A Holy God

Our human penchant is to trust in our self-righteousness, natural talents and basic good heart to earn us a place in heaven, or at least to ensure that we are reincarnated to a higher life form.

The problem with this thinking is that our heart is deceitful and basically wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). Even our best day falls short of God's holiness and glory, which is the standard for residence in Heaven (Roman 3:23).

When we repent of our sin, ask for God's forgiveness and surrender our life to Him, He gives us the righteousness, which can only come from Jesus Christ.

Jesus then abides within us by His Spirit (John 15:4). He raises our spirit, which is dead in sin, to walk in a whole new life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4; Colossians 2:12). This secures our place in Heaven.

That is why God sent the perfect Lamb, who never lived a moment in sin, to take on the sin of the whole world and to make us righteous like God through the sacrifice of His life (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus willingly laid down His life for us (Luke 4:29-30). He made the choice in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the night before He was betrayed, to carry out God's will (Luke 22:42).

Jesus submitted to the excruciating scourging and death on the cross, not due to human weakness, but according to the spiritual strength He received while considering the glory that lay waiting for Him in Heaven (Hebrews 12:2).

The grace of God transforms us into a Temple made without hands, a dwelling place fit for a King (1 Corinthians 3:16). He uses what the world considers as foolishness to carry out the work of His Kingdom (1 Corinthians 1:27).

Our only honorable response to this is to submit to His will in our life, so that we will also be counted worthy to dwell with Him in His glorious Kingdom for eternity (Luke 21:36).

God created each one of us for a specific purpose (Ephesians 2:10) and will judge our works in this life in order to reward us in the next (1 Corinthians 3:13).

Prayer:

Father God, many people do not comprehend the elaborate tapestry You have woven over millennia of time in order to bring about the fulfillment of all things (Ephesians 1:10). They do not understand that You never send judgment without first sending warning.

The flood, the annihilation of generations of people and their possessions in Canaan, the crucifixion of Your own son and other judgments are puzzles and a stumbling block, which prevent people from surrendering their life to You. Yet, before all of these events, You gave mankind plenty of warning that You are a holy and righteous God and nothing unholy may dwell in Your presence.

Thought for the Day:

Jesus had no thought for Himself, but only love for a dying world lost in sin's degradation.

Changing Your Focus

Read: Luke 12:29-34

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”  – Isaiah 42:6

I want to tell you a secret!  It will change your life because it will help you to … Change Your Focus. I used to be a very negative, melancholy person, drowning in the depressing circumstances of my life. The intense dread I felt over the situations I encountered kept me living in a constant state of anxiety and tension. I lived most of my time with my stomach in knots, taking very shallow breaths. The situations deepened so much at times, that I felt like I would burst if I held my breath a minute longer! Does this sound familiar? Let me tell you how God changed this aspect of my life.

The Bible reminded me that Jesus taught us by example how to relate to our circumstances. He had the most horrifying of all experiences, when He faced the scourging and the cross of Calvary. As I prayed about my fears and anxieties over life, I realized that so far my circumstances had not yet killed me! Therefore, hope must be hidden in my circumstances somewhere! I wanted to learn from Jesus’ example, so I turned to the Bible.

Jesus, when He entered his time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, focused on the upcoming pain of the cross and He began to sweat blood, as well as water. But then, He changed His focus from the pain of the cross to the joy that awaited Him back in Heaven. This is how He was able to endure the horrifying circumstances of the cross. He changed His focus! 

Paul learned this lesson also. Look at Hebrews 12:2… “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and then sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”  Paul suggests that we look to Jesus and follow His example.

Jesus kept His focus on eternal matters, and the earthly matters faded into the distance. He was able to endure the circumstances of a brutal beating and crucifixion by picturing His relationship with His Father. We too must take our eyes off our circumstances and put them on the joy that Jesus provides in the midst of those situations.

Here are some practical ways to apply this knowledge. As you go through life, pay close attention to your body, your thoughts, and your feelings. What kinds of thoughts preoccupy your mind? Have you taken the time to identify them? Feelings such as worry, anxiety, discontentment, and anger are the result of your soul ~ your mind, will and emotions ~ trying to communicate with you. Ask God to show you what is causing those feelings. Do you need to forgive someone? Do you need to apologize? Are you feeling guilty over some past event? Can you do anything about it? Are you concerned about the future? What are you worried about specifically?

The Serenity Prayer gives us a guideline here. Pray that God will give you the wisdom to know what situations you can change, and which you must leave in His hands. Ask Him for the strength to deal with the issues that He reveals are your responsibility and to turn the rest over to Him with an attitude of acceptance about them. You cannot change them, so praise God for them, in them, and through them. By doing this, you can walk in serenity.

What is it in your life that is causing you a problem?  Ask God to help you change the situation. If He does not show you how to change your circumstances, then ask Him to help you to change your focus about the dilemma, so that you can accept it as His will for you at this time.

Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen. --Reinhold Niebuhr

Thought for the Day:

I guarantee that changing your focus from an earthly perspective to an eternal one will bring you joy unspeakable that is full of God's glory!