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Monthly Archives: April 2013

R12 Christian

30 Apr

R12 Christian

Romans 12:1-2     I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)

The apostle Paul had just pointed us to the understanding of how our entire lives flow through God’s mercy; Romans 11:36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. When we come to grasp the power of God and his sovereignty, we should become naturally bent towards a heart of worship to him. We should be moved with that small grasp of understanding to a life transformed by it. Paul is showing us that how we live our lives is a direct reflection of our worship to Him. I do like the ESV (English Standard Version) of this scripture, for it makes that clear in Romans 12:1.

Paul stresses this point in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? He is addressing the topic of sexual immorality, a battle that in most of our lives we have faced at some time, inwardly or outwardly. Paul is pointing to the evidence as Christians that we are sinning with the Spirit of Christ that is living inside of us. Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Can you imagine the Spirit inside of you in pain when you go against God; when you fall into sin for that small pleasure for a short time? He might say, “Oh, why are you doing that? Do you not see what I have planned for you?” It pains God to see the power that sin has over our lives; so much so that He gave his Son to rescue us from it.

The closer you draw to God with a true heart that desires him, and the things of him, the more you will begin to live your life in worship to Him. You will begin to feel His Spirit at work more and more in you; convicting you of your sin when you fall, and drawing you away from it when you are tempted. 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. That is the renewal of your mind spoken of in Romans 12:2. You will begin to think differently the more you seek God. You will begin to discern those temptations and hopefully avoid them. You will begin to seek the pleasure that living a life for the One who gives you life an act of worship to Him. That circle of life in those acts of worship lead to becoming the disciple you are ultimately called to be.

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Open the trunk

29 Apr

Open the trunk

Psalm 31:3 For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.

I saw a post this morning on FB, “Is God your steering wheel or your spare tire?” That is a great analogy, on what is He to us? Do you spend enough time with Him to say that he steers your life, or do you just go to him in times of trouble for help? Is God so small in your life that he is reduced to the likeness of a mini-spare? Just a temporary fix to get where you are going, and then thrown back in the trunk until another emergency comes up again? Spare tires are for emergencies only, they utilized only to get you out of a bad situation and on to a point in your journey that they are set aside for the next bad situation. We can all let God spend too much time in the trunks of our lives.

Psalm 31 is written by David, and it is a Psalm of thanksgiving for being a child of God. He is pouring our his heart to God in a lament over the trouble in his life. He is weary from all the people in pursuit of him after his life. But buried in this Psalm of the weariness of David is the beauty of one who trusts God. Buried in there is a heart that knows all of his life is under God’s control,  Psalm 31:15a My times are in Your hand. David trust and longs for God; he puts his entire life in God’s hands. He was known as having a heart for God, even in all his failures he exemplified a repentant heart that continually sought God. Psalm 84:2 My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. David’s life story, one of blessings, adultery, murder, and repentance, shows us the power of God’s grace and mercy upon us. David showed us that God knows the heart, and God loves the repentant heart that sees it’s sin, and desires to repent of that sin, and draw closer to God in dependance on him.

How do you let God be your steering wheel? How could you possibly know from God which way to turn in your life? How could you know whether to turn to the right, or the left, or to continue on the same path you are on? Matthew 6:33 Seek Ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. It is that simple; seek God every single day in His Word and prayer. Spending daily time with God will allow you to clearly hear God’s voice and discern the direction he wants you to go in your life. God is around you every day, but Satan through your attention to the world has numbed your senses to God. Satan has filled your mind with the white noise of this world, and only daily time in the Bible and prayer will filter out that noise so that you can hear the One who desires to tell you which direction to turn.

 
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Posted by on April 29, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Lemme’ tell you…….

27 Apr

Lemme’ tell you……..

Romans 10:13-15     For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!”

My study Bible states the logic of this scripture clearly: “People will call on Jesus to save them only if they believe he can do so; belief in Christ cannot exist without knowledge about him; one hears about Christ only when someone proclaims the saving message; and the message about Christ will not be proclaimed unless someone is sent by God to do so.” Do you see the power in the spoken word of the saving power of Christ? Do you see the necessity of your call as a Christian to share the gospel with those that He places before you? I have heard the quotation from a leading atheist paraphrased, “If as a Christian who believes this gospel of saving power and love, how much must you truly hate your fellow man to not share it with them?”

Paul is speaking of salvation in these chapters of Romans. Of how there is no difference now between God’s chosen people (Jews), and the Gentiles who are now coming to the faith. 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. Paul reminds us that the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled by the Gentiles coming to faith in Christ. 20 But Isaiah is very bold and says: “I was found by those who did not seek Me; I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” Where the stubborn Jews have been turning their backs on Him, the Gentiles have been coming to faith in Him. But we must understand that God seeks to save us all, and He is saving a remnant of the Jews who are coming to faith in Him, and not their religiosity of their culture.

