CHOOSE TO BE CONDEMNED

 

CHOOSE TO BE CONDEMNED

John 3:17 "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." NLT

Many people have the idea that because God is holy, He is more like a tyrant who is always on the lookout for sin and immediately judges it when He sees it. God is seen as one who is harsh and unbending in His judgment of us. Such thinking is wrong. Yes, God is holy and judges sin. He will never compromise on His justice and will condemn sin. But, He sent Jesus not to exercise judgment. He came to exercise mercy. Mercy is the natural outcropping of His love. God does not have any desire to condemn us for our sins. He is not willing for anyone to go to hell because of their sinful heart. He sent Jesus here to do something about the judgment that would send us to hell. Jesus came to save us from God's wrath, not put us under it.

If anyone falls victim to God's wrath, it is by choice. We choose to live under condemnation or victory and will be judged accordingly. If you are not living in a personal relationship with Christ today, you better be afraid for Judgment Day is coming. If you are living in Christ, don't believe the lie of Satan that you are doomed because of your inability to live a sin-free life. We all sin and fall short of God's glory and standards, but there is mercy, love, and forgiveness in Christ. He whom Christ sets free is free indeed.

The Lord will not overlook sin. He will not take away sin that is not given over to Him. He never has and never will condone sin. If the heart is right with God, and God knows, then forgiveness is freely given. However, if the intent of the heart is to sin in defiance of God, one must repent before the sin can be forgiven. We cannot mock God's grace by taking liberties with it and do whatever we want instead of what God wants. He will hold us accountable for such an attitude. Humility before God will always move us to repentance and holiness of heart.

IN GOD'S HOUSE

 

IN GOD’S HOUSE

John 2:14 In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices, and he saw money changers behind their counters. NLT

What does the Lord see when he looks into the Church today? I wonder what kind of a reaction He would have to what goes on in many churches. Would He be pleased with what we do in His house?

Most of us would say that our church is the Lord's house. We proclaim that it is a place where we, God's family, gather together for worship, edification, and fellowship. We like to think that when we are together the Lord is right there with us. And yet, are our surroundings conducive to the Lord being there? Are we focused on Him or those around us? Are we focused on worshiping Him or being entertained by others? Are we content with letting others do our thinking for us, or do we meditate on God's Word also?

Are we as concerned about the appearance of our souls as we are our surroundings? Would the Lord be pleased with what he sees in His house of worship? I wonder. Jesus said that His house was a house of prayer, yet where has our altars and prayer meetings gone? When was the last time your church family gathered together on bended knee and prayed for a revival? I wonder sometimes just how comfortable Jesus is when He enters into His house to have fellowship with His people.

You may not be able to change the surroundings in which you worship in, but you can choose whether or not you will be a part of what you know displeases the Lord. You can be an example for others to follow by the way you conduct yourself in His house and the way you approach the worship service. The Lord honors those who worship Him in spirit as well as in truth. We will not get more out of worship than what of ourselves we put into it.

SPREAD THE WORD

 

SPREAD THE WORD

John 1:40-41 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of these men who had heard what John said and then followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him. "We have found the Messiah" (which means the Christ). NLT

What would have happened if Andrew had not listened to John when he spoke of Jesus and followed Him? Would Andrew ever had found the Lord? What about those whom Andrew had brought to the Lord? What about the impact he had on the other disciples?

Andrew heard what John said and took it to heart and followed the Lord. We then see what happened because Andrew chose to believe in Jesus instead of rejecting Him. He did not keep his new faith to himself; he went and told his brother, Simon Peter.

What would have happened if Andrew had not gone and told his brother, Simon, about Jesus? Simon (Peter) later on became the leader of the early church. It was Peter who stood up and preached Jesus to the crowds after Pentecost. It was Peter who God used to convince a multitude of people to believe in Him. If Andrew had decided that his faith in Jesus was his and had chosen to keep it to himself, his brother may never had become a follower of Christ.

I wonder how many people we fail to share the Gospel with could play an integral part of the Church someday if only we had cared enough to share it with them. How many souls will be lost because of our letting one soul slip through our lives without telling them? We can never know what a difference could be made in people's lives if only we would be faithful witnesses for Christ. Don't minimize the importance of the encounters the Lord brings across your path. Perhaps you will be the one who will lead the next Billy Graham to the Lord.

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

 

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

John 1:14 So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Son of the Father. NLT

This is one of the most profound verses in all of the Bible. Think about it; the Word (that is, God) became human and lived here on earth. God in His infinite wisdom knew that He had to become one with us in order for us to understand Him and His love for us. He knew that there was no other way for us to be able to reach out to Him and embrace eternal life.

God became human, which tells us so much about how He loves us. He loves us so much that He wanted to communicate with us on a heart level. He wanted us to experience His life on a much deeper level than duty. He wanted to fellowship with us. He wanted to teach us how to live close to Him. Not only that, He loves us so much He wanted to experience the life we live so that He could help us on our level.

God became human and we are able to see what unfailing love and faithfulness was all about. Jesus lived a faithful life to God. No one could honestly find any fault in how He lived life. He never disowned or disobeyed God. He never backed down from being a witness for Him. He taught and lived righteousness all the days of His life on earth, even to His very last breath.

