He Was, Is, and Will Always Be

Proverbs 16:4 [4] The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

Here is a reality many of us have a difficult time accepting. God has made EVERYTHING for Himself. Yes, even the wicked. God uses everything and everyone He created for His purpose and for His glory. We are living in times when we are seeing God's Word unfolding right before our eyes. We are seeing the wicked rise up, the devils increasing their activities, and it just seems like the world is falling apart. However, for those of us who are students of Scripture, and who are students of what is to come, we know the world may seem like it's falling apart; but in actuality, all things are falling into place. They are falling into place exactly as the Lord is directing and allowing. So, regardless of what is being put before our eyes by the media and social media, know this...our God always has been, is now, and always will be in control of all things.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

Time to Examine and Rethink

‭‭‭Revelation 1:12-18 [12] Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, [13] and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest with a golden band. [14] His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; [15] His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters; [16] He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. [17] And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.  [18] I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

There is a very subtle danger lurking in how we view Jesus today. This view has been programmed into our brains by the way Jesus has been portrayed in the many movies and series that have been produced over the years. Yes, Jesus came as a Man, a perfect Human Being who was both Man and God. He came to seek and save those of us who were lost, and still seeks those who remain lost. However, we who have believed and called upon Him have lost sight of one very important detail of who Jesus is today. He is the God who is not only coming back to get us on the day least expected, which could be today, but He is also the God who is coming back to judge this world and those who do not believe, and will not believe. That being said, how did John describe Jesus in the Book of Revelation? Did he describe Him like the Jesus that many say they will confront to ask, "Why this and why that?" Did he describe Him like the God who some refer to as, "the Big Guy in the sky" or by any other name that lessens who He really is? No. He described the Risen Christ as Someone who John could not even stand before. The presence of Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, made John fall at His feet like a dead man. That should cause us to seriously rethink how we approach God's throne every time we pray. That should cause us to rethink who we think we are offending when we choose sin over righteousness. It should cause us to examine and rethink how we live for, and represent, the One who gave His life to save ours.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

Praise That Glorifies God

Psalms 50:16-23 [16] But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to declare My statutes, Or take My covenant in your mouth, [17] Seeing you hate instruction And cast My words behind you? [18] When you saw a thief, you consented with him, And have been a partaker with adulterers. [19] You give your mouth to evil, And your tongue frames deceit. [20] You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son. [21] These things you have done, and I kept silent; You thought that I was altogether like you; But I will rebuke you, And set them in order before your eyes. [22] “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, And there  be none to deliver: [23] Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; And to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God.”

As I read these verses, all I could say is, "Wow." God was speaking to those who were religious outwardly, but rotten to the core on the inside. I must ask this of each of us today, "Do we praise God, correct others, and pretend to be godly outwardly while living like the devil when no one is looking?" Do we look for every opportunity to correct others in their walk with the Lord, while we barely limp along in our own walk? The Scriptures tell us to remove the plank from our own eye, before trying to remove the splinter in our brother's eye. The bottom line is that we cannot walk in darkness, agree with the wickedness of this world system, compromise our faith in order to "get along"; then show up on Sunday morning, or Wednesday evening, to praise God, lifting unholy hands to a Holy God. We may be able to put on a good show for people, but we cannot hide what is in our hearts. Let us offer praise that glorifies God, praise that comes from a heart cleansed by the Blood of Jesus; a heart that strives to obey the Word of God, by living a life in obedience to His commands.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

Our Greatest Regret

‭‭Psalms 49:16-20 [16] Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, When the glory of his house is increased; [17] For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; His glory shall not descend after him. [18] Though while he lives he blesses himself (For men will praise you when you do well for yourself), [19] He shall go to the generation of his fathers; They shall never see light. [20] A man who  is in honor, yet does not understand, Is like the beasts that perish.

Psalm 49 is a good reminder of what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, in 1 Timothy 6:7, reminding him that we were born with nothing and will take nothing with us when we die. So, why do we, who know the Lord, waste so much precious time chasing after fame, fortune, and the things of this world? How important would it all be if we were told today, at this very moment, that we only have a few days to live? What have we traded? What have heavenly, eternal, blessings have we forfeited for the sake of gaining what will eventually perish? Sadly, there are those who will reject Jesus, and refuse to believe, because they have been blinded by their own desires to gain the world. What is equally sad is the fact that many born again followers of Christ have also chosen earthly gain over the opportunities to gain heavenly rewards. We need to stop and ask ourselves, "Am I laboring to gain what is fulfilling my selfish desires, and my own plans for my life, or am I truly seeking the Lord, His will and His plan for my life; even if it costs me some earthly gain?" I guarantee that on the day when we take our last breath here, our greatest regret will be that we could have done more to serve the Lord, but we chose instead to serve ourselves and our desires to gain more of what this world convinced us was most important. Let us strive, today, and going forward, to avoid the foolishness of believing that the world has more to offer than the One who gave it all so that through Him, and in Him, we could gain eternal life, and eternal riches that will never perish.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

