luther understood justification by faith. What he did not understand was the fact that obedience itself is also a gift of faith. As a result, he hated the book of James. In fact, I have a quote here by Luther I’d like you to read. Go ahead and read that, where it’s marked.

Miles: It says, quote: “Therefore St. James’ epistle is really an epistle of straw, compared to these others, for it has nothing of the nature of the Gospel about it.”

Unquote. Wow. That’s quite the denouncement.

Dave: Well, it’s a pity, really, because James has a very important place in sacred canon. In fact, it’s the book of James that gives us a clear explanation of the interrelationship between faith and works.

Miles: How so?

Dave: All right. Let’s start at the beginning. What is the core belief of the gospel message? Turn to Ephesians 2 and read verses 4 to 10 for us, would you please?

Miles: Ephesians 2 … 4 to 10. Here we go:

But Yah, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Yahushua:

That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Yahushua.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Yah:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Yahushua unto good works, which Yah hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Dave: Salvation, again, is a free gift. The humble believer accesses this gift by faith, but it’s still a free gift.

But Satan has corrupted even this beautiful truth. As we all know, there’s absolutely nothing anyone can do to “earn” salvation. So, the devil has brought in what the late, great German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, referred to as “cheap grace.”

James provides the resolution between these two opposing camps.

Miles: How would you define “cheap grace”?

Dave: Let’s let Bonhoeffer define it as he’s the one that came up with the term. I have here a copy of his book entitled, The Cost of Discipleship. Turn to the paperclip and read … yeah. Right there by the sticky note. What does it say?

Miles: Uhhh … cheap grace is “the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance … Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without . . . Christ.”

Dave: In cheap grace, the emphasis is placed on the benefits of Christianity, the blessings that accompany salvation, without any acknowledgment of the costs involved.

Miles: The “costs” involved?

Dave: Of course.

Miles: That sounds like legalism.

Dave: No. Do you remember Christ’s parable of the merchant that bought the pearl of great price? How did he obtain it?

Miles: He went and sold all that he had.

Dave: Exactly. It required him to be willing to give up everything in order to obtain the pearl of great price which, in the parable, was a symbol of salvation.

What Bonhoeffer was saying is that it’s those who focus on the blessings of salvation, while ignoring (or denying) the cost of salvation that, knowingly or unknowingly, embrace “cheap grace.” They are the ones who accuse their fellow Christians of “legalism” anytime someone argues for the binding nature of the law of Yah.

Miles: Because if the law of Yah is still binding, it must be obeyed. So, they say that’s legalism.

Dave: Correct.

I said earlier that the gospel of James—and it’s a gospel, too—holds a very important place in sacred Scripture because it is the one book in the Bible where we find an explanation that resolves the apparent contradiction between salvation being a free gift of grace with the fact that the law of Yah is still binding.

Once you realize that, it becomes a very exciting, enlightening study.

Now, what is truly ironic is that Luther understood that faith was necessary for any good works to be acceptable to Yah. Would you read this quote? It’s from his Treatise on Good Works.

Miles: It says, quote:

We find many who pray, fast, establish endowments, do this or that, lead a good life before men, and yet if you should ask them whether they are sure that what they do pleases God, they say, "No"; they do not know, or they doubt. And there are some very learned men, who mislead them, and say that it is not necessary to be sure of this; and yet, on the other hand, these same men do nothing else but teach good works. Now all these works are done outside of faith, therefore they are nothing and altogether dead. For as their conscience stands toward God and as it believes, so also are the works which grow out of it. Now they have no faith, no good conscience toward God, therefore the works lack their head, and all their life and goodness is nothing. Hence it comes that when I exalt faith and reject such works done without faith, they accuse me of forbidding good works, when in truth I am trying hard to teach real good works of faith.

Dave: Did you catch that? Luther used the term “good works” but another name for that is obedience. Without faith, without a purified heart, your “good works,” your obedience counts for nothing. And that is the point of the book of James.

Miles: All right, we have to take a quick break but when we come back, let’s dive into James.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Dave: Let’s talk about faith and works for a few minutes. Luther acknowledged the place of good deeds, but in his limited perspective he viewed works (or obedience) as being opposed to faith.

Miles: Faith versus works.

Dave: Right. I want to talk about faith and works.

