GOD CAN DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING BUT ...

When we agree and declare that God can do anything and everything, we are really affirming His power, ability, and authority. And so yes, He can do anything, for, after all, He created the world and everything in it. However, there are things He “cannot do” because of who He is.

So, what are some of the things He cannot do?

1)    He cannot co-exist with sin, because He is holy: “Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It is your sins that have cut you off from God” (Isaiah 59:1-2). His inability to co-exist with sin is the reason He has to judge sinners, destroy the world, and build a whole new one. He is going to send the new, sin-free Jerusalem down from heaven, and nothing sinful will ever enter it. From that time on, The Scriptures declare that “God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. … All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:3-4).

 2)    He cannot lie, because if He did, how would we know when or when not to trust Him? Faithfulness is His nature; He cannot deny who He is. He is trustworthy (see Psalm 111:7). We, humans, lie; God doesn’t: “God is not a man, so he does not lie” (Numbers 23:19), in fact, “It is impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18).

 3)    He cannot change because He is faithful! However, He does change His mind because He is sovereign. For instance, He changes His mind and withholds pending judgment when we repent. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus” (see Romans 3:23). This simply means, unless one repents, one will die, spiritually. This verse is an invitation to repentance. So, if you don’t die, it'll because you repented, and He honored His Word. Also, He extends His favor when we sincerely seek Him. For example, when King Hezekiah heard through Isaiah that he was going to die, he prayed and cried out to the Lord, and the Lord heard him and extended his life by fifteen more years (see Isaiah 38:1-8). God does as He pleases!

 4)    He cannot be tempted by evil, and He does not tempt anyone: “Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15). The devil is the culprit; he tempts and lures us to sin. Let’s never say “God tempted me.”

5)    He cannot punish us for our sins if we’ve repented. Because of His faithfulness, He honors His Word to forgive us when we repent: “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9).

 So, as you see, there are things “God cannot do.” But those things only prove who He is-God! Let’s be thankful and praise His name that He is faithful and can be completely trusted. We need not fear or worry when the Almighty God is our Father. Let’s trust and obey Him! As the hymnist says, “There’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey!

HAVE YOU WANDERED AWAY FROM HOME?

Have you ever been lost? How did it feel when you found yourself in unfamiliar territory? I’ve been lost on more than one occasion, and I can tell you from experience, it’s frightening! There are at least two reasons for the fear one experiences in an unfamiliar environment: first, it’s difficult to find one’s way back home, and second, there’s always the possibility of lurking danger.

When you wander away from home, it means you walked away from your original location aimlessly and kept going until you were farther away and had no idea how to get back. When lost, you can’t necessarily give someone the address to wherever you are, and for you to get back home, someone would literally have to come and find you. That someone would have to know his way around, and also be concerned about your well-being. What good would it be if the person cared about you but didn’t know how to find you, or knew his way around, but didn’t care what happened to you? Either way, you’d remain lost. Now the psalmist prayed a very strange prayer: “I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me” (Psalm 119:176). You see, he admitted he wandered away, which means he knew where he was supposed to be—with the fold-- but wasn’t. He must have followed something that enticed him, and by the time he came to himself, he was away from the fold. How frightening!

Child of God, have you wandered away from God and the Church? What enticed you: what did you follow? Are you so attached to it that you can’t seem to find your way back home? Don’t despair: call on God just like the psalmist did, and He will be more than glad to come after you. He cares about you and knows exactly where you are and what got you there. But you know something? In order for Him to rescue you, you have to want to be rescued. He will gladly leave the rest of the fold and come after you; call on Him now!   

If you continue to wander around, you could become prey for the prowling animal, the devil, who is seeking to devour you. You need to get out of that situation as soon as possible. You need the Shepherd, and you need the fellowship of the fold. They miss you a lot, and are praying for you; call out to the Shepherd, and He will bring you back to the green pastures where you can graze to your heart’s content. He will also take you by the lake where the waters are calm and peaceful.

No matter what led you away, you should have discovered by now that whatever it was, did not exist, or if it does, it is not worth the trouble. You are missing a whole lot more than you could ever find out there. Remember, the Shepherd laid down His life for all of us. With that much sacrifice, He is able and willing to keep you safe. He, however, will not deliver you under duress! You have to want to be rescued, and you have to request it. Don’t wait much longer! 

THE GPS COMES TO THE RESCUE

The other day, I got lost; there’s no other way of saying it. I was on the right road but was going in the wrong direction. Instead of going west, I went east, so I went farther in the opposite direction, which then put me farther away from my intended destination: home. By the time I realized I was going in the wrong direction, it was too late to turn around.

I was on a very long bridge over a body of water, with high volume traffic; I had no idea how to get back, but before I panicked, I remembered I could consult my GPS. So, I did! The GPS (global positioning system) has become nearly every traveler’s assistant. My GPS directed me to the exit I needed to take to get myself headed in the right direction. What a relief that was!

Right there on the road, I got to thinking how people get on the road of life but go in the wrong direction, farther and farther away from the destination they had in mind, or the destination where they’d be safe. I know the destination many people have in mind, but I also know a lot of them will never get there. They are going in the opposite direction, and if they never turn around, they’ll end up at the wrong place.

