Motivation to reach the lost

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYfn7MhcOo8   -  The Love of Christ

you might need to copy and paste

Looking upward

 

My meditation this morning

Psalm 50:23  “Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honours God”

Thanks to God, to others is a Christian distinctive. Many of the cultures around us do not have a word or concept of “thank you”.

We have so much to thank the Lord God for, and instead of living on the horizontal plane, thanksgiving turns our eyes heavenward where nothing spoils our hope, our home.

        “always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” Ephesians 5:21

God in action

 

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Please let me explain. There is only one true and living God, creator of all, to whom all humanity is accountable. Although He is very great, His personal interest in this world, is very active. He is not so much interested in the world systems, but rather the people He created for connection with Himself.

          Something went wrong and most of the people of the earth live in disconnect from God. Judgement would justly invoke punishment, but God chose to present His final remedy – not in the law given by Moses, nor the voice of the godly prophets or the faltering kings. No. God has spoken finally in the visible, tangible presence of His Son Jesus the Christ.  The Son perfectly represents God the Father.

Jesus did much more than teach. He chose to live in real humanity.

Only one person could be described as ‘the only begotten Son’ – Jesus. It means – existing before He was born of Mary, abiding in the bosom of the Father, coming forth to uniquely show what God is like.

 “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world”

He came more than 2000 years ago – some received Him, many rejected Him.

God announced from heaven “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him” (Mark 9:7)

          Then and now, the vital element for connecting with God is to receive His Son, believe in Him, trust Him. Faith focused on Him is the means to forgiveness, justification, sanctification, eternal life. Believing in Him produces behaviour that pleases Him – born from above into the family of God!

‘Whosoever ‘ means everyone. The promise given is sure for all who believe on the Son , our Lord Jesus Christ.

‘Believeth’ is present continuous tense – continuing to live by faith in Him.

‘Should not’ is in old English quite definite, not doubtful.

‘Perish’ – more than a wasted life. The consequences of sin and unbelief are severe and eternal. Not loss of being, but rather loss of well being.

‘Eternal life’ – more than a good life now. God’s design is for each believer  is to be in His family, in his home (Heaven) with joyful connection to God forever.

          A nurse I know, sat beside a dying unbeliever. As he passed away his face was contorted with extreme horror. The same nurse sat beside a dying unconscious believer. He awoke for a moment, his face beamed with delight and then he was gone.

 

          What have you done with the greatest expression of God’s love? Will you receive “the Son” and be assured of the promise of eternal life?

 

Another promise describes the extent of God’s love:

“God showed His love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  ( Romans 5:8)

 

“ 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)

Promises

 

Peace by Promises

Jesus can still the storm, but often He chooses instead, to go through the storm with us.

Compare the Bible records – Mark 6:39 to Acts 27

One is the power of His person stilling the storm.

2^nd  is the promise of His presence through the storm.

Most of us would rather the storm be stilled. But the will of God is not always so. If we are surrendered to God, He is often achieving something through us which involves storms e.g. Mark 14:34. Many Christians take the easy path by self interest being first, but for those walking with the Lord, a cross to bear, a storm to endure, a loss, a disappointment, a misunderstanding  is inevitable.

     So how can I have peace in the storm?

Many have promoted the idea that ‘that if I do the right thing then God will look after me and make life a success.’ (Deuteronomy 28).

I too thought so, until an experience sent me to the Bible where I discovered being faithful to the Lord, to truth, to righteousness would incur storms, trouble etc. Hebrews 11 records many godly, faithful people who endured storms.

         How did they not blame God? How did they maintain faith?  They accepted the promises of God as real, relevant and finally rewarding.

So today we are intended to endure tribulations, persecutions, weakness and death by clinging to the promises of out LORD, or more precisely , by clinging to the Sovereign LORD Himself!

Even to become “more than conquerors through Him that loved us” (Romans 8:37)

 

Act 27:26 Paul said in the middle of the storm “I believe God, that it will be just as He said”

2 Peter 1 reminds us of great and precious promises to enable us to live above the world of decadence and despair.

 

Media and medicine want us to “feel good”  - so we often judge God by how we feel . This is a deception. Paul put it better.  “though our outward man (body) perish, the inward man (spirit) is renewed day by day.

Sometimes I take mineral tablets to calm my mind (PPMP) and medicine to heal my wounds. But the greater essential is to spend time alone with the Lord , appropriating His promises, the promise of eternal life, and to rest in His abiding presence.

 

If we could see beyond today as God can see

If all the clouds should roll away, the shadows flee,

O’er present griefs we would not fret

Each sorrow we would soon forget

For many joys are waiting yet

For you , for me.

.

.

If we could see, if we could know, we often say

But God in love a veil doth throw across our way

We cannot see what lies before

And so we cling to HIM the more

He leads us till this life is o’re

Him we will trust  and  obey.

The call to truely love Him

 

Most daily devotionals give a positive spin. Jesus Christ the Lord issues many challenges. For example

“If a person is ashamed of Me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, I, the Son of Man, will be ashamed of that person when I return in the glory of My Father with the holy angels” ( Mark 8.38)

 

Many Christians are bold in the cocoon of church. Christ calls us to be bold for HIM in this evil world.

Focus

 

“Forgetting the past, looking forward to what is ahead.” Philippians 3:13

Again: : “Forgetting the things which are behind, reaching forth unto those things which are before” KJV

Our past is not to define us (Paul’s time of persecuting the Christians could have haunted him).

By the kindness and grace of God, the past can be forgiven ( as we confess the wrong and let it go).

 The God of hope promises to take care of tomorrow (Matthew 6,7), and better still, He promises to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, eternal life beyond death’s door.( John 10)

So we need to focus on the future.  I admit the present world system is rather depressing, but it is altogether uplifting when the LORD in given control in our lives. His promises are sure. His purposes are good.

He alone can rightly say “Trust ME”.

Heart devotion

 

The penetrating teaching of Jesus Christ the Lord:

“These people honour me with their lips

   But their heart is far away

  Their worship is a farce

       For they replace God’s commands with their own man made teaching.”    Bible – Mark 7:6

 

Wisdom says:  “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.”    Proverbs 4:23

 

The Holy Spirit says:   “ That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith” or again  “ That Christ may be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in HIM.”  Ephesians 3

 

Way beyond religious beliefs and observances is this holy possibility – the Lord Jesus Christ abiding in our hearts. This is the part of our being where we decide (will),  we love (affection), our motives, the spring of worship (devotion) !

 

 

Please read the significant Bible verse John 14:20 – 26.  Knowing Christ is far more than national religion, church adherence, creeds and rituals. HE has promised to personally live with those who truely love HIM.

 

For the students – trace the recurring mention of the ‘heart’ in Deuteronomy and then the New Testament.