When people debate faith versus works—

Miles: Like Luther did.

Dave: —And like we still are today, there’s one main point we tend to forget. And that is, that everything that is necessary for salvation, everything we need to do, everything we need to be, everything we need to have done, is all a gift. And that includes the gift of faith.

Miles: I like that. We don’t talk about the “gift of faith” very often, and yet it’s a gift, too! I know for the longest time, I somehow had this idea that faith was something really righteous people somehow attained.

Dave: What changed your perspective?

Miles: Romans 12, verse 3. Let me turn there really quickly … It says, quote: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as Yah hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” Unquote.

That last line is crucial: Yah hath dealt to every man a measure of faith. We don’t even have the excuse of lacking faith. We’ve all been given some.

Dave: And the “measure of faith” we’ve been given should be nurtured. We need to make a conscious effort to nurture what we’ve been given, so that it will grow, but it’s still a gift. And that measure of faith is sufficient to grasp the promises of Yah that assure us of salvation. So, you’re right. There is no excuse for anyone to claim that they lack faith. We’ve all been gifted with enough to at least believe we’ll be given more if we ask for it.

Now then, we come to the real crux of the matter and that is, as we said before, obedience itself is a gift.

Miles: I don’t think most Christians understand that. We’re not used to viewing obedience as a gift. Obedience is something we’re supposed to do! It just sounds wrong to say that obedience is a gift!

Dave: It may “sound” wrong, but it’s the truth and James knew it. Let’s turn to James 1. He opens his epistle with a gentle warning. Would you read verses 16 to 18, please?

Miles: “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”

Dave: How many gifts come to us from the Father?

Miles: “Every good and perfect gift.”

Dave: This includes obedience! Just as forgiveness is a gift, just as justification is a gift, just as faith is a gift, so is obedience. So now, let’s talk about works that flow from that gift of faith.

Within Christianity today, there’s a dichotomy. Many of the most “worldly” Christians often appear to be the ones who are most filled with the joy of the Lord! They’re non-judgmental, kind to others; overflowing with internal joy.

At the same time, many of the most legalistic Christians, are actually the most sincerely devout — even when laboring under an immense burden of guilt!

Miles: It’s true. They still love Yah; they still want to do what’s right, even though they’re far more burdened than their more worldly brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s strange.

Dave: Not really. You see, they both have some truth and Satan has made sure they both have some error. The joy-filled, “worldly” Christians have embraced the truth of righteousness by faith alone. That’s why they’re filled with joy! However, at the same time, they are quick to fall into the trap of rejecting obedience as nothing more than legalism.

Then there are the conservative Christians. They’re laboring under this incredibly heavy burden, thinking their continued state of grace is dependent upon their obedience to the divine law. And they’re right to believe in the perpetuity of the divine law! What does Malachi say in Malachi 3:6? “For I am Yahuwah …?”

Miles: “I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Dave: The law of Yahuwah is still binding. If Adam and Eve fell for breaking it, you’re not going to get into Yah’s kingdom on earth by continuing to do the very thing that got Adam and Eve kicked out of paradise!

Miles: That’s true.

Dave: The problem is, and the burden these admittedly very sincere people struggle with, is that, having accepted the gift of salvation, they feel they must now cooperate with Yah by resisting Satan’s temptations in their own strength.

Miles: And the one thing both groups have in common is that they don’t understand obedience is also a gift.

Dave: Precisely. James understood this, though. You’ve still got James 1? Read verses 21 to 25. Let’s see what he says.

Miles:

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Dave: Notice it is the “implanted word” that enables recipients to be doers of the word. This is huge, and this is what Luther did not understand. It’s only when we receive the gift of faith, along with the gift of Yahuwah’s own righteousness implanted in our hearts—

Miles: Because that’s a gift, too!

Dave: Right. It’s only then can we render true obedience that is acceptable to Yah.

Yahushua understood this point. He knew that … good works, acts of righteousness, obedience—whatever you want to call it, he knew that all of these were only acceptable to Yah when they flowed naturally from a purified heart.

Miles: I can see that. Because if your heart has been supernaturally purified, you are going to have the law of Yah inscribed on it.

