Wanted: Dead or Alive

The heart of God desires and treasures you. You are the apple of His eye, the one in whom He delights.  You are wanted, regardless of whatever condition your heart is in, because He is love.   Notice His perfect plan which is to have each person saved from the consequences of sin and brought into knowing Him and His love forever, as declared in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 , “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”   

Supernatural blessings are available and given to each person. The obvious foundation of His gift of love to man is “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  Other verses likewise show His care and provision for every person.  In the last days I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.  It rains on the just and the unjust.  The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.  Psalm 145:9. The Lord opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. Psalm 145:16. 

Consider the parable of the man who found a treasure in the field. He willingly sold or gave up all he had and bought the field, not for the land, but for the treasure within it.    Jesus is the man.  He gave up His heavenly glory to become a man and then as a man humbled Himself laying down up all He had, including His life blood (Philippians 2), in order to claim the treasure in the field/world, which is you and I.  Because of the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.

Satan’s lie is that you are a nobody, just a number, a creature of chance and evolution like one of the animals with no life purpose or future.  The suicide rate of young people has risen as they see no reason to live.  Revelation 12:9 calls the devil and Satan, the one “who deceived the whole world.” Jesus correctly declared Satan was a liar and that there is no truth in him.

However, on the other hand, Jesus sees you so absolutely valuable that He takes joy in being willing to die for you.  “Because of the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2), He endured the cross and the humiliation and suffering.  You are worth it, actually worth infinitely more than you could ask, think, or imagine. Be still a moment, look up to the Father, and just receive His personal love, like a big engulfing hug in your spirit.

When God breathed His life into man whom He had formed from the “dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7), this breath of God crated man as an eternal being designed to live with Him and share His glory forever.  Even though man sinned and fell short, God never gave up on us, but sent Jesus to redeem us, paying the awesome price of His own blood to bring us back to the Father.  After all this demonstration of His love and purpose, God still allows us to choose.  “I have set before you life and death” (Deuteronomy 30:19) with the revealing of His heart, “Choose life” that you may live.

Those who receive Him He gave the right to become children of God.  How do you receive Him?  The answer is a simple “yes” in our heart and telling Him “thank you” just as you would if someone gave you a special present.

Regardless of whether you are dead in sin or alive in Jesus, you are wanted, loved, and treasured by the Lord who desires you to simply come to Him and be filled with every good thing forever.  Lay down your pride and excuses, and as the Billy Graham revival song says, “just as I am, O Lamb of God, I come.”

School is Out!

 Yes, classes may be out for the kids, but the real school for all of us is never out.  The Holy Spirit continues to faithfully teach us and show us all things.  His priority, of course, is to reveal Jesus and His Word so that we know Him.  Jesus points out in John 17 that eternal life is knowing God and His Son whom He has sent, which may be why the early church catechism declares the purpose of life is to know and serve Him.  In the days ahead this will be even more vital as Daniel 11:32 points out, that in the end-times, "those who know their God will be strong and do great exploits."  

In Psalm 16, the truth of inheriting a relationship with and knowing God is stated in verse 5, "O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup" followed by David's understanding and description of this special gift, "Yes, I have a good inheritance."  This revelation that God has given us Himself as our portion reminds us of the Levites, who were not given any land in Israel.  Instead, Joshua 18 states, "The Lord is their inheritance."  As Jesus has made us priests and kings, knowing Him is our true inheritance. 

Men on the earth strive for riches, fame, and selfish gain, but everyone knows that heaven and earth will pass away and no man will be able to keep what he has acquired.  Jim Elliot's powerful saying states this truth well, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.  Jesus also warned that treasures on the earth were subject to moth and rust and thieves, so our goal must be to rather "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven."  The greatest treasure is a strong relationship with your creator and the maker of the universe, with the One who willing gave His all for you, so you can enjoy the amazing fellowship with the Father and Jesus that has been purchased for us. 

