People brought babies to Jesus, hoping he might touch them. When the disciples saw it, they shooed them off. Jesus called them back. “Let these children alone. Don’t get between them and me. These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Luke 18:15-17 MSG https://bible.com/bible/97/luk.18.15-17.MSG
We should come to know the Lord as a child with humility and faith.
One day a wealthy man needed some work done in his fields, so he went to the marketplace and found many men standing around. He offered them “whatever is right”, a penny (denarius) for their day’s work. They agreed and began work at an early hour. He did this again at about the sixth and ninth hours. He even went and found others looking for work at the eleventh hour and offered them the same.
Not long after he called his servants and told them to bring the workers in so that he could pay them their wages. Many of them who were there for most of the day ventured that they would receive more than their agreed pay. He began to pay them from the last workers first. The others saw that he was paying them also with a denarius and grumbled about it. When it came time to pay the first workers they were angry about it but the owner of the field said, “Friend, did you not agree to a denarius for a day’s wages?” Take your pay and go, I will do with my money what is right because it is my choice to do so.
Granted, I paraphrased this parable a bit, but it shows the grace and mercy of God to all of us. Just as the thief on the cross was one of the first to attain salvation by his faith and belief in Jesus Christ, he received the reward of being in Heaven. The very last person on Earth who is saved prior to the rapture (catching away) of the church will also attain entry into Heaven through the blood of Jesus and His righteousness. There will be no real difference in reward save for those who worked for God’s Kingdom in their lifetimes and their rewards will be the crowns that they are given for their faith and their work for His Kingdom. The book of Revelation tells about these crowns and what they represent and that we will cast them at the feet of Jesus because He is worthy to be praised! The book of Revelation is the only book of the Bible which has a blessing in the beginning chapter for all who read it and seek the meaning of it. I pray that you will read it and seek the One Who gives its meaning and purpose to all who believe.
Amen
What is your view of the world? That is your perspective, your perception of things and all of the stuff that is happening around you in the world. So, do you look around you with eyes that see a world that God made for us or do you see dirt and grass and bugs and trees that just popped up from a single cell billions of years ago?
To me, it would take far more faith to believe in a naturalistic, evolutionary worldview than it would to believe that God created it all and made it perfectly for humanity to live. But…that’s just my perspective. To give you a perspective of how small we are in the “scheme” of things, take a look at this picture below.
These trees are alive and growing and have been for a very long time. There are mountains and oceans and canyons which also set our perspective in a way that we look very tiny by comparison. The aorta of a blue whale, for example, is almost big enough for a man to stand upright inside it. There are so many different ways to look at the world to see the wonder and majesty of God’s creation.
I pray that you will seek God for your Salvation through His Son, Jesus. Learn of Him, read His Word and become an adopted son or daughter.
In the story of Job, he went through some terrible hardships because God wanted to show Satan that His servant was faithful no matter what. God blessed Job with twice as much wealth and gave him a good long life after he proved his faithfulness through his trials.
My question is what if we had to endure trials like he did? Could we persevere and last with our faith through the loss of wealth and family the same way? I’m not sure how many Christians could do this. I’m not sure that I could do it. But…God doesn’t require this of us. All that we have to do is seek to be forgiven, realizing that we are sinners and are in need of a Savior. Granted we will not be given over 170 years of life like Job was just because we come to salvation through Jesus Christ but we will be entered in the Lamb’s book of Life. We will be granted a home in Heaven where all believers will be one day. This is a greater reward than anything we could have or imagine having on Earth and worth more than any amount of wealth as well.
Many Christians in America and Europe have never experienced persecution like those in Russia or China and in some Muslim controlled countries but even this will change one day. The Tribulation will soon happen. I can’t tell you when but after the church is taken to Heaven the world that most people know today will change and it won’t be in a good way. It may not be too bad for the first two or three years but not long after that things will turn much worse. Read the book of Revelation if you want to get some idea of what is coming because God’s Word is true!
I pray that whoever reads this post and searches for the Truth will seek Jesus Christ as their Savior before the events of Revelation begins. Seek to know Jesus and repent so that you can be saved from the hell on Earth that is coming.
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. Luke 10:17, 19-22 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.10.17-22.KJV
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Psalms 119:105 KJV
In this world that all of us must walk in, it has become darker and more evil in the past few decades. Today it is getting darker because of the time that we are living in. It isn’t necessarily because of one religion or another. It is not because of a political party and their beliefs or even the laws that they pass. It is because the ruler of this world, Satan, knows that his time grows shorter by the day and he is moving and influencing mankind to do things that they would not do in years past. Many in our world don’t believe in God or the Devil and he likes it that way because if you don’t believe then you’ve already made your choice.
