It is Never too Late

Jesus told a parable about the lord of the vineyard who told his steward to hire laborers throughout the day (Matthew 20:8-20). At the end of the day, the landowner gave all of the workers the exact same amount of money.

Those who worked the longest hours in the hottest sun were mortified and bitter at what they perceived as the owner's unfairness. They believed they deserved more money than those who worked in the cooler part of the day for just a few hours.

We learn from this parable that God is not interested in how long we live in His service. We can rejoice in the fact that the people who come to Christ later in life are accepted by our Father with the same love as those of us who come to the Lord as a child or teenager.

We recently had the privilege of helping a couple who were both over 90 to come to faith in Christ. Other senior Saints were on death's door when God used us to share His gospel with them.

There is no greater feeling than to snatch people from Satan's hand in their last years/moments of life. We will spend eternity with them and rejoice around God's throne together.

It is never too late to humble our self under the mighty hand of God and submit our life to His capable hands. As we yoke with Him, He carries half our load; and when we are weary, He will even carry it all.

God provides for our every need - even the minutest details that consume our thoughts and emotions. He is trustworthy and deserves all of our praise and thanksgiving.

God's love consumes us as we stop worrying about the particulars of our life. We rest in His peace and know without a shadow of a doubt that as we cast our cares on Him, He really does care for us.

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for loving us enough to free us from our earthly bondage. We know that You listen to our prayers and answer us when we call on You in our trials and distress (Psalm 86:6-7). Remind us that You will always give us Your faith to live in such a way as to bring honor and glory to You.

The moment we take our eyes off You, fears and complications arise in our life, and we get entrenched in the carnal issues of this world. We want Your Word to fill us fully with Your Truth; so that we can encourage each other with thankfulness in our heart for all that You do for each one of us (Colossians 3:16).

Thought for the Day:

When we compare our life to others, we will be discontent; but when we focus on the life God provides for us, we realize the multitude of blessings He provides for us each and every day.

Sweeter than the Day Before

When we put our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we stop living for our self and instead live to serve Him in unity and holiness. He gives us a new life, which is so much better than our loneliness and deprivation.

God's Word urges us to live a holy life worthy of His call on our life (Ephesians 4:1). Jesus sets us free from our former bondage to sin (Romans 6:22) and exhorts us to follow Him and to be conformed to His image (Romans 8:29).

We are a new creation and we forsake the meager existence we formerly experienced on this earth (2 Corinthians 5:17). He renews our mind and gives us the mind of Christ, which no longer depends on human reasoning (Romans 12:2).

God fills us with His presence and Spirit and draws us ever closer to His will and ways. He challenges us to give Him our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is holy and pleasing to Him (Romans 12:1).

Daily, we depend on God as we face the obstacles and discouragements of life. We love Him more today than we did the day before. We dedicate to Him our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30).

His Spirit leads and guides us in His will, fills us with His fruit and gives us wisdom to face the questions and perplexities of our day (Galatians 5:22-23).

We take advantage of divine opportunities to share the love of Christ with everyone we meet. We never meet a stranger, but a potential friend and a possible fellow Believer.

We do not shy away from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others as God gives us opportunities; and they see the joy of the Lord in our life.

Prayer:

Father God, I trust in You, so never let me be put to shame by my relationship with You. Bow down Your ear to hear me, and deliver me in Your righteousness. From eternal damnation You save me.  You are my rock, my fortress and my refuge in which I dwell continually.

Deliver me from the ruthless, wicked, unrighteous people all around me. You are my hope, my trust and my confidence. You are my benefactor since I was 18 and You even knew me when You formed me in my mother's womb. I love and worship You today and always (Psalm 71).

Thought for the Day:

Walking in the center of God's will for us is the happiest place on earth; His love cascades over us like a waterfall and His grace, mercy and peace are available in every experience we encounter.

No Longer a Sinner - Reaching Perfection through Christ in Us

 

Standing alone, we are not sinless, because we are not equal to God. We cannot trust in our self for salvation (Proverbs 28:26; John 15:5). Righteousness is not attained by human self-effort (Galatians 3:1-3).

The shelves of self-help books in the stores can give us a clue about what we need to change, and we may even discipline some character flaws out of our personality. However, we cannot perfect our self (2 Corinthians 3:5).

Paul chronicles his struggle with sin and death in Romans 6-7. In his desperation as a wretched human being, he calls out for deliverance (Romans 7:19).

It is then that He realizes that the law of the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ our Lord already delivered us from bondage to the law of sin and death (Romans 7:24-25, 8:2).

God gives us His grace and saves us through faith in Jesus’ work on Calvary’s cross (John 1:17; Ephesians 2:8). We no longer need to focus on sin or the world, but on the righteousness of Christ in us, who is our hope of living in eternal glory (Colossians 1:27).

Jesus in us already overcame sin, death and the devil by His death and resurrection (Colossians 3:15; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8). Therefore, God’s Spirit changes us over our lifetime by His anointing in our spirit, soul and body (Romans 8:11; 2 Corinthians 3:18).

We walk in His ways by His Spirit within us (Ezekiel 36:27). We simply heed God's conviction, obey His direction and live through faith in His faithfulness, so that we are able to walk in His holiness one moment at a time (Romans 1:5; 16:26).

Prayer:

Father God, create in us a spotless heart, and renew a righteous spirit within us (Psalm 51:10). Work in us according to Your good pleasure and perfect us until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6, 2:13). Give us Your power and anointing to accomplish Your will in the earth each moment of our day (Ephesians 3:16).

Thank You that You already perfected our spirit, because we are born again by Your Spirit - through justification; once we see Jesus, perfection will come to our body through glorification; and You perfect our soul – our mind, choices and emotions – from one stage of glory to another through a lifetime of sanctification.

Thought for the Day:

Christ in us is greater than both our carnal nature and also all of the powers of darkness in the world. - I John 4:4