Are you doing your part? Are you keeping Christ to yourself? If we are truly saved then we are led to share what we have with others; it is a natural draw to have that desire. The Spirit, the Spirit of Christ that comes to dwell inside you, desires to use you to draw others to Himself. Evangelism is a spiritual gift to some, but it should be a desire to all. If you have ever been in the presence of an evangelist, it is incredible to witness how openly and easily they share the gospel. It does not come easy to us all, but we should respond when our hearts are led to share. How do we know what plans God has for us or those before us unless we share the hope that lies within us?

 
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Posted by on April 27, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Elected should obey

26 Apr

Elected should obey

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Paul in the scriptures prior to this had touched on the topic of predestination; in its simplest form the idea that God knows who is, and is not, going to be a child of His. Those that the Spirit tugs upon their hearts, and they respond to His calling, are all known by God outside the sphere of time. It is impossible for us to understand the idea of foreknowledge, for our entire lives are centered around time. But if you can grasp with a  humble heart in the recognition of being a chosen child of His, you can grasp the understanding of the security of a hope that grows in that knowledge. You are one of the elected by God, and you hold His promises of eternity.

I am in the final days of the biggest act of obedience in my life; putting our home up for sale. God laid it on my heart three times, the first two I denied, the last I could not. The only thing that even came close was downsizing my business in the midst of a booming economy. It is a very scary thing to lead my family out into the unknown, but I know God is telling me to. I know God laid it on my heart, yet in these closing days my enemy is hammering me in doubt and fear. Satan is the king of deception, and the father of lies, and he comes to try and get you to take your eyes off God; to stop these acts that draw you closer to Him. But in these trying days with a heart that seeks Him continually, my faith grows. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. It is in my daily growing relationship that I know He has a plan for me; I know Whom is the still small voice I am listening to. It is through daily time in prayer and His Word that these things are found.

Paul continues in Romans 8 with a beautiful summary of Gods love in 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Are you living your life in the understanding that you are one of the “elect”? Are you living your life with the understanding that no-matter how hard it may get here, that you will live in paradise for eternity with the One whom elected you? Or are you letting that evil one plant fears and doubts keeping you from obeying what God has laid on your heart? That is most likely keeping your eyes from being opened to another realm of what God has in store for you. Being an elected child of God, is being an obedient disciple to what He lays on your heart. He will use your heart of obedience to draw you closer to Him, and to draw others through those acts also.

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Do not delay

25 Apr

Do not delay

Matthew 24:15-17   “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

Christ was speaking to his disciples in what was known as the “Olivet Discourse”, prophetically telling them of the coming days, and the coming future events when He will return to judge the world. The prophet Daniel spoke of these things, and the urgency that will fill the air when His wrath is poured out upon all the world in judgement. The Jews are told to flee immediately; to drop whatever they are doing and run. Delays could carry death as a consequence; there is no time to look back. When the warning is sounded to flee, just as when the angels came to Lot when God judged Sodom, we are told to not look back. Genesis 19:17 So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

When God begins to stir in your heart, you either respond or simply deny. There are no other roads; you are obedient in the confession and repentance of sin, or you deny that conviction before God. How many times have you known you were in sin, yet continued to live in that sin, or simply denied or excused it and moved on? When I look back at the level of great sin in my life before Christ, I don’t even understand why He would want me. When I look at all my continued struggles today, it humbles me to this day, of the grace I rest under. Has He been showing you that great sin you are hiding in? Has He been tugging at your heart to come to Him with it? He calls you to admit it, give it over to Him and he will forgive you for it. You are not to try and work our your repentance in order to earn it; you can NEVER do that.

You, like I for many years, may have the attitude of “one day” you will get right with God. You may have the attitude that you want to have your life now as you want it, and then “one day” you will give it up to God. What if those tugs on your heart is God telling you to flee from that sin immediately? Matthew Henry puts it, “Those that are convinced of the misery of a sinful state, and the ruin that attends them in that state, and, consequently, of the necessity of their fleeing to Christ, must take heed, lest, after all these convictions, they perish eternally by delays.” Your days are numbered and you do not know the total; the end of this day might be too late. When you continue to live in sin, or hold that sin in such regard you are in fear you will miss its joy, there can be eternal implications. Genesis 19:26 But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt. There are grave consequences in delayed obedience to the Lord. Follow that call to repent and believe on the One who died to provide you eternal life and rescue from certain death.