There are some people who have no idea where they are going; they think life starts and ends, and that’s it. Such people have no destination in mind; they are not striving to get to any place in particular. Eventually, they will end up in a place they will regret with no opportunity to turn around; it will be too late to go back.

The day I got lost, I had a destination in mind, so I sensed right away when I missed my exit. When people have no destination in mind, they’ll have no idea they’re lost. I pulled out my GPS because I knew I was lost. Those who don’t know they are lost will not look for direction; other people will have to tell them they’re lost, and then show them how to turn around and go in the right direction. After they turn around, they can use their GPS to direct them the rest of the way to their new destination. 

Just as I depended on the GPS to find my way, I also depend on the Bible for direction in this life. How about you? The Bible is the Word of God, and can be trusted; it has been proven true, over and over again. If you’ve never trusted it, I invite you to read it and prove it for yourself.

First and foremost, accept the fact that you are a sinner and separated from God. Understand that you enjoy good things in this life because He allows it to rain on both the just and the unjust. In other words, something good happening to you is not an indication that all is well between you and God. Second, understand that if you remain separated from God for the rest of this life, you will be eternally separated from Him after this life as well.

Many people assume they’ll go to heaven when they die; they don’t know one does not just go to heaven. There are requirements to be met, but many, know nothing about that. Many think if they’re good enough, they’ll go to heaven, but how do they measure enough? The Bible says, “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it” (Ephesians 2:9).

Did you know there are requirements to get into heaven? What are they? Have you fulfilled them? Jesus told Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader: “Unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). In other words, you have to be born again in order to go to heaven. And if you are like Nicodemus, you’re probably wondering, “What does that mean?” Here’s the answer: “Anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment” (John 3:36).

Jesus, the Son of God, died in our place to pay for our sins; if you put your faith in Him, He will forgive you and make you a new person. That’s what it means to be born again: “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Just as the GPS directed me, the Bible will direct all those who come to faith in Jesus. The Word of God renews our mind, enabling us to live godly lives. God’s plan is for us to be as holy as He is; living according to the Bible gradually transforms us into His image.

Dear Christian, if you ever help someone to get on the right path, please make sure you emphasize the use of the Bible, our spiritual GPS, to navigate the remainder of their journey. Without the direction of the Bible, we will miss our way and have difficulty getting back on the path. 

The GPS is your guide, Use it confidently!

JESUS' HEART DESIRE

 I wonder if there’s anybody who doesn’t have some kind of hope or desire. I dare to say all humans have them, including children. Desire is the conscious impulse towards something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment; it is the longing and craving for something.

But does Jesus have a desire? Why? After all, He’s God and can make anything happen, so why should He desire anything? Yet, surprisingly, Jesus does have a desire, and for a very good reason. That desire is so important to Him that He prayed about it. He prayed to the Father, “Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began!” (John 17:24). Jesus’ desire is to have others be a part of His celebration in heaven someday! 

Jesus’ desire is not so far-fetched. We do that all the time ourselves. Don’t we send out invitation cards to graduation celebrations, weddings, and retirement celebrations, etc.? Sure we do! But why? Because we want loved ones and friends to share our joy. Victories and successes aren’t that enjoyable when you are by yourself.

Jesus came to earth to fulfill the Father’s will (see John 17:4, 18). As we read from the Scriptures, it wasn’t an easy assignment, but He did it! He has since gone back to heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, surrounded by all this beauty and glory! It’s just right that Jesus should want His friends to celebrate with Him. His prayer was not only about the disciples He had then, but for all disciples since then, and that includes you and me. Jesus defines friends as the ones who obey Him: “You are my friends if you do what I command” (John 15:14). What an amazing thought that Jesus is waiting for us, His friends, so He can show us around, to give us a grand tour of the heavenly city. It is made of pure gold, with walls of jasper, streets of gold, gates of pearls, and the clear as crystal River of Life, and all those mansions He promised to prepare for us! (See Revelation 21; 22 & John 14:2-3)

Let’s remember that Jesus is still praying for us; He is our advocate before the Father, and any time the devil accuses us of anything, He steps in to defend and declare us forgiven, based on his suffering. “If anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins-and not only our sins but the sins of all the world” (1 John 2:1-2). I believe He’ll continue to pray until we see Him face to face and cast our crowns at His feet!

If this is unclear, I’ll explain. God loves you very much and desires to have a personal relationship with you, but your sin is in the way. He is a holy God, and unless your sin is out of the way, it will be impossible to establish that relationship with you. God, therefore, sent His Son, Jesus, to pay for your sins and mine as well. Anyone who repents and puts their trust in Jesus is forgiven and made a child of God. Would you like to be a child of God? I encourage you to pray and ask God to forgive you in Jesus’ name. Once you do, what you read earlier in this article will make more sense to you.

Jesus is in heaven, desiring for you to have faith in Him now, in this life, so someday when this life is over, He’ll have the opportunity to give you a tour of heaven, where all His children will live with Him forever. Please don’t let this opportunity pass you by because if you miss it, you have by default chosen to spend eternity in hell. (See Revelation 20:15)

Brothers and sisters, let’s share Jesus’ heart desire with all who will listen. It is important, and it is urgent. Jesus is coming soon!