God's Eternal Gifts

 

 

Salvation in Christ is a tremendous free gift, which includes many other gifts. Not only did Jesus save us from paying the penalty of our sins, but He also gave us eternal life and the right to live with Him in New Jerusalem (Romans 5:8, 6:23). This makes us children of almighty God and co-heirs with Jesus of all that our Father possesses (Ezekiel 36:25; Galatians 4:4, 5:19).

New Jerusalem is a city filled with many mansion-sized rooms and is a 1500-mile cube. Jesus went back to heaven in order to prepare this place, so that He can dwell physically throughout eternity with every authentic, Born Again Believer from all the ages (Hebrews 11:10-12:22; Revelation 3:12, 21:10). This city will come down from Heaven, and most likely be in the area of Jerusalem in the Middle East.

Until then, God gives us the gifts of Christ to dwell in us through His Holy Spirit (John 14:15-17), His Word to enlighten us (Psalm 119:105), and His Body of Believers to encourage us (1 Corinthians 12:27). God's Spirit speaks through an impression in our spirit to direct our every step through life, to comfort us and allow us to accomplish the work He created us to perform (Ephesians 2:10). We shall live as the bride of Christ forever (Isaiah 61:10; Revelation 21:9).

God provides for our every need (Psalm 55:22; 1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:19; 1 Peter 1:3), He liberally gives us His wisdom (James 1:5), and He comforts our soul through every trial in life, turning them around for our ultimate good (Romans 8:28). God collects our tears in a bottle and once His wrath is full, He will pour out His vengeance on a wicked earth full of those who rejected Him and persecuted His Saints (Psalm 56:8; Revelation 14:10).

Prayer:

Father God, You know how to give good gifts to those who ask You (James 1:17; Matthew 7:11). We are humbled by Your love for us now, and for Your provision for us even into eternity. You will restore to us the perfect environment, which You provided for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). We will have immortal bodies, a never-dying soul and our spirit's connection with You (1 Corinthians 15:53; Luke 16:19-31 - his body was in the grave, his soul and spirit experienced hell). Help us to bring as many people into this same right standing with You as we can possibly reach during our lifetime. Help us to be a city set on hill, which allows Your light to shine though us (Matthew 5:14-16).

Thought for the Day:

The Kingdom of God has nothing to do with carnal pursuits, but everything to do with living righteously in the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit. - Romans 14:17

The Value of Riches

Most human beings look at riches from a different light than the Bible talks about them. We want to get rich quick, without any effort. It does happen for some. They win the lottery or receive an inheritance or make money in the stock market. Some people do well until the interest rates fall, or they lose their family and friends because greed over the money forces them to part ways. The money only lasts for a lifetime, if that long; and in the scheme of eternity, that is a very short time.

In fact, gold in heaven is so common that God paved the streets with it (Revelation 21:21). Jesus said that we can buy gold from Him, so we can be rich for eternity; however, it is gold that is formed in us though our trials (2 Timothy 2:12). We can also buy white cloth from Him with our righteous deeds, to use for our wedding dress. If we do not have any righteous deeds, we will appear naked and ashamed at our wedding feast between Christ and us (Revelations 15:16).

Loving money traps us with all kinds of evil, some of which causes us to stop serving God (1 Timothy 6:10). Our life does not consist only of the abundance of things, which we possess (Luke 12:15). Otherwise, possessions end up possessing us. Riches tend to bring us more misery than blessings (James 5:1-5; 1 Timothy 6:10). The only good thing about having money is that we can share it with those in need (1 John 3:17). Truly, Godly riches outshine anything this world has to offer. 

We cannot serve God and money at the same time, because they both require all of our time (Luke 16:13; 1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus calls us to repent and to live a zealous life for Him (Revelation 3:18-19). God is a righteous God and He corrects and disciplines those He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12). We gain wisdom in life by realizing what a totally awesome Lord and Savior we have in Jesus Christ (Proverbs 2:1-11, 9:10). He is the fountain of life, and the light of the world (Psalm 36:9).

Prayer:

Father God, it does not matter if we have worldly riches, because You see to it that every person, who is faithful to You, will abound with blessings (Proverbs 28:20). You exalt the one who is lowly (James 1:9-11). We do not want to gather earthly treasures, because moths and rust will just destroy them, and thieves will steal them (Matthew 6:19-21). We do not need to build an empire on this earth (Isaiah 5:8), because You already prepared a mansion for us in heaven (John 14:2).

Thought for the Day:

Our life does not consist of what we possess. – Luke 12:15:21