ONLY YOUR BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD

Why do people give gifts, and who decides the quality of the gift? What good is a gift if it’s not the giver’s best? What might be the giver’s motives and expectations for giving? In general, people give gifts as a way of expressing love, appreciation, friendship, and more. People give what they think is nice, usable, and acceptable, and they, most likely, expect gratitude for their thoughtfulness.

God is Love, and His demonstration of love is giving. “For this is how God loved the world; He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NLT). Everything He gives is fueled by love, even when He reprimands us. If we, His children, have His nature (which we should), then we should also give out of love and responsibility. Giving is easier if we know ahead of time what the recipient needs or likes.

God gave us His very best: His Son, Jesus Christ! He knew without His Son’s shed blood, nobody would have eternal life. Do we ever put some thought into what we give Him, or give in His name? Do we know what He likes? God is the God of beauty and elegance. Giving to Him means giving to the work of the Church, other ministries, and, quite often, meeting the needs of others in His name (see Matthew 25:40). Only the best is good enough for God!

Child of God, what has been the quality of your giving? King David was prevented from building a temple for the Lord because he had fought too many wars. Instead, God appointed Solomon, son of David, to build the temple. David could have just given up and gone on with other things, but instead he started making preparations for the project. He wasn’t trying to make a name for himself as the one who built the first temple in Israel. He wanted the temple for God to be jaw-droopingly gorgeous, regardless of who built it; it had to be the best he could dream of. In his own words, “The temple to be built for the Lord must be a magnificent structure, famous and glorious throughout the world” (1 Chronicles 22:5 NLT). Only the best is good enough for God!

Do you give God your leftovers -- what you have no need for? David once said, “I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing” (2 Samuel 24:24 NLT). God sees our hearts and our motives for giving. He blesses us as we give willingly, joyfully, and generously. It is good to remember that everything we have belongs to Him, and He’s able to take it all away at any time. Like King David, let’s give God only our best, because only that is good enough for Him. Anything less than the best is insulting and disrespectful. Our attitude towards giving to God should be indicative of our love and reverence for Him.

THE TIME IS NOW

Are you one of the many who think time is on their side? Such
people postpone every decision they need to make pertaining to
God and eternity. If you are, you probably say things like, “I am
young,” “I am too busy,” “I am in good health” or “I’ll do it later.”

If you had full control of your circumstances, you could
get away with procrastinating, and at just the right time of your
choosing, you could decide to believe in Jesus and be saved, and
everything would be fine. Unfortunately for you, you don’t have
much control of your life, you don’t get to decide when and how
you die; God does.

Maybe end of life issues don’t cross your mind often because
life at present is going so well for you. That’s what happened in
the days of Noah. The Bible says people were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage until the flood came (an indication
that life was going on as usual when the flood came). (see Matthew 24:37-38).
Of course, by the time the flood came, it was too late (see Genesis 6-7).
Their end had come suddenly, when there wasn’t much time for
them to call on God.

No matter how enjoyable you find this life, be reminded that
it is only temporary. The end will come when you least expect it.
All that the world has to off er cannot pay for your salvation. Only
the blood of Jesus is acceptable as payment for your sins. The Bible
says, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world,
yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his
soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NIV). Think about it.

Young people are being advised to start planning now for
retirement; so they can live comfortably in their later years. By the
same token, your soul will live forever; you need to make provision
for that. Where would you like to spend eternity, in heaven or
in hell? If you prefer heaven, you’ll need to take the steps now to
guarantee it. When the jailer in the book of Acts asked Paul and
Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30 NIV, they replied,
“Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (verse 31).

The way to salvation has not changed, and never will. God
decided the blood of Jesus was what it was going to take for Him
to forgive sins. So Jesus came and shed His blood. Now it is up to
you to believe in Him, confess your sins, ask for forgiveness and
accept salvation through His blood. On the other hand if you’d
rather spend eternity in hell, ignore the invitation to believe in
Jesus, and you will be guaranteed to go to hell. But why would you
choose that? Jesus loves you; that is why He died such a painful death. Choose life today!

