Danglers

 Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

 

We’ve all seen those scenes in movies where people are dangling over a cliff or the edge of a skyscraper and they are slowly losing their fingertip grip. Then along comes the hero and stretches his arm out and it just doesn’t quite reach, but he keeps stretching and stretching and at the last moment he is able to grab the danglers hand  and pull him or her to safety.

 

Do you know of any danglers in your life? Who do you know who’s hanging over the cliff of hellfire and damnation? Who do you know who is in danger of slipping into the abyss? Maybe it’s you!

 

Bring that person to the Lord in prayer. Jesus is the only hope for rescue. His arm is never too short and never too weak. And His ears are never so heavy that HE cannot hear our pleas for help.

 

A word of warning. A refusal to turn away from our sins, drowns out our voice “so that HE will not hear.” It is the unmuffled voice of a sincere contrite heart that the Lord responds too as the Psalmist tells us in Ps 51:17, “A broken and contrite heart, These O God, You will not despise.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

It's About Clarity

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

I’m still here! Just have a lot on my plate with Bible Study prep work and filling in an air shift at The Family radio station. But today as I was doing my morning devotion, I feel compelled to speak.

 

I want to address the matter of sugar-coated preaching and teaching from the Word of God. I know I am guilty of it often for fear of stepping on toes. Sometimes we preachers have a tendency to dance all around sin without getting specific, lest we “offend” anyone! We speak in generalities that miss the mark, and the fluff we substitute for the Word of God, gets carried away by the winds of culture.

 

Listen to what the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah in Isa 58:1 "Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins.

 

The trumpet is not about noise, it’s about clarity. Spell it out! Plainly, clearly. Call sin…sin, so that people have something specific to repent of, something to have “godly sorrow” over. 2Co 7:10 For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted;

 

Give people something that clearly needs to be repented of, and open the door to the clarion call of repentance that leads to salvation through the forgiveness of sins through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  

 

The Law and the Gospel are not generalities. They are specific for each one of us. Eze 18:20 "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

 

It’s not about noise….it’s about clarity!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

Lord, Give Us More Hezekiah's

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:28 This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died. 29 "Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, Because the rod that struck you is broken; For out of the serpent's roots will come forth a viper, And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.

 

The Philistines are warned here to not think more highly of themselves than  they ought. The only reason they were able to conquer some territory from Judah was because God was judging Judah for the wicked acts and unfaithfulness of  King Ahaz.

 

Now that Ahaz is dead, a new King is reigning. His name was Hezekiah! 2Ki 18:3 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father David had done.

 

One of the first things that Hezekiah did was carry out the accumulated trash

of the temple, we pick up the story in 2Ch 29:4 Then he brought in the priests and the Levites, and gathered them in the East Square, 5 and said to them: "Hear me, Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, sanctify the house of the LORD God of your fathers, and carry out the rubbish from the holy place. 6 "For our fathers have trespassed and done evil in the eyes of the LORD our God; they have forsaken Him, have turned their faces away from the dwelling place of the LORD, and turned their backs on Him. 7 "They have also shut up the doors of the vestibule, put out the lamps, and have not burned incense or offered burnt offerings in the holy place to the God of Israel. 8 "Therefore the wrath of the LORD fell upon Judah and Jerusalem, and He has given them up to trouble, to desolation, and to jeering, as you see with your eyes. 9 "For indeed, because of this our fathers have fallen by the sword; and our sons, our daughters, and our wives are in captivity.

 

Hezekiah knew that the apostasy of the church had led to easy pickings for the enemies of the Israelites and the subsequent victories of the Philistines.

 

Note well what he did. He cleared the temple of the accumulated rubbish.

 

Friends if we in the church wish to have victory over the enemies of God, we need to clean out the rubbish that has found its way into the church. So many things that have been accepted by the world, things that are contrary to the Word of God, have found their way into the church and they continue to pile up at an alarming rate.

 

And instead of going after these morally lax behaviors, with preaching that says, “Thus saith the Lord,” we look the other way, not wishing to offend anyone.

 

Underneath all that rubbish in the church you will find the forgotten truths of Scripture. Truth that has been judged too harsh for the general population.

 

The result is our posterity (like the days of Ahaz) have been carried off to captivity…in bondage to the sins that so easily enslave us.

 

These truths that in reality set us free, are not harsh, merely forgotten, buried under the rubbish of compromise with the world.

 

Pray the Lord will raise up a generation of Hezekiahs. Church leaders who have the courage to call sin, sin, and point people to the only remedy for sin…the cross.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

When Moral Decline Is Encouraged

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:28 This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died. 29 "Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, Because the rod that struck you is broken; For out of the serpent's roots will come forth a viper, And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.

