“God’s Divine Plans”

 “God’s Divine Plans”

 

You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in Your Book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Ps. 139:16

The enormity of these intimate thoughts, which King David expressed in this Psalm, must have been OVERWHELMING to Him. Nevertheless, he KNEW and BELIEVED with ALL his HEART, that GOD had CREATED him and DEFINITELY had a PLAN for his life. David not ONLY BELIEVED, but he CONFESSED that God had those DIVINE PLANS for him, from the womb to the END of his LIFE.

Each of David’s days were PLANNED BY GOD.  And who BETTER could make those PLANS, but the ONE who CREATED David. In this PSALM, we see the DIVINE ATTRIBUTES of the ALMIGHTY GOD, which are:  His Omniscience—ALL KNOWING, His Omnipresence—He’s EVERYWHERE at the SAME TIME, and Omnipotent—-ALL POWERFUL.

David TRUSTED in God to carry out His DIVINE PLANS.  And even though, David SINNED GRIEVOUSLY.  He REPENTED of those sins with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And has the reputation of being, a MAN after GOD’S own HEART.  David KNEW GOD PERSONALLY and wasn’t AFRAID to CALL on Him whenever the GOING got ROUGH.  And that TRUST was brought about because he KNEW his GOD and was not AFRAID to put HIS LIFE into the MIGHTY HANDS of his CREATOR.  “NO FEAR!”

So, as we embark upon a NEW YEAR, let us, with COMPLETE ABANDONMENT, give our CREATOR GOD, COMPLETE CONTROL of our EVERYDAY LIVES.  He KNOWS what is BEST for us, because He has PLANNED ALL OUR DAYS, and He KNOWS the NUMBER of DAYS we have til the END of this life. 

If you have NOT come to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the ONE who SUFFERED, BLED, DIED, and was RESURRECTED so that you might have ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS, then your DESTINY is at GREAT RISK of spending an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. 

In order to have this ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, you MUST COME to JESUS and ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR.  Then BELIEVE with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your sins to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFE-STYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. And you MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and be WILLING to WHOLE-HEARTEDLY COMMIT YOURSELF to GOD’S DIVINE PLANS.

What does 2025, hold for us, I do not know, but I MUST FAITHFULLY and FULLY TRUST the ONE, Who has ALL MY DAYS PLANNED.  And YOU SHOULD DO the SAME, because your ETERNAL DESTINY DEPENDS on IT!!   And He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“The Resolution of a King”

 “The Resolution of a King”

 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Psalm 51:10-11

 

This time of year, we make RESOLUTIONS and PROMISES to do BETTER in the NEW YEAR. These are RESOLUTIONS and PROMISES that could CHANGE one’s way of THINKING and even possibly LIVING. But as SURE as NOT, we don’t FOLLOW through with KEEPING those RESOLUTIONS or PROMISES.

King David, had made some VERY BAD choices, concerning a married woman. And those choices cost him DEARLY.  David had SINNED against God, and he was confronted by Nathan, the prophet, after the Kings affair with Bathsheba. This caused David to have to FACE God with his TRANSGRESSIONS.  And with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, David cried out to the ALMIGHTY GOD for MERCY on him.

In verse 3, David pours out his heart, by admitting that he is a SINNER, that has REBELLED AGAINST God and GOD ALONE.  David asked God to PURIFY HIM from his sins and he proclaimed that he would be CLEAN.  David also asked God to STOP looking at his sins, and to REMOVE the STAIN of his GUILT. 

Then the King asked God to CREATE in him a CLEAN HEART. And to RENEW a LOYAL SPIRIT within him.  Then David asked God to NOT TAKE the HOLY SPIRIT away from him. David was NOT CONCERNED about his SALVATION, and he was NOT TALKING about the INDWELLING of the HOLY SPIRIT because the Spirit did NOT indwell the Old Testament Believers.  The Holy Spirit came to EMPOWER those who had a CALLING on their lives.  The Spirit  came and went as He was needed.  The INDWELLING of the HOLY SPIRIT was FIRST carried out, on the Day of PENTECOST, after the RESURRECTION and ASCENSION of the LORD JESUS CHRIST

Now, back to King David, who made a RESOLUTION of sorts.  He asked God to RESTORE the JOY of his SALVATION.  So, that he might be a WITNESS of GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE, to the REBELLIOUS, so they might come to GOD for their SALVATION.

Did he keep his RESOLUTION?  I would think he did, for the most part.  But David, was NOT SINLESS, he was a SINFUL person, BUT he was a man after GOD’S HEART.  And his THRONE will be ETERNAL with JESUS CHRIST COMING SOON to reclaim the DAVIDIC THRONE. 

So, have you made PROMISES or RESOLUTIONS to God, which you have NOT KEPT. Or are you one who has NOT had an ENCOUNTER with the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE.  The ONE who will be the JUDGE, and who will decide your DESTINY?