Dave: One Sabbath, Yahushua and the disciples passed through some grain fields. The disciples were hungry, so as they passed by, they picked some of the stalks of grain, rubbed them between their hands to remove the chaff and ate it. This was perfectly acceptable in their culture. It wasn’t considered stealing.

The Pharisees, though, started quibbling. The disciples were eating with unwashed hands!

Miles: Oh, horrors!

Dave: Yahushua used this as an opportunity to explain to the Pharisees why only works that stem from faith are acceptable to Yah. Let’s read his explanation. Matthew 12, 33 to 35.

Miles: It says:

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.

Dave: Yahushua wasn’t lecturing them in an effort to get them to increase their works. Instead, he was appealing to them to allow the Father to cleanse their hearts. Then, the works that they were trying to do through their own efforts, would flow easily and naturally! The obedience would be the result of having a transformed heart—itself a gift of divine, creative power.

I want to make this absolutely clear: we do not keep the law in order to be saved. Instead, once we have been saved, once we have accepted that gift, obedience is the natural response of the heart that loves. We love much, because we have been forgiven much.

Miles: Ah, yes. John 14:15 – “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Dave: “If you love me …”

If we love Yah, obedience will be natural. It will be the fruit, or evidence, of our love, which is born from the realization of how much we are loved to have been forgiven so much.

Miles: What you’re saying is, obedience comes from faith. Faith isn’t produced after you obey.

Dave: Correct. In fact, it’s impossible to obey without first being gifted with faith. James explains this in his second chapter, verses 14 to 26. I know this is a long passage, but it’s the very heart of this truth.

Go ahead.

Miles: It says, uh . . .

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed Yahuwah, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of Yah.

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Dave: The gift of obedience is the result of the gift of a transformed heart.

You don’t need to deny the perpetuity of the law of Yah because you’re afraid you can’t keep it. The truth is: you can’t! Neither can I. Not in our own power.

Obedience is a struggle and a burden … when you attempt to do it in your own strength. But Yahuwah doesn’t expect that from anyone! He’s offering each of us the gift of a purified, new heart with His law inscribed on it.

Miles: Ezekiel 36:26-27: ^“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

Dave: Paul concurred. In Philippians 2, verse 13 he said, quote: “It is Yahuwah which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Unquote.

This is a gift. It’s an act of divine, creative power. Yahuwah does this without any help from us. Then, our response (which is obedience) is acceptable to Him.

Miles: That’s what David was talking about in Psalm 40! Verse 8 says: “I delight to do thy will, O Yahuwah; yea, thy law is within my heart.”

Dave: Like you said: our Creator is also our re-Creator. Our part is to accept the gift of faith, and the gift of obedience will follow in its wake. Then, obedience will no longer be a burden, but the natural outflow of your new heart.

* * *

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* * *Advertisement* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: All right! The question from our Daily Mailbag is coming from Merpati in Medan on the island of Sumatra.

Dave: Sumatra—that’s one place I’d really like to visit someday. Did you know that Sumatra is home to the world’s largest flower? It’s a deep crimson color and it’s gigantic: it gets up to a meter across and weighs 7 kilos!

Miles: Yeah, I’ve heard about that. Smells like rotting meat, I’m told.

Dave: Can’t have everything, I guess. So what’s Merpati’s question?

Miles: She writes: “Dear WLC: I am really struggling with a particular situation. Someone recently betrayed me. I am really struggling with not just the sense of betrayal, but anger as well. I don’t want this to consume me, but it is. I know I have to forgive them, but I honestly don’t know how. And I don’t know what to do with this overwhelming anger I feel for the person who wronged me so much. Does the Bible have any promise or guidance for such a situation?”

Dave: Yes, actually, it does.

First, I want to say this: a lot of Christians in your situation, Merpati, add a burden of guilt to the overwhelming burden they’re already carrying, by feeling guilty for being angry.

Anger, in and of itself, isn’t necessarily a sin.

Miles: Okay. You’ve caught my attention. I always thought anger was a sin. Can’t really “turn the other cheek” if you’re angry.

Dave: A lot of Christians make that assumption. But I repeat: anger, in and of itself, is not necessarily a sin. Scripture speaks of Yahuwah’s “wrath.” Well, if wrath were a sin, Yahuwah wouldn’t feel it, would He?

Miles: Sooo … what are you saying?

