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The mice shouldn’t play

The mice shouldn’t play

1 John 2:28-29    And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.

I was hanging out with a group of friends last night getting together to show support for part of the family that is dedicating their lives to missionary work in Africa. It was a night full of good food, laughter, children playing, and testimonies of God’s work in each others lives. It is funny how parties used to be sharing all the “remember when’s”, that included some story of likely intoxicating shenanigans. Now the talks are the evidences of God’s hand in each of our lives. Of deliveries from all those addictions and lives steep in sins. Of evidences of redeemed lives that see and feel the proofs of God in them. Of encouraging others to do the same; of sharing the new found lives in Christ. It is so good to be in the fellowship of other believers; God uses each other to encourage each other in the evidences of His handiwork in their lives.

Being a Christians is not the mentality of, “When the cats away, the mice play.” Early in your Christian life, you begin to understand that you cannot hide from God. All that you do, He sees; all that you think, He knows; nothing is hidden, and all will be revealed at that day of judgement. Romans 2:16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. That is a scary thought, but we also must rest in knowing we are seen through the blood of Christ at the Cross as forgiven. When we being to grow in our faith, and that understanding, we should desire to live more righteous lives every day. We should pursue that faith and relationship that we abide with Christ as John says; we should be in a “state of being in Christ.” That intimate relationship will be guarded from the snares of sins that used to tempt us. That intimate relationship is prepared for His return.

What if today is the day that Christ returns? Looking back from this hour, into the past days, and weeks, how will your life account to God? “Well, God I was going to seek you a little harder after I got done with this project for work, after I got done with this tournament ball game, after I……………., after……….., after………….. We all have fallen in those pauses, we all have put other things before God. My prayer is that it is only for a short season, that you come to realize the weight of your life and the pursuit of God and the things of God with it. There is no playing while He is away, for He may return at this instant.

He came – He died – He arose – He ascended – He is coming back!

 
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Posted by on September 21, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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HeartLight

HeartLight

Zephaniah 1:12 “And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The Lord will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’

I am finishing up a semester in school of studying the prophets of the Old Testament. Time after time they warn Israel and other nations of the coming judgement of God. Some nations heed the warning and repent; in their pride other nations stand, only to crumble in God’s wrath. Many of these prophecies have two fold meanings; the immediate historical intent of the nations receiving the word of God from the prophet, and the future intent of the time to come at The Day of the Lord when God passes judgement on the sin of the earth. That day is coming when we all must stand and account for our lives before Him in a holy court. We must answer what we did with the knowledge of Christ; of what we put before becoming disciples of His. How will you answer?

The more time I spend in these prophecies, the more I became concerned for those God has placed in my life. People close to me; co-workers, friends, even family. Do I be bold and share with them not only the Good News; but the wrath of eternal damnation in their apostate views of it? Zephaniah is speaking of how God will search out all that is hidden in that day of judgement on Judah; of the complacency of those resting in religion. Judah had slipped farther and farther away from God and they believed God would never punish His own people. Zephaniah 1:4 “I will stretch out my hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and I will cut off from this place the remnant of Baal and the name of the idolatrous priests along with the priests, 5 those who bow down on the roofs to the host of the heavens, those who bow down and swear to the LORD and yet swear by Milcom, 6 those who have turned back from following the LORD, who do not seek the LORD or inquire of him.” God will always punish un-repented sin.

Remember that test we took as a kids when the first line was to read all the directions before beginning? Most of us began the seemingly endless tasks to be completed in the alloted time. Some of us just sat back and smiled while the others worked feverishly; yet they wondered what we knew. The last line on the test was to put your paper down and to disregard all the previous directions. God is showing you what He has planned for the world throughout the Bible. He has shown you why you struggle; why He gave you Christ to free you from that struggle; what will happen if you deny Him, and the eternal blessings in store if you humble yourself before Him. Do not pass through life thinking God will not search your heart with His Light upon judgement day. Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; There the mighty men shall cry out.

 
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Posted by on December 11, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Well, after I..

Well, after I...

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

What is holding you back? After hearing about Christ, what has the grip on your soul that you cannot release to Him? Is it pride? Is it something worldly that you hold so close, that deep within you know is wrong, but yet you cannot let go? Those things become Gods to you, for typically you begin to idolize them and your world revolves around them. Mine was racing dirt bikes for about 20 years. But all throughout the Bible God tells us “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3).  We also want to live our life in many ways, and then promise to commit our lives over to Him before it is too late. James 4:14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. We are not guaranteed another breath, much less the promise of deciding when we have fulfilled our expectations here, and then decide to rest in the assurance of Salvation.

We all must answer to God in the day of judgement that will come. We all must account for how we lived our lives here, and how did we reflect Christ for our time here. “Well God I was going to after. I…”  All those things that we are placing before committing our lives to Christ have become a God to us, for they are before the “after I” in that statement. The word judgement is found 186 times in the Bible, much of which is speaking of that day to come. Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? All the things that you are seeking pleasure in will fail you in due time. Eternity is a place that will reflect your priorities and decisions you make here every day, and what you put before God. Christ has paid the price that you cannot pay, but you can receive by humbly repenting your sins, accepting the gift, and living your life as a disciple of His spreading the Good News you now possess. You will not see those things before God any longer, for you will see Him for who He is, the great “I AM.”

 
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Posted by on April 2, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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