Hope and Joy Now and for Eternity

At times, people hear the truth of Christ's gospel, but do not respond to it. It was not mixed with faith and they could not receive it (Hebrews 4:2). We can pray that God will strengthen them in their inner man to accept His Truth as their own (Ephesians 3:16-17).

People often lie to us, in order to keep our good opinion of them, or to keep us from rejecting or not loving them anymore. They are so emotionally depleted or lacking in self-esteem that they cannot risk our reaction if they tell us the truth.

Therefore, they also believe that God's love is conditional; and they reject Him because they think He will abandon them if they are not perfect. This is Satan's lie, which they believe as truth, and they are perpetually discouraged and defeated in their life.

Satan robs us of our freedom in Christ, which God intends for us to relish. Satan's whole mission is to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). Yet, Christ offers us His hope and joy in this life and for all of eternity (1 Corinthians 15:19).

We place our faith in the sacrificial atonement of Jesus for our sins, receive His forgiveness, and walk in new life. Everything changes for our good, even if our circumstances are a heavy burden.

Yoked to Jesus, we have help to carry our problems, and He eventually works them all out for our good (Romans 8:28). God uses trials to move us into the center of His will, to strengthen us for life's inevitable tribulation in our future, and to prove to us His unending love and provision for our life.

It is hard for the unbeliever to imagine that God's plan for them is better than the sensual pleasures and tangible possessions of this world. They do not realize that, in the larger scheme of things, life is as vanishing as a warm breath on a cold morning (James 4:14).

They do not take into consideration that eternity lasts forever (2 Corinthians 4:18), and we only have one chance to believe in Christ or to condemn our self to hell for eternity (John 3:16-18).

Prayer:

Father God, You free us from the condemnation of our past, the fear of the future and the uncertainty of life on this earth. Keep our mind off our current circumstances and focused on the joy You set before us each moment of the day - a stranger's smile, a bird's song, the giggles of little children, a sunny day, a gentle rain, a beautiful landscape of plant-life, a sunset, lake or stream.

Help us not to miss the true joy, success and peace which comes through having Christ residing within us by Your Holy Spirit. Remind us that any heavy cross we experience in life on this sin-cursed globe is easier and lighter when we are yoked with Christ, because He aids us in carrying the burden. 

Thought for the Day:

If we view life from the context of eternity, we gain a greater hope and fulfillment though living it for Christ; He abides within us and helps us to carry our burdens here on earth with more serenity and contentment, and to enjoy eternity with Him in abundance  and peace. - 1 Corinthians 15:19

Living Forever

Every person ever born will live forever. Not through a magic elixir or reincarnation, and not necessarily in heaven or in a state of euphoria.

Some will live for eternity in eternal torment in the lake of fire, which we call hell. Many people berate Christians for what they call proselytizing. They are of the opinion that we get some sort of gold star for bringing the most people to church.

They think it is all about nickels and noses - church attendance and offerings. Yet, the motivation of most authentic Born Again Believers is to open heaven's gates to as many people as we can.

We ask God to let us meet people, who are willing to listen to the Gospel and be saved. We shudder at the thought of our friends, loved ones and acquaintances spending eternity in torment.

The unsaved view hell as a continual party full of pleasures of the flesh. That is what Satan wants them to think. He paints this picture in their minds and insists that the Christian viewpoint is misguided at best.

These unsuspecting people buy into Satan's lies and believe them as truth; rejecting God's truth as the lie (Romans 1:25). The unfortunate fact about this foolish stance is that they may not find out until they die that the devil duped them.

Then the door of the Ark will already be closed (Genesis 7:16). There will be no more time to believe in Jesus for salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). The multitude of chances God gave them during their lifetime will be over (Genesis 6:3).

It will be too late for them to come to Christ.

Prayer:

Father God, please direct us to people in our sphere of influence who need to know You. Give us divine appointments every day so that we can share Your love through the Gospel of Christ with those whom Your Spirit is drawing to the shadow of Your wings.

We pray for our loved ones who are deceived by Satan's lie; and we ask You to open the eyes of their understanding, so that they can see the Truth about Your love for them. Strengthen their inner being to accept Jesus by Your Spirit (Ephesians 1:18, 3:16).

Thought for the Day:
Praying that, while there is still time, many in our sphere of influence will believe God's Truth; and trust in Christ as their Savior, so that they too can enter into eternity with Him forever.

A Faithful Life

At times, we make poor choices and allow them to define who we are, causing us to live in a downward spiral with one destructive choice after another.

God calls us to gain our self-image and fulfillment from His presence in our life and to follow His will for our career, relationships and all of our decisions (Ephesians 2:10; Romans 12:2).

We often worry about what others will think of us, especially those significant others in our life; however, God's opinion of us is all that really matters.

There is no need to covet what this world has to offer, because this will cause us to stray from the truth and bring us many trials and sorrows (1 Timothy 6:10).

Clinging to Christ allows us to hold fast to our faith in His faithfulness with a clear conscience (1 Timothy 1:19, 3:9, 4:1). We obtain eternal life both now and in eternity by entering an intimate relationship now with God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3; 1 Timothy 6:12).

As a good example of an authentic Believer, we traverse the issues of life with love, patience, meekness, holiness, purpose and moderation in all things (1 Timothy 2:15, 4:12, 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22, 3:10).

We teach God's Word to our children and live a Godly example before them (2 Timothy 3:15). Showing our humanity as well as our growing maturity in our faith; so they will know it is possible for them to walk in the Lord all the days of their life as well.

Prayer:

Father God, give us Your love and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ and toward all of Your Saints (Philemon 1:5). We acknowledge that our faith is effective, because every good thing we are and possess come from You (Philemon 1:6). We want to inherit Your Kingdom through the faith and promises You teach us during our lifetime (Hebrews 6:12; 2 Peter 1:4).

We draw ever closer to You with a true heart full of the assurance of faith, which You give us when You cleanse our conscience and desires with the pure water of Your Word (Hebrews 10:22-23; Ephesians 5:26). Help us to live by the faith and the example of the great cloud of witnesses who went on before us (Hebrews 11:1-39, 12:1-3).

Thought for the Day:

Our goal in life is to utter these words with our final breath: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my race and I have kept my faith in the Lord Jesus Christ." - 2 Timothy 4:7