Dave: Anger is a normal, healthy response to injustice. It’s the heart crying out to have a wrong made right. The point is, what do we do with that anger? And that, I believe, is at the crux of Merpati’s struggle.

There is a promise in Scripture that is given just for such circumstances. Turn to Romans 12 and read verse 19. This is a promise to claim when you’ve been wronged and it is what allows us to move beyond a betrayal or wrong, and not let the anger consume us.

Miles: All right. It says: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says Yahuwah.”

Dave: When we trust in Yahuwah to provide justice for us, we can let the anger go. That is an important step in forgiving the person who has wronged us. Forgiveness isn’t an emotion. It’s a choice.

Miles: Say that again?

Dave: Forgiveness isn’t an emotion. It’s a choice. And once you trust in Yahuwah to provide justice, you can make that choice, regardless of how hurt or angry you may still be.

That does not mean you can necessarily reconcile with the person who wronged you. I don’t know the circumstances of Merpati’s betrayal or what she’s talking about, but this is a principle to remember: reconciliation and forgiveness are two different things. Forgiveness is what you do, following the example of Yahuwah who has forgiven us for our sins.

Reconciliation, however, is only possible when the other person has repented of the wrong.

Miles: That’s a good point. Ultimately, only sinners who have repented are given eternal life. Those who continue in rebellion don’t.

Dave: Right. So, stopping the mistreatment, stopping the abuse, or the betrayal, or whatever the issue has been, is a prerequisite for reconciliation, but it doesn’t have to be for forgiveness. Forgiveness is a choice, and it’s a choice that is easier to make once we realize that we can trust Yahuwah to see justice done.

Miles: I want to share Jeremiah 9:24 with everyone. When you’ve been wronged and you have no way of getting justice, this is another promise to claim. It says, quote:

Thus says Yahuwah:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am Yahuwah, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says Yahuwah.

Dave: That’s a really comforting promise.

Miles: It’s always meant a lot to me. It’s saying that Yahuwah delights in justice! If you’ve been wronged, you can trust Him to see justice done.

Okay, next up is a question from Sue and Chad McDowall in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States.

Dave: Aw, yes. Atlanta! Where it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole.

Miles: What?? Where do you come up with this stuff?

Dave: Well, a better question would be: What incident led to their passing that law in the first place?

Miles: Right! Right! That’s crazy.

All right, Sue and Chad write: “A while ago, we watched your video about the pagan origins of Christmas. After doing some more study on the subject, we have been convicted that we should no longer observe Christmas. The problem is our families. Christmas has always been our time to get together and spend time with family and see loved ones we don’t otherwise get to see during the year. If we stay away, it will not be understood at all. What advice can you give us on how to handle this?”

Dave: Hmm. Yes, that’s a rather delicate situation.

Miles: Well, yeah. Especially when dealing with family who don’t share similar convictions, it would be very easy to cause hurt feelings. You want to witness, but you don’t want to offend. How do you balance on that tight rope?

Dave: In any situation like this, the best way to find your way through the booby traps and pitfalls of emotionally fraught interpersonal relationships is to act on principle. Turn to Matthew 10. Here, Christ gives us a very broad principle that can be applied in many different situations.

You have it? All right. Read verse 16, please.

Miles: “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”

Dave: Yahushua knew all about difficult family relationships. His own stepbrothers didn’t accept him as the Messiah until after his death. In Matthew 10, he’s saying: “You are going to find yourself in sticky situations, even dangerous situations.”

His solution is to be wise as a serpent, while being harmless as a dove.

Miles: It’s a good principle to follow but how do we do that? Practically speaking, in Sue and Chad’s situation, what does that look like? How are they to be wise as serpents, while still being harmless as doves?

Dave: By avoiding the sin—Christmas, and loving the sinners—family. Yahuwah is the god of time. “December” on the Gregorian calendar is still time under Yah’s control. Life exists and time continues because of His omnipotence and power. So, having a family get-together isn’t automatically a sin just because it works into people’s schedules the best in December.

Miles: I can see how going to the grandparents’ house for a meal wouldn’t be a problem, but what about if they do gift exchanges? That’s all part of Christmas.