 
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Posted by on April 25, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Do your part

24 Apr

Do your part

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Pastor Jack asked the question of what this scripture meant to us yesterday. This falls in the context of when Christ was speaking to his disciples regarding his second coming and the end of times. They were seeking to know what the signs were for the end of times, and how to be on the lookout for His return. Matthew 24 is Christ’s prophecy of the last days. Early in this prophecy is this scripture above; a prelude to the Great Commission He gives them upon his ascension to heaven after his crucifixion and resurrection. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Christ was telling them of how it is their ultimate life responsibility to spread the Gospel; and the spreading of the Gospel to all those who will hear must happen before He returns.

Matthew Henry summarized it well, “That which seems chiefly intended here, is, that the end of the world shall be then, and not till then, when the gospel has done its work in the world. The gospel shall be preached, and that work carried on, when you are dead; so that all nations, first or last, shall have either the enjoyment, or the refusal, of the gospel; and then cometh the end, when the kingdom shall be delivered up to God, even the Father; when the mystery of God shall be finished, the mystical body completed, and the nations either converted and saved, or convicted and silenced, by the gospel.” The apostle Paul summarized it well in Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? You are called by Christ, the one who saved you, to preach that message of Salvation to all that will hear. It is your responsibility, unto your debt to Him, to evangelize and spread the Good News found in Him.

Ten years ago the internet was a new fad. A new means of communication that would likely fade. In that short time we now cannot imagine life without it. We now are instantly connected 24 hours a day to all the world. All the world is receiving this technology at an alarming rate. Even missionaries in the far reaches of the earth are carrying this technology into those foreign lands. This can easily be seen as a means for all to hear. You can even look shortly into the future of this technology and begin to understand how “all may see or hear.” In the book of Revelation we are told of the two great prophets that come and preach repentance to all the earth for 1,260 days. When they have finished their testimony, they are killed, and all the world living in sin rejoices at the sight of their bodies. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. The means for all the world to see and hear lies before you today. God has given us the technology for the Good News to be spread to every nation. Today should be the day you begin to do your part.

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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My solid rock

23 Apr

My solid rock

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

It seems as though I have had this conversation a lot recently. Of how when we put our eyes on anyone, or anything, ultimately we will be disappointed. The evidences are clear of a society born into sin, that eventually that sin will surface and disappoint. Christ is perfect in every essence of that word; He will not, no He cannot disappoint a child of His. Our minds struggle with that understanding, but our hope lies in that knowledge. When all else seems to let us down, seems to change before our eyes, He will not waiver. He is the rock upon which we stand. Today I began to reflect more on that eternal promise in that scripture. I heard an incredible sermon recently of when God spoke to Christ, and in fact the Spirit too, and said, “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26). Together in eternity past, never changing as far as into eternity future.

In the passages prior to this statement, the writer of Hebrews is pointing to the history of the Jews and the promises that God had given and sustained them with. From the beginning when He spoke to Abram to leave all that he had; to the deliverance from slavery into the Promised Land; to the promise of a coming Savior. God spoke these words to the leaders of His people, For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5b.) That promise is for all of us; He is always there, never changing, never disappointing in the plans he has laid before us. When He places the hard things on our heart, He is there to guide us through them. These are tests of faith, to see if we are faithful in a little so that He may trust us with much.

I see the fear in my family and myself for the journey we are embarking on selling our home. I hear the prayers of my oldest son that humble me in his faith; “We know that we could live in a box and be happy.” I have shared with him openly that I feel God laying it upon my heart to sell our families home. As the leader of my home it is a scary place to be, to make these huge steps of faith in acts of obedience to the One who called me to do them. But I know that He did, and I know that He never will leave me nor forsake me when I am seeking to follow His Will for my life. Hebrews 1:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” All that you are facing today in your life can be faced with Christ. The burdens you bear you do not have to bear alone. He will guide you, carry you, and sustain you when all else seems to be wavering. Place your hope in the One formed eternal future, while in eternal past.

 
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Posted by on April 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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The wicked must answer

22 Apr

The wicked must answer

Nahum 1:14 The Lord has given a command concerning you: “Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are vile.”

The prophet Nahum was warning of God’s impending judgement on Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria. The Assyrian’s were the most cruel of their time, even to the point of the most throughout history. In their conquests of lands in they were merciless and evil people. They slaughtered children and tortured many unto death in horrible acts of evil. They seemed to take great joy in their wicked ways. They were the baddest of the bad, and feared by all. God had even allowed them to do His work for him in the punishment of the Israelites for their sinning against God. But that did not excuse the Assyrians from having to answer to God for their own sin. God had sent Jonah to warn them; they repented and were granted grace in impending judgement. But their repentance was short lived, and God sent Nahum to proclaim it was time for the great city of Nineveh to fall under His righteous hand.