No Other Treasure Compares

Matthew 13:44-46 [44] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  [45] “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,  [46] who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

How do we view the salvation that God so freely offers through Christ? Is it a cheap salvation that we simply see as "fire insurance" to keep us out of Hell? Do we pray a prayer of salvation, just to pray a prayer? Did we see salvation as something that we add to our earthly life so that we can continue to live life as usual, and think that at the end of our earthly existence we could simply pull out our "get out of hell free fire insurance policy", and be all set? I must remind us all that the salvation being offered by God was not a cheaply purchased salvation. It cost the Father His Son, and cost the Son His life. He loved us, as His treasure, to the point that He was willing to give it all to purchase our redemption and pay for a debt we could not possibly pay. Should we not then be willing to give it all in appreciation for the salvation we have received in Christ, if we are born again followers of Jesus? Let me make one thing clear, we can NEVER  earn salvation. We have a sin nature, and all our works of righteousness are like filthy rags to God. We are told in Scripture that salvation comes through faith and given to us by grace. Not one of us can boast before God. So let us consider this...if the Kingdom of God is like a treasure hidden in a field, how many of us would give up whatever necessary to live a life worthy of such a great salvation? If we are one of Jesus' followers who claims they would do this, would it be evident if our life was closely observed? How much we value the wonderful treasure of our salvation will become evident when we live a life, in Christ, that honors and exalts Him in such a way that He increases, and we decrease; so that others see more of Him and less of us. The bottom line is that there is no earthly treasure that compares to the value of having the salvation that is freely offered in Christ.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

Spiritual Pretenders

Acts 5:1-3, 7-9 [1] But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. [2] And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of  it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. [3] But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?"

[7] Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. [8] And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.” [9] Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Who are we deceiving when we pretend to be more spiritual than we really are? Does not the Lord see right to the heart? What we see in what Ananias and Sapphira did back then is no different than what many in the church do today; and at some point we are all guilty of this. We put up the religious facade, pretending to be someone we are not, spiritually, when we get around others. The Apostle Peter wasted no time getting right to the heart of the matter. Satan put it in their hearts to lie, not to men, but to the Holy Spirit. When we pretend to be someone we are not, in Christ, we are choosing to lie to the One who sees our hearts, knows our hearts, and clearly sees our attempts at deception. We may be able to "pull the wool" over people's eyes, but we are only deceiving ourselves. God is not interested in our religiosity. He wants a genuine relationship with us, and He made it possible for us to have that by way of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. So, the next time the devils tempt us to put up a fake religious front, stop and realize that God sees who we really are. He simply wants us to be who He is molding us and shaping us to be; and when it comes down to it, we are all a work in progress. Let us not be spiritual pretenders.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

The Day Is Coming…Soon

Acts 2:16-21 [16] But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: [17] ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. [18] And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy. [19] I will show wonders in heaven above And signs in the earth beneath: Blood and fire and vapor of smoke. [20] The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. [21] And it shall come to pass That  whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved.’

Quite often when we speak of Peter's first sermon at Pentecost, we speak of his boldness, and about how many were saved. What I have never heard was the fact that Peter's first sermon not only was one of invitation to accept Jesus as Savior, but was also a grave warning that one day Jesus will return to judge. When he spoke of "the day of the Lord", he spoke of a time when Jesus was not coming as One who would seek and save, but One who will come in judgment; and because the remnant of Israel will see God's judgment poured out on the earth, that remnant will finally call upon Jesus as their Messiah. The Prophets Zechariah, Jeremiah, and others clearly prophecied about this, including the Apostle Paul. For us today, the day of salvation is today. The fact that we are seeing prophecy unfold before our very eyes, today, should motivate us to do all we can to share the Gospel message with family, friends, and anyone the Lord gives us opportunity to speak to. The Lord could return for His church at any moment. The rapture, or taking up, of the church could take place today, tomorrow, and in the blink of an eye. Who do we know that would potentially be left behind to endure the horrible things that will take place during the Tribulation period to come? If you have not put your trust in Jesus for salvation, do not wait! The time is now! If you have, what are you waiting for to tell those around you? Know this...the Day of the Lord is coming...soon!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).