Dave: Context is everything. We give gifts at other times of the year and it’s not a problem. If the gift exchange is blatantly linked to part of the Christmas celebrations, a simple statement ahead of time should suffice. Simply say, “We’re not celebrating Christmas this year, so don’t feel under pressure to get us any presents. But we’re still looking forward to spending time with the family.”

Then, if they inquire, you can casually share, one-on-one, your own convictions.

Miles: The best witness is always that which is lived, rather than preached.

Dave: Exactly.

Now, if you’re going to a relative’s house and you’d normally take a hostess gift, you can still do that. That’s not Christmas. That’s good manners.

Again, there are ways to be kind and gracious and maintain your standards, without hurting your loved ones who may not have had a chance to learn what you’ve learned.

Miles: Speaking of which, what’s the believer’s responsibility when it comes to sharing his or her convictions in a situation like this? This could get really awkward because, for a lot of people, Christmas is the “best time of the year.”

They’re excited to see family; they’re anticipating Christmas. And you come in denouncing it as pagan, they’re going to resent that.

Dave: Of course! This is where being wise as a serpent comes in. You don’t need to make them feel bad about something they’re looking forward to. Be happy for their joy; love them for being family.

But you don’t have to be sanctimonious. When asked, share. Otherwise, let your silent witness be an opening for the Holy Spirit to draw them.

Turn to Luke 15 and read verses 1 to 7 for us. This is our guide on how to handle such interactions.

Miles: All right. It says:

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to him to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” So he spoke this parable to them, saying:

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.”

Dave: There’s an old proverb that says: “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

You don’t need to denounce anyone. It’s not your job to convict the heart. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job. Your job is simply to show love, kindness, and compassion just as Yahushua did. That is what drew sinners to Christ, and is always appropriate in any social situation.

Miles: Kindness always pays.

Keep sending us your questions and comments. Just click on Contact Us on WorldsLastChance.com.

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

Chanda Miller was absolutely thrilled when she learned she was pregnant. Babies are a blessing and Chanda, like mommies do, dreamed of the day she could meet and hold her baby.

At nine weeks, however, she began to bleed. Her doctor sent her for an ultra-sound, but the nurse couldn’t find a heartbeat. Not only that, but she couldn’t find a baby, either. The doctor was called in for a second opinion but couldn’t find a heartbeat, either, or even a baby!

More tests were done. A week after the first ultrasound, Chanda received an e-mail that said, quote: “This looks like a pregnancy that started to grow and then ceased to do so. You can wait for the tissue to pass, or we can use medication to hasten a miscarriage, or we can schedule a D & C (dilation and curettage).”

Chanda was heartbroken. To have to choose between letting nature take its course, forcing a miscarriage, or a D & C, was a choice no woman should ever have to make. In a single week, she had gone from expecting a baby, to having it referred to as nothing more than “tissue.”

As Chanda wept and mourned the life that was never meant to be, she decided the only thing she could do for her baby was to leave it in Yah’s hands and allow her body to do what it should do naturally. However, after another week and a half, her body still hadn’t miscarried so she and her husband scheduled a D & C.

At the hospital, the surgeon came in to speak to the couple. He was concerned that none of the previous ultrasounds had been able to find a baby at all. Before going in, he wanted to do another ultrasound to rule out the possibility of cancer or ovarian cysts that might mimic a pregnancy. The possibility of cancer was frightening, but Chanda decided that if she could trust Yah with her baby, she could trust Him with her body as well.

Minutes later, as a final ultrasound was performed, she was relieved to hear the technician say: “Well, there’s the baby.”

Oh, good! That meant it wasn’t cancer. Then the most startling words of all: “Ah! And it looks like it has a nice heartbeat. It’s moving around real good in there.”

Say, what? She not only had a baby, but it was still alive?? Chanda felt overwhelmed with shock and disbelief which quickly gave way to joy and awe as she gazed at the images of the 11-week old baby swimming around, safe in her womb.

News spread quickly and soon other people streamed in, nurses, techs, even other patients, all in awe and thrilled for the happy parents.

In remembering that happy moment, Chanda said, quote:

[Yah] is a God of miracles. He is the same God who parted the Red Sea, made manna fall from heaven, and brought the dead back to life. The child who once was lost had been returned to me. The words of Mary in Luke 1 ran over and over in my mind and still do: “My soul magnifies [Yahuwah], and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. … For He who is mighty has done great things for me” [Luke 1:46-47, 49.]

