Many of us get into a rut in life. We think that we can’t change…even that we will never be able to change, but that is not what God says. When you give your heart to Jesus and become a Christian the Holy Spirit comes in and changes your heart and you are made into a new creation in Christ. You are not the old person. You are not the person that you were before Jesus came into your life. If you meant it when you felt His touch and chose to give your heart to Him, repenting of your old ways of life, then you are a new creation…a new person in Christ.
There will be some days that Satan will try to make you believe that you are the same person that you were but you are not! Yes, the devil will try to trip you up and make you stumble back into old habits and sometimes he will succeed but Jesus is there with you and you can rise up into a new life with Him. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall, as long as you don’t stay down and believe the lies that Satan is telling you through your family or “friends”. God is stronger and able to bring your life into a better place than where it was.
Keep your eyes and your heart pointed toward Jesus and follow His example. You can’t be as perfectly holy as He was but you can strive toward that goal with the Holy Spirit’s help one step at a time. One day at a time. Thank God for today and move into it with confidence knowing that God loves you and that He will be with you regardless of what you hear around you from family or so-called “friends”. You don’t have to stay stuck in that rut of depression and despair. Take Jesus’ hand and get up and walk with Him into your new life every day and your way will become more sure and real than you ever thought possible.
Amen
Twas the night before Jesus came and all through the place,
Not a creature was praying, not one on their face.
Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care,
In hopes that Jesus would not come there.
The children were dressing to crawl into bed,
Not one ever kneeling or bowing a head.
And Mom in her rocker with baby on her lap,
Was watching the Late Show while I took a nap.
When out of the East there arose such a clatter,
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash!
When what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But angels proclaiming that Jesus was here.
With a light like the sun sending forth a bright ray,
I knew in a moment this must be THE DAY!
The light of His face made me cover my head,
It was Jesus returning just like He had said.
And though I possessed worldly wisdom and wealth,
I cried when I saw Him in spite of myself.
In the Book of Life which He held in His hand,
Was written the name of every saved man.
He spoke not a word as He searched for my name;
When He said “It’s not here” my head hung in shame.
The people whose names had been written with love,
He gathered to take to His Father above.
With those who were ready He rose without a sound,
While all the rest were left standing around.
I fell to my knees, but it was too late,
I had waited too long and thus sealed my fate.
I stood and I cried as they rose out of sight;
Oh, if only I had been ready tonight.
In the words of this poem the meaning is clear,
The coming of Jesus is drawing near.
There’s only one life and when comes the last call,
We’ll find that the Bible was true after all!
God has seen me through another year. It happened so fast it’s hard to believe it. There are so many things happening during this time that it is hard to know where to begin. First and foremost, God loves every one of us! He provides for us every day yet many people choose to concentrate on the things that are not going according to their plans. You need to remember that it is His plan that is important and it is His plan that will triumph in the end. I know there are many who do not see Him in the bad news all around us but He is in control regardless of how bad it looks.
With my allergies kicking up these past few days I don’t really feel like celebrating my birthday but I’m thankful that it isn’t covid or the flu. Life does have a way of showing us exactly Who is in charge whether we want to believe it or not. God is keeping His children, Israel, safe and secure and He is looking for all who will follow Jesus until that day comes when the trumpet sounds and we are caught up to be with Him.
Will life get harder one day? Yes, it will, but God is still in control. Our world seems to be so confused about almost everything these days. From which bathroom to use to the number of so-called “genders”. God created only two. Male and female. So regardless of the confusion all around, His plan has worked from the beginning until now. Is there confusion? Yes, even in the animal kingdom but God’s design has worked for many thousands of years and it will continue to do so.
How many days do you have? None of us know the answer to this. Some may have many days and some of us may not lie down to sleep tonight. The time to make sure of your salvation and your eternal home should do so today because we don’t know how many hours we may have left to us. God knows your life and He knows how many days you have left. Don’t squander them and don’t turn away from the Holy Spirit when He bids you to accept Jesus as your Savior. Because, just as the rich man who wanted to build larger barns to lay up his produce for his enjoyment, you do not know if your soul may be required of you tonight.
If you are reading this today, thank God for the day and the ability to learn about the salvation that is only found in Jesus Christ. Make sure of your eternal home now because if you do not, it may be in a place that is far from God.
How many of us feel this way? There are many I would suppose, although I suspect there are many who will not own it. Being selfish is a common theme in the Bible although it is characterized by pride more often than not. Pride in yourself and your accomplishments can also show itself as “selfish”. But aren’t we supposed to be proud of ourselves sometimes? Yes, but not exclusively so. This word is also associated with self-love or narcissism.
Why am I writing about this? Because being selfish seems to be one of the problems that many people in the Bible have. They want their way. They want to be in charge. They want to be like God.
Do you know anyone who fits that description? The only “person” that I know of that fits this exact description is Satan, but there are some people who act this way as well. God loves people and He gives us the opportunity to be saved from eternal separation from Him.
We have the opportunity to follow Jesus and be His follower for the rest of our life. Don’t turn away from the call of the Holy Spirit in your life. Don’t push Him away because He loves you. Your eternity with Him is the reward, seek Him.
“Our Father”. Do you truly comprehend the significance of those words? God is, collectively, our Father since He is the Creator. But…have those two words ever sunk into your consciousness enough to truly register their meaning? Consider this: Adam was God’s son and the father of humanity, and Jesus is God’s Son and our Savior but He told His disciples to pray to God as their Father too.
Why? Because we become adopted sons and daughters in God’s family when we accept Jesus as our Savior. We have His blood covering our sins. We are God’s children. So when you pray to God, Our Father, you are literally praying to the only Person in the universe that loves you as much as He loves Jesus.
Let that sink in for a minute.
You are loved by God! So much that He gave His Son to pay the penalty for your sins. Jesus died and rose again to be your Savior and to pay the penalty for every person on Earth. It is your responsibility to accept this gift through faith in Him and live your life to attain your maturity in Christ. Walking with Him every day, not just on holidays and on Sunday mornings. It takes discipline to wake up and tell Him “Thank you for today”. It takes perseverance to read and study His Word for thirty minutes every day. It takes prayer, asking Him to give you His wisdom from His Word, and the understanding to know how to apply it.
The life of a Christian or a saint, as they are referred to by Paul, is not an easy one. The devil is going to target you so he can trip you up and cause your witness to be stained in some way so that others won’t follow you to be more like Jesus. The only way for any of us to stand on those days of trial is to study and apply the wisdom that we gain from God’s Word. We won’t know it or be able to apply it if we don’t read it…daily.
We are living in the last days of the age of Grace. Don’t turn away from the call of God in your life. Seek Him out in the Bible. Learn about Him and His nature. Follow Him every day and keep His Word in your mind and your heart for your own protection and for your salvation too.
The Living Message of Christ 