A Divine Relationship

Many people attempt to develop a relationship with Jesus and are not able to completely enter into this intimate union with Him (Luke 13:23-24). This is because they seek this relationship for all the wrong reasons.

They want the benefits of the fulfilled Christian life, but they do not want to live up to the commitment. Joshua encouraged Israel to choose to serve the Lord, and that is actually what it takes to have this coveted relationship (Joshua 25:15).

God's grace provides the opportunity for salvation to every person ever born (Titus 2:11). He is not willing for anyone to perish in the flames of hell for eternity, but for everyone to come to Him in repentance (2 Peter 3:9; John 3:18).

We do not earn this stature, because it is a free gift; but it does require a choice to commit to the Lord in wholehearted dedication to His ways and His Word (Romans 5:15).

Satan will fight our choice at every turn. He is used to having us in his service and he wants us back. Therefore, spiritual battle is an ongoing event in the Christian's life (1 Timothy 6:12).

Our power of choice is still alive and well in the heart of every Believer. We make choices every day either to serve God, our flesh, the world or the devil.

Satan tempts us as he did Adam and Eve, to make choices from our self-motivated will, independently from God's will for our life (Genesis 2:1-17; Ephesians 2:10). To draw us away from God's best, he uses legitimate needs we have as human beings; but they end up being lies.

God will convict us; but it is up to us to choose to totally surrender our body, soul and spirit to Him; so that His Spirit can heal our body, sanctify our soul and regenerate our spirit.

Prayer:

Father God, remind us that conviction does not save us, it simply humbles us and brings us to the point of repentance. The good news is that Christ in us is greater than any influences outside of us (1 John 4:4). The more we understand our new identity in You as an authentic Believer, the more quickly we grow in spiritual maturity.

With maturity, we find it easier to choose to live in dependence on You for all of our needs. We realize that it is not necessary for us to sin in an attempt to meet our basic needs. When we hunger and thirst for Your righteousness (Matthew 5:6), You supply everything for us according to Your glorious riches (Philippians 4:19).

Thought for the Day:

Conversion only comes through a heart-felt commitment to follow Christ with our life; and it stirs us to read our Bible, to attend worship services, to attend Bible studies and to praise God in every moment through every circumstance - the good, the bad and the ugly.

There is Still Time

God is merciful as well as righteous. He never sends judgment on a person or nation until He first sends a multitude of warnings through prophets, nature, inner promptings in our soul or spirit and the natural consequences of our behavior.

He does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to share in His blessings of eternal life. He is like a mother hen who wants to gather her chicks under her wings and protect them all (2 Peter 3:8-10; Matthew 23:37).

In these later days, God ramped up natural disasters, wars around the world, a famine of His Word; and He allowed the rapid growth of debauchery in our world in order to call us to repentance.

Yet, the pride and rebellion of many cause them to ignore His warnings and His attempt to draw all men to Himself (John 12:32). People think they know better than God and disdain Him for what they perceive as His failings.

Comedians turn the hearts of many away from God with their human logic and satanic lies. So many people run from God rather than into His outstretched arms.

In our modern society, men's hearts daily fail them for fear (Luke 21:26). They use suicide, alcohol, drugs and amassing worldly riches to assuage their discontent - to no avail.

Archeological discoveries persist in proving the veracity of the Bible, but this news is hidden in the back pages of annals and ignored or belittled.

Science continues to uncover never before seen species of God's creation; but they refuse to give God credit for the creature's magnificence and the fact that they thrive in almost impossible living conditions.

People also ignore the fact that these creatures did not evolve, but are exclusive in their designs and functions. They stubbornly uphold a theory with missing links as their truth.

God will continue to send warnings, tribulation and amazing discoveries to prove His existence and to turn hearts to Himself, until the day He raptures His Saints from the earth and sends His Great Tribulation on our godless civilization.