When you see these senseless acts of violence in todays society, many times they are under the guise of religion. They have been led to believe that an act of terror, to kill the innocent in the name of their god, gets them in the good graces of their god. They will receive a reward for killing in the name of their god? In what god’s name is killing good? In what god’s name are they granted judgement on another person’s soul? What kind of evil god is so weak that he needs his followers to make eternal decisions for him? The simplicity at the core of their belief system is a failure; one of evil and idolatry of oneself. The will have to answer to the eternal God for their actions. Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies; 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.

The entire book of Nineveh should strike fear in those that are against God. The proofs of His final judgement lie within these scriptures. Nineveh was completely destroyed, never to be rebuilt again in history. In fact, the Assyrians disappeared from history itself after the destruction of its capital city. Nahum was bringing a message of hope to Israel in this prophecy, for both kingdoms had suffered under Assyria. This impending judgement on the evil of that day, and the evil of this day, should spur you to share your hope that lies in Christ. When evil grabs our attention, and makes us question the frailty of life, it is a prime opportunity to share your hope in Christ for eternity after this one. 1 Peter 3:15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. (ESV)

 
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Posted by on April 22, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Oh……now I get it.

21 Apr

Oh……now I get it.

Habakkuk 1:2-4    O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? 3 Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. 4 So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.

The prophet Habakkuk didn’t get it; he didn’t understand why God was seemingly letting evil rule over good in the land. The Babylonian empire was growing quickly and and it seemed to be an imminent threat to Judah. Was God really going to let such an evil empire plunder His people and their city? Why would God let evil prosper in the world? Habakkuk dared to ask God these questions, and God answered them. Habakkuk came to understand more clearly that God is in control of all these things; He is Sovereign over all. He came to understand that he was to rest in the faith of God’s Soveringty; to not worry for he should know that God is in control. Habakkuk 1:4 “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.

We all have heard that questions of “How can a loving God let something like this happen?” Those may be some of the hardest questions to answer, for they are most likely involved in the most painful circumstances. It can be in the instances of sickness, or deaths of those close to us who lived righteous lives. It can be the senseless tragedies. It can be the prospering of those that live so far from God, while those that seek Him struggle. We cannot understand the ways of God, but we must understand that it all passes through his hands. Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

There should come a point in your faith that you begin to understand, that you will not understand, the ways of God. If you began to see the wisdom and complexity of Whom you worship, why would you seemingly worship them at all? There simply is seemingly no point of elevating anything which is within your grasp. Faith is the understanding that you cannot see, nor cannot control what God has planned for your life. Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith is at the root of your hope for eternity; your hope that drives your daily walk, perseverance, and endurance for your time here. When you struggle with the question of why, remember the story of Job; of how God was telling Satan of how righteous Job was, and of how great Job’s faith was. James 5:11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord–that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

 
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Posted by on April 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Call to action

20 Apr

Call to action

Matthew 10:27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.

Christ has been traveling preaching repentance, performing miracles, and gathering his 12 apostles. He gives them the power to heal and command evil spirits to flee those possessed by them. He is sending them out into the world to spread the good news that is available to all that will hear. They are to share what they have come to know as witnesses and men called by God to serve Him. They are bursting with anticipation, but surely fear is at work also. Knowing this Christ speaks to those fears, of their certain persecutions, of the price they must pay as disciples of His. But He promises the power that is given them as messengers of God, of how when they are brought up before councils they will be messengers with the words they will not utter. 19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. Matthew 10 is an encouraging passage to all those who are missionaries.

Do you feel that same urge to share what you possess? Do you feel that you want to shout it from the rooftops that you are forgiven, redeemed, and free from death as a result of the grace you were given in Christ? This realization should surely produce a level of zealousness. Many newly saved Christians are spoken of as “on fire for God”. What happens; why do they loose that passion of their early walk? What distraction or discouragement did Satan take their eyes off of that eternal prize? Where in this life did the enthusiasm become lost in our hope for eternity? Christianity and passivity should be polar opposites. We are commanded to live our lives as disciples, to make disciples of those that God places before us, to sacrifice ourselves for Him, just as He did for us. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

When you stand before God in that day of judgement and He asks you what you did with the sacrifice he gave you through Christ, how will you respond? “Well…..I went to church, I wore a cross neckless, I listened to some Christian music……..I……” What evidence and what actions are in your life of the eternal promise you claim. Matthew 7 contains the scariest scriptures in the Bible; those that think they are saved and going to heaven, but are turned away. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ When you live your life as a disciple; your life focused on God and the things of God; your life as a response to what He freely gave you and the desire to share it; you will possess that eternal security of Matthew 25:21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

 
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Posted by on April 20, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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