GOD LOVES YOU

In order to appreciate another person’s love for you, it is important to know who the person is, and what value they bring to your life. If they bring no value to your life, their love really will make no difference, one way or the other. Therefore, in order to appreciate God’s love for you, you’ll need to know who He is, why He loves you, and how that love can impact your life. So who is God?

God is the holy Creator of the universe, including both the visible and the unseen things. He has ultimate power and wisdom. He owns everything and everybody (see Psalm 24:1), and has the right to do with each person as He chooses. He created man in His own image, so humans have the character of God, and just like God, we are eternal beings, as well as emotional beings. Being emotional, we have the ability to love, hate, forgive, create, and admire beauty.

When God created man (Adam and Eve), He enjoyed a relationship with them; He visited and talked with them often (see Genesis 3:8), until that relationship was tainted and interrupted by sin, the result of Satan’s doing and man’s disobedience. Sin ruined the relationship, not only in the present, but also for the future--eternally, because God is holy and cannot co-exist with sin, in this world or the next. Out of love for us, and the desire to resume an ongoing relationship with us, God put into motion the plans He had from the beginning of time to restore the relationship. The only solution to the problem was for sin to be punished.

Did God punish sin? Yes! How did He do it? He became Man in the person of His Son Jesus, in order to take on the punishment for the sin of mankind; the only way back to God. What this means is, God the Creator, left His holy dwelling place in heaven with all the pump and worship of angels, to live among sinful men on earth. God the giver of life died, willingly. By His death, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thereby restoring the relationship between God and man. This is the demonstration of God’s love for you and me.

Do you know of any kings, leaders, masters, or lords willing to trade places with their servants or subjects. How many of these dignitaries will want to serve a one day jail sentence for any criminal in their jurisdictions, let alone die for one? Without interviewing any of them, I can accurately answer this question. None of them! The point is they all enjoy the honor, respect, and power that come with their positions. They’ll not consider giving all that up for anybody—whether it is for a friend or foe, but Jesus did! The Scripture tells us, “God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him” (1 John 4:9 NLT).

If God set His glory and majesty aside, became human, suffered, and died, when He didn’t have to, we should equate it to love. He did all this out of love for us; it should mean something to us. He knows what our lives would be like without His death. In order for His love to mean anything to our lives, we need to respond to His love and the salvation He’s offering by His death. We are not automatically saved by His death; we have to ask to be saved, because of the onetime death He died in our place. We’ll be doing ourselves a disservice if we turn our backs on Him. The Bible says, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:13-14 NLT).

That’s as good as it’s going to get. There’s no other way to get into a personal relationship with God without accepting Jesus’ death as your own. No amount of arguments you pose about salvation through Jesus, will change anything; He is God and the buck stops with Him. His Word says, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31 NLT); “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NLT).

God loves you! Before you were born, He had plans in place to redeem you from the sin nature you inherited from your fore-parents, Adam and Eve. How are you going to respond to this demonstration of love? Please embrace that love. Call on Jesus today, repent of your sins, and ask for forgiveness. He will forgive you and start the work of transformation in your life that will begin to restore the loss of His image in you.

Being aware of God’s love does amazing things in one’s life. You can approach Him anytime, anywhere, in any situation with confidence. After all He is your Father, and has promised never to leave you or forsake you, and to give good gifts to those who ask Him (see Hebrews 13:5; Matthew 7:9-11). I encourage you to fall in love with Him today!

PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! THANK YOU.

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE SHOULD WE BE?

Every Christian should participate in the discussion about our Lord’s return. It is that important! The apostle Peter described in his letters how things will be when the Lord returns. Based on the information he provided, he asked this very important question: “What kind of people ought you to be?” 

So let’s see what the Day of the Lord (the Lord’s Return) is going to look like. That day will come like a thief (when we least expect). And on that day, “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare” (2 Pet 3:10 NIV). 

Peter’s question then is, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be” (2 Peter 3:11 NIV)? He then gives the answer: “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (2Peter 3:11-12 NIV). 

So we need to:

·        Be Watchful – “If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Luke 12:39-40 NIV).

·        Live Holy Lives – be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with God. (See 2 Peter 3:11, 14)

·        Speed UP His Coming with Evangelism – “And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14 NIV; also 2 Peter 3:11-12).

·        Know the Word of God, be on your guard, and do not be deceived by imposters and false teachers. (See 2 Peter 3:17).

• Store up our Treasures in Heaven, where there will be no fire, moth, rust, stealing, or any kind of destruction. Our focus will most likely be where we’ve stored our treasures. (See Matthew 6:20).

 So what kind of people ought we to be until His return?  We need to be living expectantly and watchfully, keeping on the whole armor of God, and evangelizing with zeal and excitement.  Amen!  Come, Lord Jesus come! 

WE ARE STRANGERS IN THIS WORLD

The apostle Peter addressed his first epistle to “God’s elect, strangers in the world…” (1 Peter 1:1 NIV). Why didn’t he just say to Christians, or to the Church, since that’s whom he was really writing to? Why did he call them (us) strangers? Strangers because that is what we are; we are foreigners on earth; we don’t belong here. We are looking forward to going home to a city whose architect and builder is God Almighty!