“Now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2 NIV).

GOD IS SOVEREIGN!

God is sovereign is a well-known and frequently used phrase, but what does it mean? Christianity.com, has the following to say:

“There is absolutely nothing that happens in the universe that is outside of God’s influence and authority. As King of kings and Lord of lords, God has no limitations. Consider just a few of the claims the Bible makes about God:

· God is above all things and before all things. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is immortal, and He is present everywhere so that everyone can know Him (Revelation 21:6).

· God created all things and holds all things together, both in heaven and on earth, both visible and invisible (Colossians 1:16).

· God knows all things past, present, and future. There is no limit to His knowledge, for God knows everything completely before it even happens (Romans 11:33).

· God can do all things and accomplish all things. Nothing is too difficult for Him, and He orchestrates and determines everything that is going to happen in your life, my life, and throughout the world. Whatever He wants to do in the universe, He does, for nothing is impossible with Him (Jeremiah 32:17).

· God is in control of all things and rules over all things. He has power and authority over nature, earthly kings, history, angels, and demons. Even Satan himself has to ask God’s permission before he can act (Psalm 103:19).

That’s what being sovereign means: being the ultimate source of all power, authority, and everything that exists. Only God can make those claims; therefore, it’s God’s sovereignty that makes Him superior to all other gods and makes Him, and Him alone, worthy of worship.”

Knowing all that God is, hurting child of God, do understand that God is in control, and that nothing takes Him by surprise? He really is in control; He knows everything you’re experiencing! Nothing is happening to you by chance, by mistake, or by accident! Take comfort in that knowledge, and be assured that He sees your pain, sees your tears, hears your cry, and knows your circumstances. He’ll get you through it. All your experiences, painful or not, are included in His plans for you. The Bible says, “God causes EVERYTHING to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT). That’s why even on our most difficult days, we can confidently say, “I’ll be alright, because God is sovereign!”

Someday, sooner or later, we’ll understand! But until then, let’s give Him thanks as He commands: “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (1Thessalonians 5:18 NLT). God is faithful; let’s ask Him for grace, courage, and strength to persevere to the end, no matter how long it takes.

God is sovereign!

ETERNITY

Quite often when people die, you hear their loved ones say, “he or
she is in a better place” This is a comforting thought, and I am sure
everybody will like to think that about their deceased loved one.
Before we go any further, we need to ask ourselves, “Where is this
better place, and how do people get there?”

The Bible talks about eternity, either in heaven or in hell.
There are no neutral places, so when people talk about a better
place they most likely are referring to heaven. However, heaven is
not an automatic destination for the deceased. When people die,
their loved ones can comfort themselves any way they want, but
that does not guarantee their loved one is in heaven. The biblical
truth is, only those who believe on the name of Jesus will go to
heaven; only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book
of life.

People who do not believe on the name of Jesus Christ before
they die cannot be wished or prayed into heaven by loved ones, not
even by the Church.

Eligibility into heaven is not based on gender, age, social or
political standing. It is also not based on good works or anything
else people do. It is based solely on the sacrifice Christ made on
the cross, making Himself a bridge between God and man. Christ
died to pay the penalty for sin, making the way for sinners to come
to God by faith in Him (Jesus).

This is your opportunity. Ask Jesus to forgive your sins now.
He will forgive you, take away the guilt of your sins, fill you with
His Spirit and give you peace and the assurance of salvation. He
will also write your name in His book of life. Don’t count on your
loved ones or your priests to wish or pray you into heaven after
your death. It just does not work that way.

If you refuse Christ’s offer for salvation, you have automatically
and personally decided to go to hell after you die. Remember,
nothing can be changed about that decision once you are on the
other side of dirt. So while you are on this side of dirt make the
decision that guarantees you will spend eternity in heaven. Your
loved ones can then say confidently, at your passing, “he or she is in
a better place.” Please make this decision soon, hopefully today.