 

King Ahaz is dead and God uses the opportunity to unload against those thorns in the side of His people…the Philistines. At this point it would do us well to revisit the reign of King Ahaz who came to power at the ripe old age of 20 and  “he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the LORD his God,”

 

Uh oh, “he didn’t do right!” This poor spiritual leadership of King Ahaz opened the door to military gains by the Philistines as they conquered and occupied several cities in Judah!  2Ch 28:18, tells us:“The Philistines also had invaded the cities of the lowland and of the South of Judah, and had taken Beth Shemesh, Aijalon, Gederoth, Sochoh with its villages, Timnah with its villages, and Gimzo with its villages; and they dwelt there.

 

Why were they successful in conquering these cities? Because the Lord used the Philistines to humble Ahaz due to his unfaithfulness to the Lord.

“For the LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had encouraged moral decline in Judah and had been continually unfaithful to the LORD. (2 Chr 28:19)

 

How did he encourage moral decline? 2Ki 16:3 But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel

 

He gave state approval to child sacrifice! And that should give us reason to pause and consider the state of our own nation. We have given state approval to child sacrifice ever since the 1973 Supreme Court decision known as Roe Vs Wade that legalized the killing of unborn children through the act of abortion.

 

We have given God an invitation to bring us low as a nation. Oh, we haven’t been physically invaded by any nation, but we have suffered losses in the areas of moral decline. Much ground has been lost due to our own unfaithfulness. Divorce, sexual immorality, gender confusion, and more continue to eat away at God’s righteous standards for living.

 

And we are a mess. The morally bankrupt Philistines of our day seem to be gaining every day! It’s a mess that only God can straighten out, and He will if we turn to Him. Moral ground can be retaken by a people who humble themselves, and it starts with you and I….the people who are called by God’s name…. Christians.

 

2Ch 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

When God Unloads

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:28 This is the burden which came in the year that King Ahaz died.

 

The burden. The next couple of chapters in Isaiah will deal with “burdens.” A burden spoken by a prophet is a load that has been placed on them and they need to unburden themselves from the load. They are compelled to speak, get it off their chest so to speak. In reality it is God unloading as he speaks through the prophets.

 

The burdens begin with God’s judgment against the Philistines here in chapter 14 and continues through chapter 23 with the burden against Tyre. Other areas that God will be “unloading” against will include, Damascus, (Chap 17) Egypt (Chap 19) The wilderness of the Sea (chap 21) Dumah (Chap 21) Arabia (Chap 21) and the Valley of vision (Chap 22)

 

Seven burdens, the same number of churches that Jesus “unloaded” on in the Book of Revelation. When God “unloads,” He wants us to pay attention and to learn, So in the days ahead, let’s see what we can learn from these “burdens” and apply them to our walk with Jesus.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

God's Got This

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:27 For the LORD of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?"

This is a truth that we need to grasp for those times that our world, and the world we live in seems to be spinning out of control. It is a constant comforting theme in Scripture. Listen to some other references to this truth is Scripture!

 

Jehoshaphat prayed it in  2Ch 20:6 and said: "O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?

We read of it in the Book of Job!

 

 Job 9:12 If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, 'What are You doing?'

 

 Job 23:13 "But He is unique, and who can make Him change? And whatever His soul desires, that He does.

 

Isaiah reaffirms it later in  Isa 43:13 Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?"

 

And in Daniel we read, Da 4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?"

 

Armed with the knowledge of the Sovereignty of God, we can endure knowing the truth of Ro 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

Beloved, sometimes it’s not very pretty, but be assured God’s got this

And He will work it out for good.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

God Will Not Be Thwarted

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:23 "I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, And marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," says the LORD of hosts. 24 The LORD of hosts has sworn, saying, "Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, And as I have purposed, so it shall stand: 25 That I will break the Assyrian in My land, And on My mountains tread him underfoot. Then his yoke shall be removed from them, And his burden removed from their shoulders. 26 This is the purpose that is purposed against the whole earth, And this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.

The mighty Assyrian empire will be turned into a wasteland. All that they had built in their own strength, all their proud accomplishments made desolate to suit the purposes of our Sovereign God!

 

And indeed it came to pass because it was the Lord’s thinking and served His purposes. The destruction of Babylon in the 4^th century before Christ is a historical fact. The Greek historian Strabo described the ruins in much the same way Isaiah described it here.

 

Let us learn from this! God’s purpose as demonstrated for us here against Assyria is a message for us for all times. God will not be thwarted. The time is coming for the devil and his servants, when his yoke and sway over the peoples of the earth will be forever done away with.

