Tag: Devotionals

Posted on

Be Sure Of Your Eternity

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ~ Philippians 2:12-13

I recently saw a video of a very well-known Muslim apologist admit that the very thing that brought him to Islam turned out to be false, but he will not leave Islam because he found faith. He went on to explain that Allah used this specific belief to draw him to Islam. So, in other words, Allah had deceived him in order for him to believe. And what’s keeping him there isn’t the Truth, but simply blind faith. But faith in what? The one who blatantly lied to him.

I live by the belief that if there is one error in Scripture, then none of it is trustworthy. None of it is Truth. Therefore, if the very thing that brought me to Christianity turned out to be false (the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins and those of the whole world), I’d have to walk away because none of it could be trusted.

If your sacred text from the very mouth of God cannot be corrupted, but somehow contains errors or flaws, then why stay? Why remain believing? Could it be that you receive money from views, engagement, speaking, debates, etc.? Our eternal soul is nothing to play or gamble with. It won’t die; instead, it will last forever in one place or another. A place of rejoicing and peace, or a place of weeping and torment.

Each one of us, the Christian and the nonbeliever, must critique our own beliefs. We have to analyze and study our Scriptures. We have to have faith, but we have to be sure in what we have faith in. If our Holy Book is flawed or has any flawed beliefs within it, we have to get real with ourselves and seek earnestly for Truth.

10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.

2 Peter 1:10

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Be Sure Of Your Eternity.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Avoid The Con

17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover. ~ Mark 16:17-18

I saw a video the other day about a con man who faked prophetic gifts back in the 80s. His wife would tell him who was coming up to the platform, where they lived, what their prayer request was, etc. in an earpiece. So, as they came up, he pretended that God revealed to him all of that information and that they would receive whatever it was that they were praying for. He conned thousands of thousands. Sanctuaries were packed with people seeking something more than the average Christian walk. They were seeking prayers answered and words from the LORD. They were seeking after signs, wonders, and healings.

The worst part is, these people weren’t just random people from the world that don’t know any better. These were church members. They were church going Christians. Men and women who should have known better, but yet, they were still deceived. See, as Christians, we are to know the Scriptures and put them into practice to apply them to our lives. We are to judge the actions of others by those same Scriptures. One promise from the LORD is that we don’t have to rely on man in order to hear from the LORD (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Another is that our prayers will be answered if we ask in the name of the LORD Jesus (Matthew 7:7-11). That healing is the children’s bread (Mark 7:24-30). There are so many promises in Scripture, so why don’t we see them come to pass?

Because each one has a prerequisite. We have to draw near to God and THEN He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Our prerequisite is that we have to give up the things of the world in order to gain the Kingdom of God, which is difficult. It’s hard to deny and crucify the flesh. It’s hard to give up the world that we can see, for the world that we can’t. So, instead of seeking the LORD and going first after His Kingdom and all that comes with it (the blessings, prayers answered, closeness with the LORD, words from the LORD, healings, etc.), we follow those who say they can give it to us for something as simple as money.

It’s easier to write a check than it is to spend an hour in prayer. It’s easier to throw in a hundred dollars than to spend time in worship. It’s easier to follow a man who requires nothing more of you than the currency of this world, than to follow God who requires the currency of the eternal world. So, instead of signs and wonders following us, we follow those who say they have these gifts. We try to have our cake and eat it too. We try to cheat the system. When in reality, we’re only cheating ourselves.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Avoid The Con.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Just Share The Good News

8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in Him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ~ Colossians 2:8-10

I recently watched an interview where a well-known worship leader was asked if there was room in Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music for Buddhist Christian like himself. The worship leader said that he would hope that he felt like the doors were open and that he thinks that Jesus would love to sit down and have that conversation with him. He went on to say that he hoped that the Church would be that open. And asked why he would not have a place in Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music? He went on to say that even if they disagree on something, why would he not have a place in Christianity and Contemporary Christian Music? He went on to say that the only people Jesus shooed away or snapped at were the religious Pharisees. And then went on to say:

I can believe what I can believe, and still be able to sit down and share a meal … we might not align on these things, but like, doesn’t God call me to love you and to listen? … I think there’s something we can all learn from one another.

