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.

Heavenly Treasures

 

God teaches us that storing up treasures on earth is futile (Matthew 6:19-21). They will burn up like wood, hay and stubble and not help us in our eternal life in His Kingdom at all (1 Corinthians 3:12).

We cannot take anything from this life with us into the next life. We can, however, store up for our self treasures in heaven that will last for eternity. Moths and rust will never destroy them, and thieves are not able to steal them (Matthew 6:20).

Today, I noticed a woman crying about a lost jewel from her bracelet. One of the expensive stones was missing and she was very distressed about it. I tried to comfort her, but she was inconsolable. She really cherished that extravagant gift from a special friend.

Authentic Believers have also received a cherished gift from a beloved friend. Jesus laid down His life to bring sinners to repentance. This is a free gift from God for all of us (Romans 3:23, 6:23).

However, we often rejoice more when we acquire an earthly treasure than when we come to Christ for Salvation. We frequently take God's love for granted, rather than recognizing the intrinsic value of this only true treasure.

Jesus told us a parable about a woman who lost one of her gold coins. The item was valuable to her, not only because of its monetary value, but because of its sentimental value as well (Luke 15:8-9).

He tells us that her joy in finding her coin is similar to the rejoicing going on in heaven when even one sinner repents and turns his/her life over to God for salvation (Luke 15:10).

We can develop this same eternal mindset, which sets us free from the cares of this life. We learn to care more for spiritual matters than earthly ones, and the trials of life no longer devastate us.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that putting our treasure where moths and rust cannot destroy it, and where thieves cannot break in and steal it, is so much more worthwhile than amassing worldly goods. Help us to treasure our relationship with You more than anything this carnal world has to offer.

Teach us to set our mind on things above, rather than on things of the earth (Colossians 3:2). Help us to value our spiritual life more than our temporal life, and heavenly treasures as more valuable than earthly ones. We set our hope and trust in You and we look forward to spending eternity with You.

Thought for the Day:

Our life in Christ is a priceless, dependable treasure, which we cannot lose, and which will never be destroyed.

The Just Live by Faith

When we consider the sower of seed in Jesus' parable, only one-fourth of the seed fell on good ground where it rooted and flourished.

When we realize the reception that Christ received while He lived on this earth, it puts things into clear perspective. If mankind would not receive Jesus when they could see Him, far fewer will believe in Him when they cannot see Him (Romans 10:14-15).

Most humans rely on finite, physical senses and limited mental powers in analyzing truth. If it does not feel right, then we reject it. Satan is right there making sure that the things of God make no human sense.

That is why faith is stressed so often in Biblical passages. The just live by faith and not by sight (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). The unjust live by sight and not by faith. They mock faith and scorn those of us living by it.

Yet, we have more than blind faith. The Bible declared that the earth was round long before Columbus ever disproved the common myth that it was flat. Science is always catching up with the Bible.

Not one archaeological discovery ever disproved God's written Word, while many historic finds prove the veracity of the Bible. Yet, people prefer to believe the lies, which Satan continually propagates as truth, rather than the Truth of God's Word.

Unbelievers choose to trust in science, math and technology rather than in the reality of Jesus Christ. They believe in theories and hypothesis - even those with missing links - as if they are facts of truth.

Sadly, only one-fourth of the world's population throughout the ages will ever believe in Christ and surrender their heart and soul to Him. Let us continually pray for and share our testimony with anyone who is willing to listen.

Prayer:
Father God, Jesus Christ generously gave His life to offer the whole world Your promise of everlasting life. It is for all people everywhere with no distinction of color, race, creed, shape, size or intelligence.

However, more people reject Your generous offer than receive it with whole-hearted devotion and thanksgiving. Pride and rebellion have always run rampant on the earth and self-reliance is the mantra. Give us opportunities to share Your truth with anyone who is willing to receive it.

Thought for the Day:

Good things are very often the enemy of the best things; yet, so many people are willing to take second best and base their entire life on it.