We live in a world of sin. Bad things do happen—even to believers! But through it all we can trust in the love of the heavenly Father. Psalm 29 verse 11 says: “Yahuwah will give strength to His people; Yahuwah will bless His people with peace.”

Yahuwah is in control. Through every trial and adversity, you can trust in Him.

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming!

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Today’s topic reminded me of a story I recently read on line. Apparently, there’s a woman by the name of Barbara Kochlin in the United States who is giving away an historical house that she inherited from her grandmother.

Dave: She’s just giving it away. For free.

Miles: That’s right!

Dave: What’s the catch?

Miles laughs: You know there’s got to be one, right? Well, it’s a large, 4-bedroom home. There are beautiful wooden floors. It’s even got its own cupola. From the pictures I saw, the architecture looks like a Victorian-era home.

Dave: I repeat: What’s the catch?

Miles: The catch is that, although you can have the home for free, you have to move it. If you take ownership of the house, it’s just the house; not the land on which it rests. So, you can have it if you want it, but according to the current owner, it’s going to cost around fifty-thousand dollars to move it, and another hundred and fifty to fix it up.

Dave: So, not as appealing as one would like to think.

Miles: No. If something sounds too good to be true, it’s usually because … it is too good to be true.

Dave: That’s right. So why did this remind you of today’s topic?

Miles: Well, more by way of contrast. As humans, we tend to be suspicious of things that appear “too good to be true.” Your question was a perfect case in point. I tell you there’s a woman giving away a free home and your first question was …?

Dave: What’s the catch.

Miles: Yeah! And, unfortunately, this attitude carries over to spiritual matters as well. The good news of the gospel is that salvation is a free gift through faith in the merits of Yahushua’s blood. That’s good news! And yet …

Dave: And yet, subconsciously, we start wondering: “What’s the catch?”

Miles: Exactly. We know that his blood covers our sins and we stand before Yah as though we’d never sinned, but then, somehow, we get it twisted around in our brain that the gift was for the past. But, going forward, our ability to maintain that state of grace, that state of being saved, rests with us. It’s up to us to overcome; it’s up to us to, by untiring, diligent effort and the sweat of our brow, to gain the victory.

Dave: Or at least, our efforts powered by Yah’s strength.

Miles: But that’s not it at all! Sure, Yah’s not going to do anything that is against our will. He is a lover of liberty, after all, and will always guarantee our freedom of choice. But beyond that, it’s all Him. Even the faith necessary to overcome is a gift!

Dave: That’s the only way.

Miles: As Yah is restoring truth, the devil is fighting like never before against it, bringing in error and confirming people in that error.

Dave: We can’t get through in our own strength or wisdom. We can’t even do it in our strength and wisdom combined with Yah’s strength and wisdom. It’s got to be all Yah.

It’s not: Yah + Dave = Victory. It’s Yahuwah alone. Our part is simply to make the choice to accept the gift. That’s all we can do. Accept the gifts that Yahuwah is willing to give. Then, and only then, will we begin to see victories as Yah works in us “to will and to do according to His good pleasure.”

Miles: Obedience that comes from faith; not faith that comes from obedience.

Dave: It’s a gift and there are no catches. Turn to Psalm 103 and read verses 11 to 14. This passage is describing Yah’s love and the gifts He gives in a very profound way.

Go ahead once you’ve got it.

Miles: All right, it says:

For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So Yahuwah pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

Dave: He knows we can’t do it. He “remembers that we are dust.” And the beautiful thing is, He doesn’t expect us to. We’re so busy worrying that there’s a catch, we put on ourselves the burden of overcoming in our own strength. That’s a burden Yah has never placed on any of us. He knows it’s impossible.

As a parent, do you ask of your child the impossible?

Miles: No, of course not. You help.

Dave: Exactly. And that’s what Yah does. He helps. He gives us His strength. He gives us the gift of faith so that we can claim every promise we need. He gives us the merits of, not only Yahushua’s sinless death, but His blameless life as well. All we have to do is to trust His word and accept the gifts He gives by faith.

Miles: Amen. No one in Yah’s kingdom will ever claim to have had any part in getting themselves there. Join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

* * *

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In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.