In order for you to come to God’s ONLY SON, JESUS CHRIST, you MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS, who GAVE His Life to SAVE your SOUL from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there.  You MUST BELIEVE, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS DIED FOR YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINS, snd TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and KEEP your PROMISES to Him.   Do this NOW, while you STILL can!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!   “Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

“Sowing and Reaping”

 “Sowing and Reaping”

 

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to their flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap Eternal Life.  Galatians 6:7-8

 

These verses are pretty self-explanatory.  I know very little about gardening. But this I do know:  If a person SOWS PEAS, they will not REAP CORN. So, it is with mankind, if they SOW to their FLESH, they will REAP from the FLESH, and from this act they will REAP CORRUPTION or ETERNAL DEATH.  ACTIONS have CAUSES and CONSEQUENCES. And to IGNORE this CAUSE-and-EFFECT relationship, they are MOCKING GOD.

And for the record, you cannot MOCK GOD.  And you cannot gain SALVATION by your WORKS.  No matter how GOOD of a person you are, you are not GOOD ENOUGH in the EYES of GOD to EARN your SALVATION.  You MUST COME with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. 

You MUST SEE yourself as a SINNER, one who has or is REBELLING AGAINST GOD and His PLAN of SALVATION.  You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS is the ONLY Son of the LIVING GOD, and that He GAVE His Life, by SHEDDING His BLOOD, for the REMISSION of your SINS.   You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him to FORGIVE YOUR SINS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE snd TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. This is the PROCESS of SOWING to the SPIRIT, in which you CAN REAP ETERNAL LIFE

So, this would be a GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT for YOU to RECEIVE. Surely, you wouldn’t want to leave this world, with nothing but a CORRUPTED SOUL that is BOUND for an ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY to ESCAPE once you are there.

What you NEED to do, is STOP SOWING to YOUR FLESHLY DESIRES, and START SOWING to the SPIRIT of the ALMIGHTY GOD.  It is EASY!  Just do the things I mentioned above.  And ACCEPT GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION!!  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

 

“From a LOWLY Manger to a SHAMEFUL Cross”

“From a LOWLY Manger to a SHAMEFUL Cross”

 

 And while Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem in Judea, the time came for Mary’s baby to be born.  She gave birth to her firstborn son.  She wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a MANGER, because there was NO lodging available for them.  Luke 2:6-7

So, the Word (Jesus) became flesh and made His home among us.  He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.  And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14

And He, bearing His cross went out to a place called the ‘Place of a Skull’, which is called in Hebrew GOLGOTHA, where they crucified Him and two others with Him one on either side, and Jesus in the center.  John 19:17-18

All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.  We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on Him the SINS of us ALL. Isaiah 53:6. When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied.  And because of His experience, my RIGHTEOUS Servant will make it possible for many to be COUNTED RIGHTEOUS, for He will BEAR ALL their SINS.  (VV11)

 

The birth of Jesus Christ, the KING of KINGS, and LORD of LORDS, the ONE and ONLY SON of the LIVING GOD, was not ELEGANT or FESTIVE.  Mary and Joseph, did not stay in the FANCIEST INN nor did they have the BEST doctor and hospital to go to for the birth of this VERY SPECIAL BABY.  Instead, they ended up in a SMELLY, COLD, NOISY STABLE, with ONLY the horses and cattle to WELCOME the Christ Child into a very SIN-SICK WORLD.

 Until the BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT to some LOWLY SHEPHERDS in the fields around BETHLEHEM, who were keeping watch over their flocks of sheep, when a multitude of ANGELS appeared in the DARK NIGHT SKY, proclaiming to the SHEPHERDS, (who were considered VERY LOWLY PEOPLE) that a SPECIAL BABY, their SAVIOR, who is CHRIST the LORD was BORN and they would find Him lying in a MANGER in a STABLE in BETHLEHEM. And so, Jesus who is called the WORD, in John chapter one, verse fourteen, became FLESH or HUMAN through His VIRGIN BIRTH. And He lived AMONG mankind, the rich and the poor. 

That, however, is NOT the END. In Jesus short lifetime, He exemplified His UNFAILING LOVE and FAITHFULNESS to ALL people, REGARDLESS, of their standing in society.  But He was RIDICULED, OPPRESSED, TREATED HARSHLY, REJECTED, and considered a REBEL. Yet it did NOT diminish His LOVE and FAITHFULNESS for mankind. Nor did it STOP His MISSION of PROVIDING SALVATION to a LOST and DYING WORLD. And that included the SHEDDING of BLOOD, from the PERFECT SACRIFICIAL LAMB, who is the ONLY ONE who can SAVE ALL MANKIND from an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once you are there. JESUS did that with His DEATH and RESURRECTION.  The ONLY WAY for mankind to ESCAPE an ETERNITY in HELL, is to ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS DIED for YOU and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and become a CHILD of the LIVING GOD, on your way to an ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN, with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL CAN!!!  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

 

 

 

“The Rejected Servant”