This is the kind of Christianity that just isn’t Biblical. It sounds good. It sounds nice and open. Great and welcoming. But no where did he discuss change. In fact, he said:

You’re not going to benefit from me saying you’re wrong. … Let’s have a conversation and see what God does with it.

He’s not going to benefit from someone putting out his false beliefs that lead to death? He’s not going to benefit from hearing the Truth? You can’t share the Truth without sharing that he, as a Buddhist Christian, is not only wrong but going to Hell. Never did Jesus shy away from showing anyone their sin. The only time Jesus didn’t point out a sin was when that person already knew they were in sin and came to Him for forgiveness. That is the only time. Jesus spent His ministry warning of the dangers of sin and how it leads to Hell. There are core beliefs that we can’t just agree to disagree on.

Paul, the greatest apostle who ever lived, warned the Colossians not to be taken captive by philosophy (which literally translates to human wisdom) and empty deceit. In other words, Paul would have corrected this deceived man and shown him his error. Shown him the Truth. Buddhism is about what you can do in order to reach Nirvana. In order to reach Heaven. This is incompatible with Christianity. There is nothing we can ever do to gain salvation. To achieve salvation. Nothing. That is the beauty of Christianity.

Unlike every other religion, we acknowledge that we can’t save ourselves. We aren’t strong enough. We aren’t good enough. We aren’t enough. That is why God came to earth, took the form of man, and died for us. And when He rose, He purchased our salvation with His own blood. The only perfect blood. Untainted by sin. This is the Gospel. This is the Good News of Hope.

When we add philosophy and empty words to the Gospel, we don’t just water it down, we corrupt it. It no longer saves. Yes, every church door should be (and I can’t think of a single one that isn’t) open to all people. All walks of life, regardless of past, sin, ideologies, but Churches aren’t supposed to be community centers where you just come, hear encouraging words, have good conversations with people, and then go home. We’re supposed to be a spiritual hospital. Jesus is the doctor. Yes, everyone should feel welcome in church, but they should feel conviction to change. Otherwise, what is the purpose of the Church? If a hospital isn’t able to fix your broken bones, heal your disease, etc. you wouldn’t go back to that hospital, so why do we feel we should turn the church into a building that no longer wins souls for Christ?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Just Share The Good News.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Answer In Faith

1 The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3 He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” ~ Ezekiel 37:1-3NIV

The LORD took Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones, and He asks him a question, “Can these bones live?” What’s Ezekiel’s answer? “You alone know.” Ezekiel’s answer isn’t really an answer when you think about it. God asks him a yes or no question, but instead of answering yes or no, Ezekiel hits God with the “I don’t know.” Why did it work? Ezekiel says it in a special way. Instead of specifically saying, “I don’t know,” he says, “you alone know.”

See, responding with “I don’t know” leaves no room for faith. It leaves no room for God to work. It is a hopeless answer. A faithless answer. Even though Ezekiel didn’t know, and it would have been truthful to answer, it would have been a faithless answer. So, Ezekiel responds with an answer that is full of faith. “Sovereign LORD, You alone know.”

Ezekiel starts by declaring who the LORD is. He declares the LORD is Lord (Adonai) and then calls the LORD by name (Yahweh). Ezekiel referred to God in the same manner in which his father Abraham had when he struggled with understanding the LORD’s promise of offspring for him. Abraham was the first recorded to have called God Adonai Yahweh. And LORD God referred to Himself as such when defending His people from spiritual attack. This is the name by which God referred to Himself when clearing a way for Moses (Exodus 34:5-7). When defending Joshua the High Priest (Zechariah 3:1-2). Why? Because the name of the LORD (Yahweh) is a strong tower, the righteous run into it and are saved (Proverbs 18:10).

Joshua was not just declaring God’s authority and name, but he was running into because he didn’t know the answer. So, instead of speaking hopelessness, he spoke words of faith. Same message, only difference was the delivery. And when the LORD heard those words, He then gave Ezekiel the answer in verses 4-6.

4 Then He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD (Yahweh). 5 Thus says the LORD God (Adonai Yahweh) to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

The LORD told Ezekiel to use that same name he had just used to declare who the LORD is. Adonai Yahweh. Even though Ezekiel wasn’t sure, he didn’t speak in doubt. He didn’t give any room for the enemy. He made room only for the LORD God to work. To move. To do.