This place we call the world sucks!  It is full of sin, and evil, and destruction. There is no reason we can, or should feel at home here. We are not, cannot, and should not be content living here. Our discontentment should keep us longing for our real home; it should keep us focused on the One who is waiting to welcome us home with open arms. If we get comfortable here, and lose our longing for home, we could forget about our home, and buy into the things and ideas of this world, making excuses why this and the other are okay. God forbid! So let us never lose sight of our heavenly home.

Let us constantly remember what that city looks like. Although we have not seen it yet, we know Him who descended and ascended from there, and we believe everything He has told us about that place. It has mansions, streets of gold and pearly gates; it has no need for the sun, because it is lighted by God’s glory (see Revelation 21:23). We are also told, “The dwelling of God is [will be] with men, and He will live with them. They [the saints] will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4 NIV). Hallelujah! Are you ready for this, are you excited?

But while we are still here, we have a mission to focus on; we have a mission to accomplish. I hope you are not wondering what that mission could be, because I’m sure you already know it. I’ll refresh your memory, just in case you have forgotten: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15 NIV). We need to take this charge seriously, because there are many, including loved ones who have not yet found the hope that we have in Christ Jesus. Some have a false hope, based on their good works and the like. We need to correct them. When was the last time you shared your faith with another person? Please don’t keep putting it off; tomorrow could be too late for many people. Let’s get busy, strangers; let’s bring as many as possible with us to our new home-heaven!

DO NOT INSULT THE SPIRIT OF GRACE

According to the book of Hebrews, if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, we are trampling the Son of God under foot, treating the blood of Christ as an unholy thing, and also insulting the Spirit of grace (see Hebrews 10:26-29). This sounds very serious, and so do the consequences. You might be wondering, “What is sin?” Sin as defined by the Word of God is, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4 NIV).

The argument the writer of Hebrews presents is: if those who rejected the Law of Moses (a mere man) died without mercy on the testimony of two or three, how severe should (would) the punishment be for those who trample the Son of God under foot? The answer is quite clear from the passage, judgment and consumption by the same fire that will consume the enemies of God.

That is why Paul admonishes Christians, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (see Philippians 2:12 NIV). Why with fear and trembling? Because God is holy and does not tolerate sin, and we shouldn’t either! Out of love and reverence for Him we need to be careful how we walk. Our hearts’ desire should be to be pleasing to Him in every way.

The apostle Paul warned the men of Athens in the book of Acts that in the past God overlooked ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. And why?  Because He has set a day to judge the world with justice by Jesus (see Acts 17:30-31). If love and reverence for Him does not compel us to fear sin, His judgment should.

If we sin, we have an advocate to plead our case before the Father (see 1 John 2:1). John says, “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him” (1 John 3:6). He also says, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). The devil has been sinning from the beginning, so he who does what is sinful, John says, is of the devil (see 1 John 3:8).

. If you claim to be a Christian, but have been living comfortably in sin, please question your faith, and start all over. Repent, and ask God to forgive you through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. He will forgive you, and cleanse you from all sin, and fill you with His Spirit to enable you to walk according to His Word. Remember, God loves you, and does not want you to perish. If you continue on the path you are on, you’ll be guilty of treating the blood of Christ as an unholy thing, and also insulting the Spirit of grace, which of course comes with consequences—judgment and punishment.

Christian, let’s live godly in this life, so that when He appears, we won’t be ashamed, and we will live forever with Him!

MAN’S SPIRITUAL HEALTH RECORD

When was the last time you saw your healthcare provider with a health problem? I can tell you how your visit went. It went something like this:

·        You presented your concerns,

·        He examined you, and ordered some tests (laboratory and radiology)

·        Then he diagnosed you (told you what disease you had).

·        He proceeded to tell you the prognosis of the disease (the expected future course of the illness, with or without treatment)

·        He concluded by outlining available treatment options, and offered you the opportunity to make a choice.

In the same way, God has diagnosed man’s spiritual health, and needless to say we all suffer from the same condition—sin! Sin manifests differently in different individuals, but nevertheless, it is still sin! Below is everybody’s spiritual health record, `and it includes the condition of our hearts, God’s diagnosis and prognosis, and His recommended solution.

·        Man’s Condition – (Sin)

Manifests as:

Lawlessness

Hatred

Unbelief

Selfishness

Pride, arrogance, etc.

·        God’s Diagnosis – (The Problem)

“The human heart is most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

“Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

“The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one!” (Psalm 14:2-3).

“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standards” (Romans 3:23).

·        Prognosis of Man’s sinful Condition -

The wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23).

“Anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).

·        The Only Available Cure –(Faith in the name of Jesus)

“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).

There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him” (John 3:18). 

“Let the wicked change their ways, and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously” (Isaiah 55:7).

·        Status Post Treatment –(Assurance of forgiveness and eternal life)

Forgiven – “I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus” (1 John 2:12).

Provision for Future sins - “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, who is truly righteous” (1 John 2:1).

Eternal Life - “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

Dear Reader, would you follow your provider’s recommendation for a physical ailment? How about God’s recommendation for your spiritual ailment? Would you follow it? You have the right to not follow it, but you need to know: “They (unbelievers) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life” (Matthew 25:46). Please choose life with Jesus, today!

 (All quotes from the NLT)