The devil was “trod underfoot” when Jesus died on the cross and three days later rose from the dead! He is already defeated, and the full realization of that victory will be consummated when Jesus returns in full power and glory!

 

This “trodding underfoot” was promised way back in the Garden when God told the devil, “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." (Gen 3:15)

 

It was in God’s thoughts and purposes from the very beginning, and every overthrowing of every wicked regime should always serve as a reminder to us that God’s “hand is stretched out over all the nations.”

 

He is Sovereign and one day the yoke of the wicked one will be forever removed from the earth!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

Hearing from the Holy Spirit

  

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

The question was asked of me earlier this week, “What do I have to do to hear from God? How does the Holy Spirit speak to us? The short answer is, “through His Word….the Bible.

 This morning, while reading in Isaiah chapter 50, I think we get some helpful advice in that regard. What are some things that that can help us hear the Holy Spirit more clearly?

 

First of all, God is looking for men (and women) of courage. Isa 50:2 says, “Why, when I came, was there no man? Why, when I called, was there none to answer?

 

He’s looking for courage and loyalty! 2Ch 16:9 "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.

 

Courage is a direct product of conviction. If you are convinced of a truth, courage to act will follow. (Thy Word is truth! Jn 17:17)

Secondly, you must make time to get into the Word. You gotta read the Bible! Make it a regular habit!

 

Isa 50:4 "The Lord GOD has given Me The tongue of the learned, That I should know how to speak A word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear To hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD has opened My ear; And I was not rebellious, Nor did I turn away.

 

But you must do more than read…you must trust and obey it. Don’t rebel against what God says in His Word and don’t turn away from it. And we’re back to courage again aren’t we?

 

This is not the complete word on “how to hear from the Holy Spirit,” but it’s a start, and I encourage you to begin ASAP.

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

The Generational Curse

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:21 Prepare slaughter for his children Because of the iniquity of their fathers, Lest they rise up and possess the land, And fill the face of the world with cities." 22 "For I will rise up against them," says the LORD of hosts, "And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, And offspring and posterity," says the LORD.

 

The pronouncement of judgment against Belshazzar continues. Not only will he face an inglorious death, not even given a sepulcher for honorable burial, but his name, his posterity will be expunged by the declaration of the Lord.

 

Oh but, “that’s so unfair,”  we say, but it’s not, for God has consistently warned His people against the consequences of worshiping something or someone rather than Him!

 

Ex 20:4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

 

Remember what Belshazzar had done on his last night on earth? Dan 5:4 tells us: . 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

 

Therefore, God’s judgement fell and Pr 10:7 seems fitting to mention here: The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.

 And

 Isa 47:9 But these two things shall come to you In a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness Because of the multitude of your sorceries, For the great abundance of your enchantments.

 

Do you still want to dabble in the occult? Do you still desire to put other things before God? Be forewarned then, that you are inviting a multigenerational curse into your family tree.

 

Thankfully, there is a solution. God is just in wielding out His forewarned punishments, but He also is merciful. He follows up His threat of punishment in Exodus with this promise from Ex 20:6, “but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep (treasure) My commandments.”

 

And Jesus tells us what we need to do to receive the fullness of God’s mercy in  Mr 1:15, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."

The reversal of the generational curse starts with you and I as we humble ourselves before the Lord. Our prayer is that our children will follow as they “work out their salvation.” In accordance with the Word of God!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

Weighed In the Balances and Found Wanting

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, And consider you, saying: 'Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world as a wilderness And destroyed its cities, Who did not open the house of his prisoners?' 18 "All the kings of the nations, All of them, sleep in glory, Everyone in his own house; 19 But you are cast out of your grave Like an abominable branch, Like the garment of those who are slain, Thrust through with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit, Like a corpse trodden underfoot. 20 You will not be joined with them in burial, Because you have destroyed your land And slain your people. The brood of evildoers shall never be named.

 

Belshazzar, the unrepentant idolatrous son of Nebuchadnezzar, is likely the target of this prophecy. Whereas King Neb repented after being brought low by God, Belshazzar was defiant to his inglorious end.

 

Greatly feared while he was in power with a kingdom marked by ruthless cruelty, now his lifeless body would not lie in state, but rather lie like a crumpled body trampled on a street, and passersby’s saying,  “Is this the man who made the earth tremble?” Some state funeral! Some fine eulogy!

 

What kind of man deserves this treatment? Let’s pick it up in Daniel chapter 5.