 “The Rejected Servant”

 

But I said, “I have labored to no purpose; I have spent My Strength in vain and for nothing.  Yet what is due Me is in the LORD’S hand, and My Reward is with My God.  Isaiah 49:4

 

The REJECTED SERVANT in these verses is the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the Son of the LIVING GOD. In verse one, Jesus says that before He was born the LORD called Him; from His birth and He has made mention of His Name. It was His mission to RESTORE the nation of Israel to God, and with God as His STRENGTH, He would also be a LIGHT to the GENTILES. (Non-Jews) NOTE: Jesus, the Rejected Servant, is called Israel, because He fulfills what the Nation of Israel SHOULD have done. In His PERSON and WORK He exemplifies what the Nation of Israel SHOULD be doing. 

In verse four, the Rejected Servant laments over the REJECTION He is experiencing, which not only, comes from the Gentiles, but also from His OWN people. Have YOU ever felt the impact of being REJECTED? Rejection brings HEARTACHE and SORROW to the one that is REJECTED.

Notice that Jesus says: “I have LABORED to NO purpose.  I have spent My STRENGTH in vain, and for NOTHING.  These are PUNGENT SYMPTOMS of REJECTION.  And I believe that Jesus, KNOWING what the OUTCOME of those who REJECTED HIM would be, felt the BITTER STING of REJECTION so MUCH that it HURT HIS HEART.

Yet, even with that REJECTION, He could, with CONFIDENCE, say that He had done His Father’s will. And not only was JESUS the MESSIAH of the JEWISH NATION, but God made Him a LIGHT for the Gentiles and to BRING SALVATION to the ENDS of the EARTH.  Without JESUS CHRIST, there would be NO SALVATION.  And if YOU have NOT given YOUR HEART and LIFE to CHRIST, you are GUILTY of REJECTING God’s Gift of SALVATION and will have to SPEND your ETERNITY in HELL with ALL its HORRORS and NO way to ESCAPE, once YOU are there.

In order to escape that DESTINY, you MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who SHED His BLOOD to COVER your SINS.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God. You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS. You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART. You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and STOP REJECTING your ONLY WAY to spend your ETERNITY in HEAVEN with ALL its BLESSINGS.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can. He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND!!!

 

“The New Power”

“The Wages or the Gift”

“The Wages or the Gift”

 

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal Life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

 

This verse of Scripture is familiar with MANY Christians.  This verse is used a lot of times as a witnessing tool. But I want you to know that the Apostle Paul was writing to the BELIEVERS in Rome. 

If you notice, the verse begins with an illustration of God’s MERCY:  REMEMBER: MERCY is not getting what the BELIEVER deserves.  They will not receive the WAGES of SIN, because ALL their SINS are FORGIVEN, they are REMOVED as FAR as the EAST is from the WEST.  And they are COVERED by the SOUL-CLEANSING BLOOD of the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

The WAGES of SIN is DEATH, this is talking about an ETERNAL DEATH.  It is an ETERNAL LIFE IN HELL, SEPARATED from the ALMIGHTY GOD and if you are a TRUE BELIEVER, this will NOT happen to you, because you BELONG to GOD. 

Now, as a TRUE BELIEVER, if you fall BACK into SIN, it SEPARATES you from FELLOWSHIP with GOD.  And it robs you of your JOY and God’s WILL for your life. It will bring you what you have earned: MISERY, WEAKNESS, HEARTACHE, GUILTINESS, SICKNESS, and sometimes even PHYSICAL DEATH.

But as a TRUE BELIEVER you will receive the GIFT of GOD, which is His GRACE: It is getting what you DON’T DESERVE, which is ETERNAL LIFE in HEAVEN.  And NOBODY can take it AWAY from you, EVER!

A TRUE BELIEVER will SIN, because of their SINFUL NATURE, which we ALL have from birth.  But the TRUE BELIEVER has the Holy Spirit ABIDING in them, And He will CONVICT them of their sin.  Then they NEED to CONFESS their sin with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  And be ON GUARD, to KEEP it FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. 

So, which is it??  Are you a SLAVE to your SINS?  Are you RECEIVING WAGES for those SINS?   OR are you a SLAVE to RIGHTEOUSNESS?  Having RECEIVED GOD’S GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE?  God’s Gift is ETERNAL, and NOBODY or NOTHING can take it AWAY from YOU, the TRUE BELIEVER.

Here is what you MUST DO to RECEIVE GOD’S GIFT.  You MUST ADMIT that you are a SINNER in NEED of the SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, who GAVE His LIFE to SAVE your WRETCHED SOUL from an ETERNAL LIFE in HELL.  You MUST BELIEVE with ALL your HEART that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in HEAVEN, making intercession for YOU, before GOD.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ASK Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST BE WILLING TO TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT GOD’S GIFT of SALVATION and try with ALL your MIGHT to LIVE for HIM.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  HE’S WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  Don’t Be LEFT BEHIND!!!