When we are asked hard questions, can God really do this? Can this truly happen? Can your prayers truly be answered? Our tongue needs to be bridled so that it might speak words of faith. Words of hope. Words of life. Instead of words of doubt. Fear. Death.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Answer In Faith.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Fill With Him

43 When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation. ~ Matthew 12:43-45

Each one of us is a house. We are each a soul with many rooms. Each room must be filled with the Spirit of God or something else with fill it. See, we have the power through the name of Jesus to cast out unclean spirits, but unless we fill that empty room with the LORD God, the room won’t remain empty. Why? Because we are only made alive through Him. We are only freed from our record of debt, as well as the legal demands that come along with it.

Each unclean spirit taking up residence in our lives has legal right to be there. Whether through doors we have opened or doors our ancestors have. They have the legal right to be there. That is why it is only at the name of Christ that they must leave. And it is only at His presence that they must not return. Look at how Paul puts it in his letter to the Colossians.

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him.

Colossians 2:13-15

He disarmed the rulers and authorities that had legal demands over different parts of our lives. The only way to overcome, therefore, is through His name. The only way to stay free is to invite Christ into every aspect of our lives. That is the only way to break their legal demands. That is the only way to revoke their right to enter. We must fill ourselves with the one who is above all.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Fill With Him. 

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Bridle And Block

21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. ~ Proverbs 18:21

This is a really weird verse to me. Not the words exactly, but how we react to them. We quote it. We throw it at others. We even throw it at ourselves, but we rarely take it seriously. See, we really only think this verse applies to certain things that are blatant, but not to the majority of what we say. For instance, something I have personally experienced 10/10 times is if I’m having a good time dancing, playing around, etc. and there are older people around, they will tell me something along the lines of enjoy it now because when you get my age or when you get older, you won’t be able do this or you won’t be able to do that. Or if my weight gets brought up, they’ll tell me how I won’t be skinny forever and how much weight I’m gonna gain when I hit a certain age. It happens each and every time.

The way the older generation speaks to the younger generation has drastically changed from the time of the ancient Israelites to us today. The older generation made sure to bless their children before they passed on. The blessing from the father and, later on, the mother was an essential part of their culture. Today, instead of placing blessings on the next generation, we speak curses on them without even thinking about it. From generation to generation, growing old becomes less of a blessing and more of a painful, dare I say, punishment.

I want you to notice how the proverb goes, because I’ve only recently realized I’ve been misquoting it this whole time. The Proverb is that “death and life,” not “life and death,” are in the power of the tongue. That means death is chosen above life by those who eat of its fruit. Just as Adam and Eve could have chosen to eat from the Tree of Life at any point in time, but still chose to eat from the forbidden tree that led to death, so can we choose words of life every day, but often times, most times, we choose words of death instead.

James gives us this warning in his letter:

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

James 3:6-12

The LORD said that we will be judged by the words of our mouths. Why? Because He has placed before us life and death. Therefore, choose life. And when someone tries to speak death on you, try what I do. I smile, chuckle, and then rebuke their words in the name of Jesus and speak life over myself. Then I thank the LORD for hearing me and begin praising His name. No one has ever taken offense to it. In fact, they usually think I’m joking, but I mean each and every word.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Bridle And Block.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Study All

16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. 17 All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. ~ 1 John 5:16-17

22 But if you sin unintentionally, and do not observe all these commandments that the Lord has spoken to Moses, 23 all that the Lord has commanded you by Moses, from the day that the Lord gave commandment, and onward throughout your generations, 24 then if it was done unintentionally without the knowledge of the congregation, all the congregation shall offer one bull from the herd for a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord, with its grain offering and its drink offering, according to the rule, and one male goat for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make atonement for all the congregation of the people of Israel, and they shall be forgiven, because it was a mistake, and they have brought their offering, a food offering to the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord for their mistake. 26 And all the congregation of the people of Israel shall be forgiven, and the stranger who sojourns among them, because the whole population was involved in the mistake.
27 If one person sins unintentionally, he shall offer a female goat a year old for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make atonement before the Lord for the person who makes a mistake, when he sins unintentionally, to make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven. 29 You shall have one law for him who does anything unintentionally, for him who is native among the people of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them. 30 But the person who does anything with a high hand, whether he is native or a sojourner, reviles the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken his commandment, that person shall be utterly cut off; his iniquity shall be on him. ~ Numbers 15:22-31