Everything Jesus did was out of love. He loved those who responded to His teachings and followed Him. He loved those who would not commit to Him and longed that they would change their minds. He loved those who put Him on the cross and nailed Him there. He even asked God to forgive them while they were doing it.

We look upon Jesus and we see the glory of God in the flesh. We see God showing us the way to Him. We see love at its finest; God becoming human so that we humans could become one in heart with God. We see God doing for us what we could never do, getting rid of our sin problem so that we can be made holy, a people after God 's own heart and acceptable to Him.

God not only told us that He loved us and wanted to help us with our sin problem, He showed us His love and did something about our problem. He did what was impossible for us to do; He satisfied His own wrath against our sin and no longer condemned us for our sin; He adopted us into His family through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

CHILD OF GOD

 

CHILD OF GOD

John 1:10-13 But although the world was made through him, the world didn't recognize him when he came. Even in his own land and among his own people, he was not accepted. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn! This is not a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan---this rebirth comes from God. NLT

Isn't it ironic that the world does not recognize her Creator? Don't ever underestimate the power of sin to deceive and blind the soul. It so darkens the mind of man that he can't even see He who made him.

To all who recognize Jesus and believe in Him as the Savior of life, He gives them the right to become children of God. We have no right to claim to be children of God apart from a personal relationship with Christ. He alone has the authority and ability to make us children of God.

No one can become a child of God through human effort. We are not children of God as by-products of human passion. We are not born Christians, and we do not become Christians as a result of our efforts, no matter how sincere we may be.

Our acceptability by God is solely determined by Him. He alone can save us. He alone can forgive us and purify our hearts and make us acceptable to Him. He alone can impart the righteousness of Christ upon our souls and make us a part of His family. He alone can change us from slaves of sin to servants of God. He alone can open the doors of heaven and let us in.

You are a child of God if Jesus is your personal Savior. You are born into God’s family through the blood of Jesus shed for you at Calvary. There is no other way that you can belong in God’s family. He is THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No one can come to the Father except through Him.

GOD'S LIGHT

 

GOD’S LIGHT

John 1:5 The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. NLT

Light is the absence of darkness. Where light is, darkness is not. We all know the affect light has. It clearly shows us what is around us and the path we need to go. It enables us to see what it is not possible for us to see in the dark. Light does not go away unless the source of the light is extinguished.

Where darkness is, light is not. One of the things that will make hell so unbearable is the absence of light. It is utter darkness where there will be no hope of God’s light shining to point the way out.

Spiritually, light is the truth of God, written or living. It shines in the midst of the darkness of the world. Where the light shines, darkness gives way. No matter how bad things may be, God shines His light into the darkness and there are those who see it and find their way to Him.

The world likes the darkness and tries to squelch the light, but it can't. The truth of God will never go away and no matter what the world may try to do, it will continue to shine. The light shines all over the world for people to see their way to God. No one has an excuse for not finding their way to God because He makes sure that there is enough light everywhere for people to see.

Even when the darkness is overwhelming and there appears to be very little evidence of light, it is still there. God has given all humanity evidence of His being. Many refuse to look and see and thus never come to the light. They grope in the darkness and will never find their way out unless they open their eyes to see the light. Whether one stays in the darkness and loses his way to God is a choice each one has to make. Come to the light, it is shining for you. Stay in the light and you will never lose your way to God.

LIGHT DISPELS DARKNESS

 

LIGHT DISPELS DARKNESS

John 1:5 The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. NLT

Light dispels darkness. Wherever there is light, there is no darkness. As far as the light is able to shine, there is no darkness. The farther away from the light one gets, the darker things are. The closer to the light one gets, the brighter things become. The stronger the light wattage is, the brighter the light will be.

Light serves a multitude of purposes. In addition to dispelling darkness, it shows us the path we need to take in order to not stumble, fall, and perhaps injure ourselves. Light makes us aware of danger that may be lurking around us. Light enables us to see so that we can constantly be learning and growing. Light enables us to see what surrounds us so that we can enjoy what is there. Light enables us to function without always fearing what lurks in the darkness. Light lifts up our spirits and helps us to function better.

Where there is no light, the soul is fearful and easily depressed. There’s a blanket of doom that hovers over the soul and makes living joyfully very difficult, if not impossible.

Jesus is the soul’s light. In Him there is no darkness at all. When we live in the Light, all those things that would otherwise drag our souls down into a life of despair are gone. We are able to live with a clear sense of who we are and where we are going. We are able to have a spring in our steps because we know there is nothing to fear. The more we allow Christ to live in us and control our lives, the brighter our light will be.

If you are struggling to find your way out of darkness, let the Lord shine on your soul. Let Him show you the way out. Let Him renew in you the joy of salvation. Linger in His presence and cry out to Him. He will hear you and come to your aid. He wants to help you, but you have to let Him.

Whatever you may be facing in your life today, Jesus is the only one who can really help you. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus; look full into his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim; in the light of his glory and grace.”