Prayer:

Father God, You attempt to draw everyone into Your loving embrace and You use every means available to bring people to their knees in repentance and belief in You for salvation. You never give up on anyone, even when they condemn themselves by their unbelief (John 3:18). 

However, there will come a day when Your cup of wrath is full and You will pour out judgment on the nations of the world in a period of the greatest tribulation the world has ever known. You will send strong delusion on the Gentiles, once this age is finished; and then it will be too late for them to repent. However, You will give Your chosen race of Israel one final chance to choose You as their God and Savior.

We praise You for Your patience with mankind and Your plan to redeem us all back into Your embrace. Teach us to humble our self under Your mighty hand and to heed Your warning signs designed to draw us back to You.

Thought for the Day:

God sent His Word full of prophecies that prove His existence, and He continues to warn people of His coming judgment and the culmination of life as we know it; He is patient and long-suffering, and He chooses to store up His wrath and to pour out His mercy on the world every single day. There is still time. Won't you believe?

Living in Eternity Now

 

God does not want anyone to perish, but for everyone to enjoy eternity with Him (John 3:16). Everyone has faith in something, even if it is faith in oneself. However, faith in Christ is the only faith that saves us. It takes no effort or good works on our part. We simply allow the grace of God to work in our heart (Ephesians 2:8). He transforms our life (2 Corinthians 5:17). We think, act and believe differently than prior to our salvation (Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10). God now claims us as His children, His sons and His saints (John 1:12; Romans 8:16,17,27; I John 3:1,2; Galatians 3:16; Ephesians 1:18, 4:12).

Christ is no longer just part of our life, He is our life (Colossians 3:4). Jesus is now the center of our focus, our main emphasis in every day. We are no longer lowly caterpillars crawling around and grubbing for sustenance. God metamorphosed us into butterflies. We are dead to sin and hidden with Jesus in God (Colossians 3:3). We dwell in the Heavenly realm of life now. We no longer follow the evil desires of our flesh. Instead, we entertain an eternal perspective on life and we live in holiness (Romans 12:1; Colossians 1:22).

We never know from one moment to the next what the will of God is for our life. We make decisions and sometimes miss the mark of His will for us. That is why it is advisable not to make plans unless we feel sure that God is in them. We can set tentative goals, but then walk in His will moment by moment (James 4:13-14). We live a life of worship through our thoughts, words and actions, regardless of our circumstances. We are part of God’s family, accepted as His beloved kings and priests, the Body of Christ (Romans 8:1, 12:15, 15:7; Ephesians 1:6; I Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 1:6; I Corinthians 12:13).

We live each moment of life to the fullest, focusing on the positive aspects and turning the negative, even tragic illness and catastrophes, over to God. We may be inconvenienced in our flesh, but our Spirit is still soaring with the eagles regardless of our circumstances (Isaiah 40:31). God has a purpose for everything we experience in life. Therefore, we can compare our present trouble to our eternal blessings in them. Then, we gain His energy and consolation to live through them.

If we do not adopt an eternal perspective on life, our troubles and trials will overwhelm us. We will lose hope and regret the past and fear the future. With an eternal outlook, we realize that our negative circumstances are simply momentary issues (2 Corinthians 4:17). We have concrete faith, which gives us hope for tomorrow (Hebrews 11:1). We remove the roadblocks in our life that hamper our walk with God. As we grow in our knowledge of God and His ways, we develop a more intimate relationship with Him.

Prayer:

Father God, we devote each moment of our life to You, to fulfill Your will for us and to accomplish Your goals and desires in and through us. We hunger and thirst after You (Matthew 5:6). You satisfy our longings and You fill our hungry soul (Psalm 10:9). We want nothing more than to give You joy and to feel Your delight in us (Psalm 147:11). We delight our self in You as You put Your desires within our heart (Psalm 37:4). We rejoice in You always and praise Your Holy Name forever and ever (Philippians 4:4). 

Thought for the Day:

Without Christ, our life is merely short and irrelevant in the overall scheme of eternity.