Tag: Jehovah

Come home

September 7, 2025

I just listened to the song “The Cross” and I am thinking that we should go home to the empty tomb. The cross is a symbol of death. The tomb is a place of finality. The empty tomb is our reminder of eternity and life.

Come home to the risen Jesus. God incarnate, who wants you to rest in Him. Jesus’ words during His ministry on Earth were words of encouragement. He spoke of love not condemnation. He asked us to be better than we ever had been before. We are taught to be kind and considerate of others.

Judgement is reserved for the Father. (Matthew 7:1) Jesus’ ministry is forgiveness and service. He gave those instructions to us, His followers. Let’s walk in His light, (1 John 1:7) not sit on our fears and expect others to do the job for us. The empty tomb is a reminder of life.

Do not let anyone tell you that anything is beyond you. He has not asked you to be afraid. We are to be brave and courageous. (Joshua 1:9) I heard a saying about suicide. “It is a final solution to a temporary problem.” Our country is not going to hell in a handbasket.

You may be going to hell. Unless you have decided to come home to the empty tomb. Jehovah came to this Earth because we needed a Savior. (John 1:14) He was the ultimate sacrifice. Understand that the Hebrew system of sacrifices was created to show that it was a waste of time and resources.

When Jesus was being tried, convicted, and executed for being the King of the Jews, they were sacrificing lambs for Passover. (Matthew 26:2) That is why resurrection Sunday traditionally falls after this Jewish celebration. Joseph and Nicodemus placed the dead body in Joseph’s new tomb. (Matthew 27:57-60, John 19:38-42)

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning are the three days that are the sign of Jonah. This is the only example that Jesus would give the Sanhedrin. (Matthew 12:38-40) Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and on the third day he was puked up on the shore. Why do you think the Ninevites repented?

A bleached white Hebrew wanders their streets screaming that Jehovah will destroy them. (Jonah 2:10-3:6) Of course they believed him. If he had not spent the last three days in the fish no one would have noticed another crazy Jew. If Jesus had not spent three days in the tomb and come out of it, you and I would be locked in ours for eternity.

Come home to the empty tomb. Leave your grave clothes behind and become a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is what the Christ has done for you. It is not a new story. That is why I have given you the scripture references so that you can check my reasoning with the Bible. By the way, BIBLE is an acronym. Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. Don’t leave here without it.

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

The Book of Love

May 29, 2025

In 1957 the song “Who Wrote the Book of Love?” came out. As a youngster, I did not understand what love was and the actual meaning that question held.  Is there a book of love and if so, who is the author? As a writer, authorship is of personal importance. I have learned that the Book of Love is also known as the Bible. It has many authors and many of the Bible books speak of love.

Let’s take the book of Genesis first. Jehovah created the universe. He also made men and women, the Hebrew Nation, and the freewill He gave them caused a lot of trouble for humanity. He showed His love for us by giving us a second chance. Even if you do not believe in a worldwide flood, I hope you can see that exterminating almost all the people on the planet was an act of love.

The next four books finish out what is referred to as The Law. It can be difficult to understand why a loving God would create these rules that many believe spoil their fun. The Law is Yahweh’s love letter to humanity. We rejected His love when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.

You and I had no choice at that time. Today, we do have the opportunity to say yes or no to Jesus. He showed His love to us by giving His life to renew the relationship that was lost in the garden. The Law was put in place to show us that we had missed the mark. That is what sin is. Being unable to accomplish what we need to do is a failure.

The books of history from Joshua through Esther tell how Jehovah kept trying to convince the Israelites and Gentiles of God’s love. God guides the Hebrews to take the land He has given them. Killing those who oppose God’s law may not seem like love to you. Jehovah wants the Children of Israel to learn who He is and who He can be to them. Israel as a nation needed to give Yahweh a place to be born and teach us what He wants to do for us.

Poetry like Job and Psalms tell us about love. God’s love is shown to Job by not allowing Satan to destroy him and giving him a new life as we can have through Christ. Look at Psalm 8, 23, or 119. These are love songs from David and others to God. The 119th Psalm declares the writer’s love for the law, word, and statutes of our Lord.

Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are books of wisdom from Solomon and David. The love of a father is expressed throughout the proverbs and is seen in the frustration of the preacher and his realization that the only thing that we can believe in is Jehovah and His promises.

The greatest love story in the Bible is in the Song of Solomon. The King of Israel declares his love for an unidentified woman. As a teenager, I found the use of certain terms such as breasts to be sexual. They are but God created them and sex. The language describes the sexual desire of a man for a woman. This can be an expression of love.

Both the major and the minor prophets show the love that Jehovah has for the Hebrews as well as all the people of the world. These books predict the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus and identify Him as the son of God and heir to David’s throne for eternity. What more can love be, than that God would become a man and die for us.

The gospels and the book of Acts show us Jesus’ love for humanity and how the plan of salvation through his death and resurrection brings us to new life through Him. His words of love for mankind and His promises to get us into His presence speak volumes.

The New Testament letters all point us to the fact that our only hope is accepting the salvation that Christ brought us. These were written by several men who Knew Jesus both as a man on this earth and as their Savior and Lord after His resurrection.

Revelation is the final statement of God to His followers. He wants us to know that we will win the battle with Satan. We don’t know when this war between Jehovah’s goodness and the rejection of Him which is evil, began. It will end in time at some point in our future. Much of this book is a mystery.

Symbolism is rampant here. The love of Christ which is the love of God is shown in those who love Him coming to be in His presence and those who reject Him will spend an eternity separated from the one they would not even acknowledge existed. Which are you?

©Copyright 2025 by Charles Kensinger

What is in a name?

September 19, 2024

William Shakespeare wrote in “Romeo and Juliet”, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” We do not know where the name Rose came from. I do know where my mother took the name Charles for me. It came from a character in the soap opera “As The World Turns.”

That is what she told me all my life. While researching this column I discovered that this TV show appeared after I was born. Another myth is busted. Now I am wondering where my name came from. An old boyfriend? Charlie Tuna? 1961 was his debut. Charles De Gaulle? I hope not. One of his middle names is Marie. Prince Charles? That would be cool since he is now Charles III king of Great Britain. He was just a kid when I was born.

Names are very important. Mom called where I worked and asked for Charles. She was told that no one by that name worked there. The guy who said that was a new hire and did not know that Chuck is a nickname for Charles. She read him the riot act.  She once told our pastor that my name was not Chuck. She had given me the name Charles.

I adopted the name Chuck in college. I thought Chuck Kensinger reporting from London would sound better. I use Chuck for all my friends and for my fiction. All my non-fiction is under my given name. When we meet, call me Chuck.

God had a problem with Moses when he first called him to lead the Israelites from Egypt. He asked who he should say sent him. Jehovah or Yahweh is translated as “I am that I am.” In Hebrew, it literally means “I am, I was, and I will always be.” Pretty specific, right.

He has other names given in the Bible as well. Jehovah Jirah, El Shaddai, Jesus Christ, and many others. Don’t worry, He will answer no matter what you call Him because He knows when you are talking to Him. I start my prayers with precious Jesus. It works for me.

The important thing is to talk to Him whenever you want to. I think He listens to everyone. That’s kind of His thing. Give Him a call. Don’t forget to listen with your spirit. That is how He communicates with us. If you’ve accepted His son Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you will have a better connection. Try Him, you’ll like Him.

©Copyright 2024 by Charles Kensinger