There is a song that was popular years ago called The Hammer. It was sung by Ray Boltz. It was a powerful song which I love to hear. It was about a man among the many who were present at the crucifixion of Jesus. He is asking who pounded the nails into Jesus to fasten Him to the cross. Finally it came to him that he was responsible for nailing Jesus to the cross. That is true of everyone of us. We are all guilty of Jesus dying on the cross.

No, it was not anyone else. It was you. It was me. Our sin caused this innocent Man to suffer and die on the cross of calvary. In April 1977 I surrendered my life to Jesus. Up to that point in time I had been a hard hearted atheist but His great love finally melted thru that hard heart. I made an altar to call upon the Lord.

And now this song below by Ray Boltz is one that speaks to my heart. I certainly am not perfect. I fail God all too often and have to get things right between Him and me. Thankfully He made a way I can do this … a way we all can do it.

It has been nearly 49 years now since I committed my life to Jesus. It has not always been smooth sailing. He said it would be a bit bumpy at times but He would always be with me. And He has been faithful thru it all. Ray Boltz sings another song which applies here.

I spent 8 years serving in the US Navy aboard destroyer ships. I was in Engineering (Repair Division) so I had nothing to do with the ship’s sailing or steaming along or navigation or anything like that. My job was welding, plumbing, fire fighting and damage control. Never the less there were times we used the ship’s anchor. Most of the time it held the ship in place, but occasionally we drug the anchor and it did not hold. When you are out to sea on a boat or ship you are totally dependent upon the sea. You are never farther than 8 miles from land (yes … straight down) but your life more less depends upon the ship. If anything happens to it you are in serious trouble. So you do whatever it takes to keep it afloat and seaworthy. A fire breaking out is a most serious matter even though you are surrounded by water. You can only introduce so much water inside of the ship before it effects the ship’s ability to safely function. Water is a powerful force and can totally destroy a ship … tearing it apart and sinking it. In rough seas a ship needs to be extremely careful how it deals with the power of the water. The last cruise I took aboard ship was such a time … a harrowing life threatening time when we nearly lost the ship and our lives. It happened as a result of a typhoon and it was nighttime … the worst scenario. That has nothing to do with what I am writing about here on this page other than to say our lives were spared that night. Of course, there is no way I could have gotten saved 4 months after I got out of the navy if I would have perished that night. And I would be spending eternity in hell if I had died that night. Of course, I did not realize that then but I certainly do now. I needed the Lord then. You may need Him now as people need the Lord whether they realize it or not.

That was one of the songs sung at the wedding of my wife and mine. My wife and I study the bible together daily. We just finished the books of Acts recently. It was good to go back thru the book of Acts as it tells the story of what was involved … what it cost … to establish Christianity in the world. It is amazing when we think of it. Just 12 men turned the then existing known world upside down. The cost they paid for spreading the Gospel was enormous. It cost 11 of the 12 their lives and they died a horrific death never denying Jesus. We too need to pledge allegiance to the Lamb of God … whatever the cost … even unto death.

What a demonstration of God’s love … stretching out His arms and dying on a cruel cross in our place …