God’s light came into the world through the Word but also in the Person of Jesus Christ. He brought the Light of God’s grace and mercy to the world and his disciples wrote of the things which He did and the things that He taught. We have these words and wisdom available to us today in the Bible yet many people in our government don’t care about God’s Word or any wisdom which comes from it. They have turned away from it and they do not walk in His Light.
The church…the people who truly believe God’s Word and in His Son, Jesus, needs to be taking God’s Wisdom to their workplace and into the restaurant and into the street so that others can learn of His grace and mercy. Many people don’t attend church services anymore because this disease called COVID gave then an excuse not to. Many have not come back to church even when there is a vaccine for it. Even if they have been vaccinated, some haven’t come back. Satan is using this to keep the church as empty as possible and in the time that we live in it is not unexpected. God foretold this.
There will be a falling away in the church. In two decades since America was attacked, many have moved away from their faith in God and as society moves away from God, the future of that society will be less of a blessing to the world because we have despised our Creator and our God. We have strayed from His Wisdom and His Light and we are walking in darker and darker places. There is a reason that the West is not mentioned in the book of Revelation and this is likely the reason.
I pray that anyone who listens to or reads this will seek Jesus as their Savior while there is time to do so. In His Service
In the poem, “Footprints in the sand”, the man who had the dream noticed that at some of the most trying moments in his life there were only one set of footprints. The Lord told him that during those times He carried him through them. He was never alone.
For a married couple who is totally committed to each other and to the Lord as well, there would be three sets of footprints during their life together. During the hard times in their lives, the Lord would not carry both of them but their footprints would be closer together as they walked along. When their lives approached the end of their life together the Lord would carry them both through these really tough times. God doesn’t leave us in rough times only to show up during the best times, He is there all of the time.
Life today is tough and it seems to be getting tougher as time moves on but, as Christian believers, we are never alone. Jesus is there, the Holy Spirit is in our heart and God is always accessible to us by prayer. While we may feel alone at times, seek comfort in knowing that Jesus is always close to us. He is as close as a prayer and closer than a friend or a brother.
Why am I writing this today? Because life is hard and it is harder when we try to live through our troubles alone. Some of us aren’t made to go through life as a married couple but some of us are and we are more relaxed and able to cope with the good times and the bad when we have someone to share both of them with. The good times will be better when shared and the bad times won’t feel so bad because you are able to bear each other’s burdens.
This is how I see married life because God gives each of us a partner to live life through as a couple because, just as a rope, when there is more than one person/strand put together the bond is harder to break. Make sure of your bond as it is between three persons, Jesus, your spouse, and you.
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. Luke 10:21-24 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/luk.10.21-24.KJV
Some people can claim to know a lot about God. Some claim that they don’t believe He exists. But in the Bible, there are many people who have seen His miracles and His love for them shown in many different ways. From providing food and water for the Israelites in the desert for forty years to making sure that none of them got sick or feeble during that time. Miracles abounding almost every day and yet after they made it to the Promised Land most of them forgot about God within one generation.
Why?
I believe if I had seen the Red Sea split and I walked through it on dry ground, that would’ve been enough. If I had seen the manna and the water from the rock and the quail that piled up in the camp knee-deep…I would’ve believed in Him. When they went into the Promised Land the first city to fall literally was Jericho after their marching around it for seven days and then on the seventh day they blew the trumpets and shouted and the thick walls fell down. This was happening in Exodus and Joshua.
There are so many miracles that happen in the Old Testament and many more in the New Testament and yet there are still people who either don’t believe or just won’t. True, if you don’t believe that the Bible was written as inspired by the Holy Spirit then none of the miracles which happened in the Old or the New Testaments will make a difference in how you know God. But consider this: God created the heavens and the Earth and everything that is seen and unseen in both. Granted, it may take some small amount of faith to believe this and He can supply it. God lives outside of our “dimension” if you will and He can see and has seen everything that mankind has done and will do but He still loved us enough to send His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that those who will believe would have a chance at eternity with Him.
Does that mean that He knows who will believe and who will not? Yes, but He doesn’t force belief on us. That comes to each of us when we realize that we need Him by faith which He has given to us by the hearing of a sermon or by reading His Word. At that point, we know that without Jesus as our Savior we are going to spend eternity separated from God in hell. We know that if we choose not to accept Jesus as our Savior and we die before we change that, we will be going to hell. It is our choice because we know by faith that we need Him and if we don’t make that choice then our destination is set. If we do, then we will be changed when we repent of our sinful condition and ask Jesus into our hearts and at that moment we are forgiven and brought into God’s family through the blood of Jesus that paid for our sins on the cross.
In the most simple terms, God is the embodiment of love. Unconditional love. The kind that we can do nothing to earn. We just have it because He loved each of us so much that He sent Jesus to pay our sin debt in order for us to be with Him in eternity. We can’t earn it. We don’t deserve it, but it is a gift by the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ our Savior.