 

Da 5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. 2 While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. 3 Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. 4 They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone. 5 In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. 6 Then the king's countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other.

 

What words did that finger write on the plastered wall, that caused such terror to the king?  Daniel was summoned to interpret the writing and he told the king that God Himself had sent the fingers with the message: “ MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

5:26, "This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; 27 "TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; 28 "PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians."

30 That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain.

A chilling end for sure, but, unless the Lord tarries we must all come to an end. Heb 9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,”

 

How will you fare in the final weigh in? If you think your good works will outweigh the bad and that will be your ticket to heaven, think again. The Bible tells us that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags! Isa 64:6 But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

 

You may not be as wicked as Belshazzar, but without Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will, like Belshazzar, be weighed in the balances and found wanting.

Only those clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ, by grace through faith, will pass the muster.

 

It’s why God sent His only Son into the world. Believe that truth! Receive Christ and live!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

Pride Goes before the Fall

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

 

Say the name “Lucifer” and immediately we think of Satan. But the immediate application of this prophecy is leveled at Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. Babylonians worshipped the stars and King Neb had exalted himself as chief of all stars, by dealing God out of his accomplishments!

 

Da 4:30 The king spoke, saying, "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for a royal dwelling by my mighty power and for the honor of my majesty?"

 

Look how God dealt with this foolish pride!

 

Da 5:20 "But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him.

 

Of course this is the lot of all who would exalt themselves above God and the devil is the first and foremost example. This pride and attempt to exalt oneself over the domain of God was the sin mentioned in the New Testament Book of Jude:  

 

Jude 1:6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

 

They are chained….they can only go as far as God allows! And on Judgement Day, the devil and his rebels will be put away forever, never to disturb the earth again!

 

Jesus called it “the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” and all unbelievers! (Mt 25:41)

 

 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:

 

It’s true, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Prov 16:18)

 

It was true for Satan, it was true for King Neb, and it is true for you and I as well, God resists the proud and gives saving grace to the humble, (those who acknowledge His Son as Lord and Savior.) (James 4:6)

 

Just think about that as you “move and have your being” today. Are you living a life submitted to the Lordship of Jesus?  

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.

A Glimpse of Hell. Don't Be On the Welcoming Committee

 

 

Good day! I’m Duane Matz and this is Today’s Living Word:

 

Isa 14:9 "Hell from beneath is excited about you, To meet you at your coming; It stirs up the dead for you, All the chief ones of the earth; It has raised up from their thrones All the kings of the nations. 10 They all shall speak and say to you: 'Have you also become as weak as we? Have you become like us? 11 Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, And the sound of your stringed instruments; The maggot is spread under you, And worms cover you.'

 

Isaiah continues his judgment against the King of Babylon, (who is a personification of the devil) If hell were a person, it would be excited about his arrival. It would stir up all the dead and say, “Hey, look here’s here!” “The Mighty king of Babylon! (The devil himself cast into the eternal fires of hell, the place where the worm never dies! "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.' (Mk 9:44)

 

It is especially interesting to note here that the “chief ones,” in Hebrew means “goats” All the goats will greet him on that day and say, “Have you become as weak as we are?”

 

Where have you heard the term “goats” used by Jesus? Of course you know He mentioned them in the parable of the sheep and goats found in Mt 25: On Judgement Day the goats are on His left and the sheep on his right. The goats, (unrighteous due to their lack of saving faith in Jesus are sent to hell! Mt 25:46 "And these (the goats) will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

 

The prophet Ezekiel echoes this judgement in Eze 32:21 The strong among the mighty Shall speak to him out of the midst of hell With those who help him: 'They have gone down, They lie with the uncircumcised, slain by the sword.'

 

“ The occupants of hell, the uncircumcised or unrighteous if you will, (those without Christ) are lumped in with ”those who help the King of Babylon (the devil)

 

But you say, “I am not a helper for the devil! Well, without Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are the devils helper. Jesus said in Mt 12:30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. 31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

 

To resist the Holy Spirit’s call to saving faith through the gospel is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and makes you an enemy of Christ and an ally of the devil.

 

I wonder how many who have rejected Christ are aware of this truth. “hell is excited to see you! It means more wailing! More gnashing of teeth! More food for the worms and maggots! Another member of the fraternity of forever torment!

 

Sadly it appears that one of the chief ones awaiting the unbeliever is a king named Agrippa, who was “almost” persuaded to become a follower of Christ!

 

Ac 26:28 Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian." 29 And Paul said, (to the king and he says it to you and I as well)  "I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am,”

 

When you pass from this world, who do you want greeting you! The saints in heaven, or the tormented in hell?

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.