God's Everlasting Love

 

Our help in times of tribulation and loss comes from the Lord (Psalm 121:1-2). He is the God of Creation (Genesis 1:1), Redemption (Ephesians 1:7) and Protection (Psalm 121:7). As Creator, He not only created the cosmos in the beginning, He will also restore all things with a new Heaven and a new Earth (Revelation 21:1).  As Redeemer, God saves Believers and protects us so that we will never perish (John 3:16-18).

To receive these blessings, we admit our need for a Savior. We all fall short of His glory, and deserve death; however, God gives us eternal life when we turn from our sinful lifestyle and trust in Him to save us (Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8). We confess that we are sinners, believe in our heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, and we shall be saved (Roman 10:9).

We can live in confidence, because we know that God is protecting us through every trial and in all of our grief. As with Daniel in the lion's den, the Hebrew children in the fiery furnace and the valley of the shadow of death, God does not save us from the suffering; but as we live through it, He walks with us, as well as in us (Colossians 1:27).

God collects our tears in His bottle and He records the events in His book. He will bring revenge on those who hurt us (Romans 12:19). When we pray, God works on our behalf. We can trust Him without hesitation, realizing that no one can do anything to us without God's consent (Psalm 56:8-11). We will live for eternity and no one can ever snatch us away from Him (John 10:28).

Prayer:

Father God, I confess that I am a sinner. I repent of my sins and I turn to You for salvation. I believe in You and trust You to take control of my life. Thank you for creating me, redeeming me and providing for me every day of my life. You are there for me in the light and the darkness. You carry me through every trial and comfort me in all of my grief (Psalm 68:19).

Thought for the Day:

As we flee from temptation and please God, we will increase in grace and knowledge of all that the Lord means to us. - 2 Timothy 2:22-24; 2 Peter 3:18

The Victory of Surrender

 

Have you surrendered all of your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Is there any part of your spirit, soul or body that you reserved for yourself and that you refuse to surrender to God? What areas of your life are you unwilling for God to see or to deal with? We have the King of the Universe dwelling within us; yet, we think we know how to run our life better than He does.

We want to reserve part of our life exclusively for our self. However, in refusing to surrender all, we forfeit perfect peace, indwelling joy and the spiritual power and authority of Christ in us. However, when we do surrender to God, we learn that He has only our best interest in His heart. This makes it easier for us to surrender more and more of our self to Him.

Yet, we often continue to hold back some areas, which we hold most dear. Until we give God all of us, we cannot have all of Him. God will not trust Himself fully to one who does not fully trust in Him. He wants our heart’s affections, our deepest fears, our crudest sins and our most private hopes and dreams. When we surrender everything to God, He gives back to us in greater measure than we could ever imagine.

Jesus is not our Aladdin’s Lamp to grant our wishes. He is our Master and Redeemer; and He has a perfect plan for our life (Ephesians 2:10). Once we consider the fact that Jesus gave up His glory in heaven to live on this sin-cursed earth for 33 years, that He suffered persecution and died a horrendous death solely to redeem us, then it is easier for us to trust Him with our whole life.

Prayer:

Father God, we can cast all of our cares on Your broad shoulders, because You care about us (1 Peter 5:7). We can give You our whole life and worship You with our whole heart. You are our all in all, and You are more precious to us than any person, place or thing in this entire world. Thank You for giving us Your redemption, as well as a treasured place in Your family.

Thought for the Day:

There is no one alive who can enjoy more success in their life than the person who is totally surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Playing Catch Up!

Read: Leviticus 23:26-32

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1: 9)

The older I get, the more mistakes I make. I used to multi-task with the best of them, but now I forget the simplest things. I find myself running around after myself, playing catch up rather than follow the leader. As flawed humans, our only hope of salvation comes from our atonement, paid for by Jesus Christ. We live best as we follow His lead.

Thankfully, He no longer requires us to prove our allegiance through dietary restrictions and religious works as He did in the Old Testament. He simply asks us to repent of our sins, to accept Him as our personal Redeemer and Lord, and to allow His Spirit to transform our lives. He nailed our failings to Calvary's cross, and He sets us free to serve Him with all of our hearts. Then He gave us the commission to lead others to Him, and to encourage others to follow us as we follow Him. He even gives us grace to do this on each new day.  

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, lead me by Your Spirit so that I may accomplish Your will for me in leading others to know You more completely.

Thought for the Day:

The bleeding, dying, risen Savior gives hope to all of mankind.