The Offer
Jesus said, “I have come to give you life and life more abundantly.” John 10:10
In a sentence He states the purpose of His life. He came to give us something we could not obtain on our own. He came to give us life.
Before Him
my life consisted of monotonous, meaningless repetition. I remember as a
young man looking through my living room window and asking God is this
it? Is this all there is, working, eating and sleeping?
I was
twenty something when I asked that question. Now as I look back I
realize God answered my question immediately. Shortly after I ask that
question I became a Christian and my life began. You might expect me to
say something like everything in life became wonderful. The truth is
life, real life is not easy.
Though I became a Christian and
became a new creature the only thing I knew was my old nature. My new
nature was at war with my old nature and my life has never been the
same. My new nature is a life filled with purpose, joy
and expectation. The spirit of God in me is working to give me the
abundant life Jesus speaks of. My new spirit was and is at war with the
“spirit that comes to steal, kill and destroy.” John 10:10 This
spiritual war within me played out in poor, disastrous decisions and
actions that plagued my life. I have walked through the valley of doubt
and fear, of loneliness and abject disappointment. Through it all God has been there to pick me up and carry me when I could not walk.
The
new life that Jesus is speaking of comes with a very big caveat. It
will not coexist with the spirit of death which lived in me before I was
born again. The spirit of God is selfish, unyielding and unrelenting.
He demands to be the sole ruler of your life. He will not share His
glory and position with anything. In return He will give you a life that is unattainable in any other way.
You
can wake up every morning defeated or you can wake up everyday
expectant of what the God of creation has for you this day. Every
morning is an opportunity to experience the wonder and majesty of God.
Every day you get to choose a new experience with him. With the newness
of each sunrise you can step into a new facet of God. In the bible it says “your mercies are new every morning.” Lamentations 3:23
God
is not the God who lived on the pages of an ancient manuscript He is
the great “I am” (Exodus 3:14), the one who is constantly and forever
present in this moment, always at this time.
We Christians are
always asking God what am I called to do? The answer is the same for
each of us it is to offer everyone what Jesus has provided you, an
abundant life.
Friday, July 8, 2016
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Mediator
Something to think about.
Mediator
5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Timothy 2:5
God made it very simple, you want to get to God you have to go through Christ, there is no other way.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Shine
Something to think about.
Shine
16 Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:16
Sometimes your only testimony is being an example of God.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
One Generation
Something to think about.
One Generation
One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts.Psalms 145:4
This
verse is not referring to the old testament acts. It is meant to be
current. It is you praising the works of God to your succeeding
generation. You are testifying to what God has done in your life.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Bear Witness
Something to think about.
Bear Witness
Jesus speaking of Himself.
If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. John 5:31
For those who do not know the word of God don't’ know of the witnesses of Jesus. It then becomes our responsibility to be the witness to those who don’t know.
Leia Mais…
Saturday, July 2, 2016
Deliverance
Something to think about.
Deliverance
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Matthew 6:13 (ESV)
As evil explodes throughout the world, it is apparent to me that we need to ask God to fulfill this prayer now more than ever. God please delivers us from evil.
Leia Mais…
Friday, July 1, 2016
Truth
Evil is forcibly introducing itself into our daily lives. From the killing of innocent citizens in our streets to massacres in nightclubs and theaters. Our leaders are quick to blame the weapons of warfare as the culprit for these actions. However, weapons are weapons, without intent and use they are but physical items without purpose.
We hear in popular culture that love will overcome hate. The only problem with that premise is that the problem is not hate, the problem is evil. How do we defeat an enemy that cannot be persuaded or deterred from completing its singular purpose? As long as we hide behind words such as hate, prejudice, injustice, extremism, radicalism, sickness, racism and intolerance we will never be able to defeat evil. Though these words describe current realities, they do nothing to address the cause of evil. Evil stands on a level of its own. Evil is not rational, it is not intellectual, it does not contain an iota of morality, justice, compassion or care. You can’t reason with it, you can’t negotiate with it. You can’t legislate it away. There is nothing within it that you can appeal to. It has no saving grace. There is nothing redeeming about evil. Evil cannot and will not be appeased, it won’t be satisfied. It is relentless and without remorse. Evil does not respond to love. It only exists to destroy.
In Ephesians it says:
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (ESV)
What does this mean for Christians? The verse says “For we”. It is not optional we are at war. We are at war against overwhelming evil forces we cannot defeat. Spiritual forces in high places, an enemy that will not be identified by conventional means which is invisible to those who deny it's existence. Whose fruit is evident to all and becoming more apparent each day. What is happening in the world is it is losing a battle, a war it was never designed to win. The only way to defeat evil is with truth, not good will, not love.
The only one that will win this war is the God of truth. The only people who will share in this victory are those who call Christ Lord. How will the world know of Him? God has commissioned us to make the world aware of Him. The world will not hear it from any other source because there is no other source, we are it, you and me. You may feel insignificant and unimportant in a cosmic battle beyond your comprehension but your testimony is the unstoppable force that will unleash the power and truth of God into a lost world.
Your testimony is crucial for the world to be saved. It won’t happen without you.
Leia Mais…
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