We Will See Jesus - Part 1

 

 

We will all see Jesus in one of three ways: through the portal of death, in the rapture of His Bride, or when He returns to earth as the triumphant King in His second coming (John 12:21).

Every knee in heaven, on earth and under the earth, whether believer or unbeliever, shall bow before Him (Philippians 2:10). Those who cursed His name and those who bless His name will all give Him the glory which is due Him.

Humanity was created for God's pleasure alone, rather than to seek our own treasure (Revelation 4:11). Adam and Eve enjoyed walks and talks with God in the garden in the cool of the evening (Genesis 3:8-13).

Thanks to the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, we too can enjoy this intimate relationship with our Father God. We exist to obey and adore our Him. We are privileged to commune with His Spirit.

We gravitate toward holiness, because without it we will never see God (Hebrews 12:14). We do not find God through legalism, abstinence, or any works of our own, but only by His grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).

We abide in an intimate spiritual union with Him each moment of every day. We walk by His Spirit and listen for His voice within, as He directs our thoughts, words and deeds (Galatians 5:15-25).

We seek God Himself, rather than seeking power and anointing to serve Him. Ours is a life of faith, although faith without works is certainly dead (James 2:14-26); but we do only those works, which Christ calls us to do (Ephesians 2:10).

We are obsessed by an intense passion to live in the manifest presence of God. In this intimacy, God gives us joy in the midst of dire circumstances, love in a home full of hate or indifference, peace in unsettling conditions over which we have no control, and fulfillment in walking in His purpose for our life.

Prayer:

Father God, we thank You for becoming a man and paying the ultimate sacrifice to free us from the penalty of our sin. Help us to seek Your face, to desire nothing from life other than to sit in Your presence, and to walk in Your Spirit every moment of every day.

Help our light to shine in such a way that people will see our good works and give You all the praise, honor and glory (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). Let Your reputation go before us. Humble and cleanse us so that all the world will only see Christ in us (Colossians 1:27).

Thought for the Day:

The One who seeks us, longs to be loved by us and to enjoy our attention focused continually on Him. 

- Romans 3:11; Luke 15:4-7

Does God Hate?

 

It is amazing to see that God feels the same emotions that He gave to human beings. He experiences all of them from joy to love, and even hate. God is very concerned about His people walking in the ungodly ways of the world. He hates the sin of the world, because it is unrighteous and it ruins our health spiritual, physical and in our mind, will and emotions (Leviticus 20:23). He knows that worshipping any other God will ultimately disappoint us; therefore He abhors it when we put any person, place, activity or thing ahead of Him in our heart (Leviticus 26:30).

When anyone provokes God’s children to sin, God hates them (Deuteronomy 32:19). He says it is better for a millstone to be around their neck (Luke 17:2). God abhors the wicked that boast of their sin and encourage the covetous, as well as the wicked that love violence and all workers of iniquity. He considers them fools. They will not be able to stand in His sight (Psalm 10:3, 11:5, 5:5). He especially hates those who deceive or murder the innocent (Psalm 5:6).

Israel vexed the Lord so often that it was only His promise to Abraham that kept Him from destroying the whole nation more than once (Psalm 78:59). They ignited His anger over and over; so much so that He acually abhorred His own inheritance (Pslam 106:40). He took away His tabernacle, destroyed the places of the assembly and caused the solemn feasts and sabbaths to be forgotten in Israel, because He despised their kings and priests (Lamentations 2:6). God drove Israel out of His house due to their wickedness, and He hated their princes (Hosea 9:15).

God has even been known to hate individual people. It seems unreasonable for Him to do that; but He knows the end from the beginning, and He knows the hearts of mankind (Isaiah 46:10; Jeremiah 17:10). Esau was one of those God hated (Romans 9:13). Esau’s god was his belly. He sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:29-34). So God destroyed Esau’s heritage (Malachi 1:3).

God also destroys those who plot against His Saints. He puts them to shame because He despises them (Psalm 53:5). He warns against prostitues, because He abohors those who fall under their spell (Proverbs 22:14). There are seven things, which God really despises: the proud, liars, murders of innocent people, a heart that plans wicked scemes, mischief makers, a false witness and those who sow discord in His Body (Proverbs 6:16-19). That just about covers the spectrum of sin.

Prayer:

Father God, You despise anything and anyone that will harm Your beloved Saints. You are jealous over us and You want to keep us and protect us from all harm (Exodus 20:5). Sin is the most harmful habit anyone can embrace. Therefore, You abhor whatever will lead us into temptation. We thank You for sending Your only begotten Son to pay the penalty of our sin, and to set us free from Satan’s clutches, the flesh and the world (Romans 5:6-10).

Thought for the Day:

God forgives every sinner who repents. – John 3:16

 

 

The Power of Our Choices

Humanity often resents God for requiring that we allow His involvement in our life; yet, when tragedy strikes, we resent Him for not getting involved enough to prevent it. We want the freedom to live in sin; but when the sinful behavior of others inconveniences our life, we rail against God for not stopping others from living in sin. We scream at God to prove Himself, yet we ignore the proof of His existence all around us in the earth, the sky and the sea (Romans 1:20).

Most God-haters live under the weight of some immense pain that they blame on God. They rage over the hurt they feel, but they excuse the pain they inflict upon others. They consider themselves morally superior to God and speak disparagingly of Him with no respect for His holiness. Many people live outside of the boundaries of their own seared conscience and contrary to the ways of God; yet, then they blame God when they reap the destructive consequences of their own behavior.

We hesitate to give God the benefit of our doubt, but we readily accuse Him falsely without a moment’s hesitation. We blame injustice on God, but we fail to live within the realm of His justice, and we even rail against Him for maintaining His justice. God’s judgment is His loving attempt to draw us away from sin and back to Himself. God never sends judgment without a warning. He always gives people every opportunity to repent and to turn to Him before He brings His justice to bear.

At this time in God’s economy, He chooses not to rule with His power and authority. He allows mankind the freedom of choice. God gives us the power to love, but also the freedom to hate. We can take the high road and gain honor and blessing for our choices, or we can prefer to live the low life and reap the negative consequences. Many heartaches experienced on this earth can be traced to rebellion against God’s will on someone’s part. However, God is full of tender mercy. He gathers our tears in His bottle and writes the cause of them in His book. He will exact revenge for each one of them, if we leave it in His hands (Romans 12:19).

The power of our choices is infinite in either bringing good or abuse to our life and to the world around us. Some people choose to trust God through their grief and to forgive those who hurt them, just as Christ did while hanging on the cross. Others hang onto grudges for years, and end up hurting no one but their self. God’s desire is for no one to perish in darkness, but that everyone will live for eternity in His Light (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:19). All of our transgressions nailed Jesus to the cross. He paid the penalty of our sin, which His righteousness demanded. He did this because God longs to bring us blessings and not suffering all the days of our life.

Prayer:

Father God, in Your economy even the emotion of hate is as heinous to You as murder, and lust is equivalent to the crime of adultery (1 John 3:15; Matthew 5:27-28). You lived the perfect life in Christ’s bodily form, which was necessary to atone for mankind’s rebellion against You throughout centuries of time (John 8:56-59; 17:5). You practiced what You preached by feeding the multitudes, living a life of poverty, turning the other cheek when struck, experiencing the mangling of Your physical body without retribution, and ultimately forgiving Your persecutors. We thank You for suffering in our place, and for ultimately ending all suffering in Your Kingdom to come.

Thought for the Day:

God put His laws into place in order to protect us, not to restrict us.