In his letter, John didn’t over-explain like Paul did. John, especially in this point, almost under-explains. Why? Because both writers know their audience. John is writing to Jews who have converted from Judaism to Christianity. So, these aren’t Gentile believers ignorant of the Law like those whom Paul taught and wrote to. Therefore, they knew and understood the hidden context behind what John was saying.

John was referring to a law in the Law of Moses that (like all the Law) has a spiritual meaning for us (the Church) today. In the Book of Numbers, Moses records a law addressing sacrificial offerings for sin. One specific sin, the unintentional sin of the people of Israel. See, when a sin was done unintentionally in Israel by the congregation, they came together and offered one offering on behalf of all. If one person sinned, they would come and make a sacrifice and be forgiven. When they sinned unintentionally, it was seen as a different type of sin, a sin that didn’t lead to death. Now that Jesus has sacrificed once for all, sins that do not lead to death can be prayed for by the congregation of spiritual Israel, the Church.

Sins that do not lead to death aren’t just sins done mistakenly, of course, but sins that are not as serious as others. Sins that lead to death? Paul names nine main sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10:

Sexual Immorality, Idolatry, Adultery, Homosexuality, Thievery, Greediness, Drunkenness, Reviling (Abusers), and Swindling (Robbers).

The interesting thing is that Paul starts off with the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God, but that word translated as unrighteous is actually not the word unrighteous, but the word wrongdoer. Which, of course, ties back to James’ letter stating that all wrongdoing is sin, but I digress.

John states in Revelation 21:8 that the sins (wrongdoings) that lead to death are:

Cowardice (The Fearful), Faithlessness (The Unbelievers), Detestable, Murder, Sexual Immorality, Sorcery (Witchcraft/Magic), Idolatry, and Lying.

These are the kind of sins that John warned that we should not pray for a fellow believer to be forgiven on their behalf, because these sins aren’t just mistakes, they are grievous sins that need to be corrected, not just overlooked. This is the importance of studying and knowing Scripture. Unless we know what sin is, we’ll never be able to know sin that leads to death vs. sin that does not. One, so that we don’t fall into either. Two, so that we know what sins need to be addressed, corrected, and brought to the forefront vs. what sins can be prayed for without confrontation.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Study All.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

A Dangerous Test

18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’  ~ Numbers 11:18-20

The people of Israel have left Egypt and are now on their way to the Land of Canaan, but they have complained and grieved the LORD time and time again. This time, they complained that they missed meat. They even brought up the food they ate in Egypt, as slaves, I might remind you, going as far as to say that it was better for them as slaves in Egypt. This angered the LORD so much that He didn’t just give them what they whined and complained for, He turned it into a punishment.

It’s difficult for us to understand why the People of Israel were the way they were, but the Church today, really isn’t much different at all. We, just as the people of Israel, often return to or desire to return to slavery. Not physical slavery, but spiritual slavery. Paul wrote to the Romans:

15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:15

Sometimes, we look at the things that were easy before Christ, before we were freed from the passions and desires of this world. We overlook how we were slaves to sin. Slaves to the passions of this world. And now that we have been freed, and have across to carry, a race to run, and a battle to fight before we reach our eternal Promised Land, we begin to grieve the LORD, just as the People of Israel did in the Wilderness, but instead of giving us so much meat that it comes out of our nostrils, He gives us over to our own passions. Paul gives the example of a first level of punishment:

4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5

18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Then there is the final punishment from the LORD that comes from not just desiring your past sin, but justifying, affirming, and pushing those sins.