Psalm 16 summarizes the fruit of this lasting, ultimate relationship.  "Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices, my flesh also will rest in hope." and finally, "In your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." 

School is not out, but God does have various seasons.  One may be in a time of classes, a time of rest, a time of transition, however, the Holy Spirit is committed to be the master teacher, and all He needs is a willing, teachable student.  Your time in school with the Holy Spirit to learn the ways of the Lord and to come to know Him is now.  Hear Him. 

Chosen, Count the Cost

Chosen.  Do you remember in sports when you were young and older kids were picking teams and you wondered if you would ever be picked?  And how good it was when you were picked early because someone considered you valuable.  The good news today is that you not only have been chosen but you are considered valuable as His treasure.  In Ephesians 1:4 it states before the foundation of the world you have been chosen to be holy and blameless before Him. Jesus has called you and chosen you to be His light in the world. He has prepared works for us beforehand that we should walk in them.

Whenever God calls you to do something, He also provides and enables you to accomplish it.  However, there is a problem.  Because God chose you, the world hates you (John 15:19), just as it hated Jesus. In short, there is always a price to pay if you are going to do something for the Lord of if you are going to obey Him.  After God told Moses to go to Egypt and set His people free, the Egyptian taskmasters made it harder on the Hebrew slaves forcing them to get the straw and make the same number of bricks. David, called to be king, had to endure the jealous attacks of Saul. Scripture is filled with examples of the trials God's people had to overcome in order to fulfill their call.

Jesus uses parables to explain the need to count the cost.  However, Paul, in the New Testament, who went through a myriad of challenges including mobs of Jews, shipwrecks, stoning, rejection and betrayal, is known for bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles and writing a majority of the epistles.  He is not known for the battles he had to fight.  What was his perspective that made all the difference?  He considered the cost as nothing compared to the glory that was to be revealed.

Yes, there is a cost.  We do go through the valley of the shadow of death.  However, God is with us and He continually prepares a table before us in the midst of our enemies and surely His goodness and mercy follow us every day.  When God is with us, even the attacks of the enemy get turned into good and God provides the strength to endure and shows the way of escape.  Thank you for being willing to fight the good fight of faith, and for doing the work God has given you.  However, know that there is One who will come again soon bringing His rewards with Him, and at that point everything and every price we have paid in our commitment to Jesus and His Word will be a million times worth it.  Keep the vision of pleasing God in all you do, for without the vision people perish.  

Count the cost as real, but compared to the privilege of being chosen and treasured as valuable in God's kingdom, treat it is as nothing. You are chosen and will succeed, nothing else matters or can stop you.  

 

Be a Lamb, End a Lion!

Because Jesus laid His life down as an obedient Lamb, He earned the right to rule as the Lion.  (Philippians 2)

This same dichotomy can be seen in the Christian life.  Paul said that through many tribulations we enter the Kingdom of God.  2 Corinthians 4 speaks about how we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the power may be of God and not of us. The following description of being hard-pressed, but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken, etc. shows the reality that the struggle in the world can in no way take away the life and joy of what we have and who we are in the Lord.  We are "the Lion" that God has called to rule if we become "the lamb" who obediently submits to the Master.

2 Corinthians 4:10 reveals this key, "always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body."  Jesus said no one takes My life from Me, I lay it down of Myself.  Yet, in truth, His laying His life down brought about the greatest blessing that could ever happen to man, changing our very nature as believers into children of God.  Likewise, when we freely release our life, our desires and rights, we allow God's power to be released in and through us.  A simple attitude shift of "how can I bless someone today," instead of "what about me?" will open the door for the life of Jesus to be manifested. 

Paul, two chapters later, describes how he and his Christian team were regarded in this two-fold perception, "as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things."  The world rejected Jesus and according to John 15, will reject those who follow Him.  However, know that whatever the price, God honors your obedient laying down your life with His abundant inner strength, joy, and peace.  The glory does not compare to the sacrifice.  What you sow as a Lamb, you will surely reap by the Lion power of God.