21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

Romans 1:21-32

It’s easy to look at the sins and mistakes of others and ignore our own. The sins of the past aren’t for the judgment of the future, but so that we might learn from them. Jesus said a very simple, but powerful statement/warning while being tempted in the Wilderness by Satan.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Do Not Put The LORD To The Test.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Know Your Worth To Him

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. ~ 1 Peter 1:10-12

There’s a song that I’ve been playing on repeat called “Ordinary” by Alex Warren. My favorite lyric of the song goes:

The angels up in the clouds are jealous knowing we found something so out of the ordinary

This one line really makes me think. God has thousands of thousands of angels devoted to Him. There’s celestial beings that just say before His throne worshipping and praising Him. There’s His counsel that converses with Him and decides with Him, then worships at His feet. He has spiritual terrestrial beings praising Him and carrying Him as a horse draws a king’s carriage. Yet, all of these were not enough. All of these could never come close to the love He has for mankind.

Think about it for a second. Humans are below the celestial angels. If we see God’s face, we will die. We are literally just dust, yet God looked down on us and said, “I want to save you. You sinned. You walked away. You are weak, filthy, and unable to help yourself, but I love you. You will turn on Me, yet I will chase after you. You hate me, yet I will call to you. I do not need you, yet I want you.” No other creation has He ever looked at with such fierce love.

The angels of Genesis 6 sinned and were cast down to Tartarus. Helel of Isaiah 14 simply desired a sin and was cast into the pit, the depths of Sheol. Satan and a third of the angels in Heaven sinned, and were cast out of Heaven, and Hell was created for them. Mankind sinned, so God left Heaven, took on the form of man, allowed man to kill Him, and then rose from the dead with salvation for those same men who crucified Him. Spat on Him. Tortured Him. Mocked Him. That is love that no other creation knows. No other creation has the privilege of receiving.

It is a privilege to be human. Not because this life is easy, but because the Creator of all things, seen and unseen, loves you with a fierce and unconditional love like no other created thing. So, the next time you feel depressed, alone, discarded, abandoned, or unloved, remember that God has created you with a purpose and He loves you more than you could ever know or think.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Know Your Worth To Him.

Like and Share This:
Posted on

Pray For Their Eternity

33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world. ~ John 16:33

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ~ Matthew 5:44-45

Randy Alcorn has a thought-provoking quote that goes as follows:

The best of life on Earth is a glimpse of Heaven; the worst of life is a glimpse of Hell. For Christians, this present life is the closest they will come to Hell. For unbelievers, it is the closest they will come to Heaven.

This life is filled with thorns and thistles overrunning our paths, making the race set before us a difficult one to run. Then there are giants, villains, and monsters chasing, disrupting, distracting, and intimidating us in an effort to stop us from reaching our end goal. Then we have our own flesh we must crucify daily as we carry our cross. Jesus warned us, as recorded by John, that in this life we will have trials and tribulations. Hardships and great difficulty are for the last days, Paul warns us. John said that we are in the last Days. That it started with the coming of Christ. Now, Jesus didn’t stop at His warning, though.

Jesus said don’t fear. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged, for I (Jesus) have overcome the world. We overcome because He first overcame. We overcome through Jesus. Our world is a taste of the good and the bad. The Heaven and the Hell. For us, Christians, believers, followers of Christ, these tribulations are as close as we will ever get to Hell. But for the unbeliever the blessings, joys, and good things of this life are as close to Heaven as they will ever get.

Yes, God pours out blessings on both the righteous and the unrighteous, but those little blessings today cannot compare to the blessings and good things in store for us in eternity. Paul said these minor afflictions are nothing compared to what God has for us in eternity. I wanna put into perspective the kind of Hell Paul endured on this earth, He was stoned and left for dead. Shipwrecked. He received the 39 lashings on his back. Five times. At the hands of his own people. He was disowned by his own people. Chased out of cities and nations. Then he was martyred in Rome. His Hell on this earth was more than just hurt feelings. It was more than just afraid of offending someone or losing his friends or job for spreading the Gospel. Paul put his life on the line,

There’s people right now enjoying the blessings of God on this earth. Enjoying the good things that God has given them, but never knowing the good things that God has for His people in eternity. Good things that we can’t even think or imagine. How sad of a thought it is that they will never know the good things that God has for His people. That this life is as close to Heaven as they will ever experience.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Pray For Their Eternity.

Like and Share This:
Proudly powered by WordPress