Heaven and the Cross!

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God himself was pleased to live fully in his Son.

And God was pleased for him to make peace by sacrificing his blood on the cross, so that all beings in heaven and on earth would be brought back to God.

You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things.  But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.

Colossians 1:19-22

The power of the Cross did not stop at the "ends of the earth!"  The Blood of Jesus which was sacrificed on the Cross made it so that "all beings in Heaven and on Earth would be brought back to God."  It is easy to see who the ones on earth are that need to be reconciled to God.  The rebellious sinners who have rejected God in pursuit of their own pleasure and have separated themselves from their Eternal Father desperately need the Blood of Jesus to bring them back to God.  We were all one of them, when we came to Jesus!  But who are the ones in Heaven who need the Cross?

Attempts to answer that question have fueled the flames of many heresies and false doctrines.  But the simple answer is this: No one is reconciled to God without the Blood of Jesus.  That list would include, Adam and Eve, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, King David, and every other great man or woman of God whose stories are recorded in the Old Testament.  None of them could have been reconciled to God without the Cross.  So they must have waited with great anticipation for the Day when the price for their sins would be paid with Jesus' Blood.  Can you imagine the shout of praise that must have gone up when all the men and women of God who had already died got the news that their sins where covered with His Blood?

Don't ever forget that nothing can "bring you back to God" except the Blood of Jesus.  You can't do enough good things to deserve Heaven.  It is the Cross that makes all the difference in your life forever.  The most important thing that ever happened on earth was when Jesus died to reconcile you and me to God! 

"Thank You Jesus for providing the only way for any man to be brought back to God.  Give me opportunity today to tell someone else what You did on that glorious day.  And may You be praised forever.  Amen."

To Think About List!

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Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise — dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8 (HCSB)

For a few years I worked as a news reporter at a radio station in Ohio. My job was to gather, write and read the stories that were presented as "news" to the folks who listened to the radio. No one said it, but my real job was to gather, write and read the "bad news" in our community. If it was good news it usually never made it on the air!

Human beings like to think about things that are not good. But Christians are encouraged to think about things that are "true, honorable, just, pure, lovely and commendable." Of course that doesn't mean that you never think about things that are true, but are not pleasant. But I believe its those other five things that should fill my mind most of the time. Ask yourself as you go through your day, is this thing I am thinking about, "true, honorable, just, pure, lovely or commendable?" If it is not, then quickly abandon your current train of thought and go to something that is clearly one of those truly uplifting thoughts.

It is not just the evil thoughts that we should get out of our minds. Use your mind to ponder the beautiful things of God and leave room for nothing else. If you need to, then make yourself a "To Think About List." Those are the things that will uplift your heart and draw you closer to God when you think about them. Post your "To Think About List" next to your "To Do List" and refer to it often during the day!

"Lord Jesus, help me today to fill my mind with things that please You. May all my thoughts today be something that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely or commendable. And certainly at the top of that list is praising Your Name, forever! Amen."

Wake Up Now!

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This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Sardis:

I have the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. Listen to what I say.

I know what you are doing. Everyone may think you are alive, but you are dead.  Wake up! You have only a little strength left, and it is almost gone. So try to become stronger. I have found that you are not completely obeying God.  Remember the teaching you were given and heard. Hold firmly to it and turn from your sins. If you don't wake up, I will come when you least expect it, just as a thief does.

Revelation 3:1-3

Do you struggle with the fact that "everyone" thinks something of you that is not true? When the Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation he exposed the truth about the believers in Sardis. The Sardis Christians were able to put on a great "front" which made everyone think that they were vibrant, alive and well as followers of Jesus, but they were not! In fact, John says they were dead.

So what was John's advice to the weak and dying Sardis Christians? It was simple: Wake up and try to become stronger! Then John gave some very practical advice about how to wake up and become stronger. He said they should begin by "completely obeying God." Then they must remember the "teaching" which of course was the Word of God and repent of their sins!

So there are the steps to waking up and becoming stronger. You must completely obey whatever God tells you to do and always remember the Word of God as you daily repent of your sins!

If you do those three things you will no longer need to be warned by the Holy Spirit of the deep trouble you are in as a believer!

That is the way you can wake up and grow stronger in Jesus. If there is something the Lord has spoken to your heart, then begin today to be completely obedient to it. Make the Word of God a big part of this and every day of your life. And finally you must repent! When you spend time in God's Word, your own sins will become quite clear.

"Lord Jesus, others may think that I am strong, but You know how weak I am. Help me today to be completely obedient to You as I fill my mind and heart with Your Word and repent of my sins! And may You be praised forever! Amen."

Will You Confess Jesus Now or Then?

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Christ was truly God.

But he did not try to remain

equal with God.

 

Instead he gave up everything

and became a slave,

when he became

like one of us.

 

Christ was humble.

He obeyed God and even died

on a cross.

 

Then God gave Christ

the highest place

and honored his name

above all others.

 

So at the name of Jesus

everyone will bow down,

those in heaven, on earth,

and under the earth.

 

And to the glory

of God the Father

everyone will openly agree,

“Jesus Christ is Lord!”

Philippians 2:6-11

Today there are many people in this world who do not confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Either they have never heard about Him or they have heard and decided to reject the claim of Jesus Himself that He is Lord! 

But there will come a day, and it may come very soon when everyone "in heaven, on earth, and under the earth" will bow down at His Name!  We will all proclaim that Christ Jesus is Lord! There will be no atheists in Hell! 

Everyone will know the TRUTH of who Jesus is and those who placed their faith in Him will receive the reward of Heaven.  The rest, who refused to trust Jesus will be eternally separated from God!  

The difference between those in Heaven and those in Hell will be "when" they bowed down and recognized Jesus Christ for who He is!  Those in Heaven will be the ones who confessed His Name while they lived here on earth.  Those in Hell will be the ones who waited until this life on earth was over before they fell down before Him. 

You will openly agree that Jesus Christ is Lord!  The question that makes all the difference for eternity is whether you will confess Him now or wait until after you pass from this life!  If you refuse to confess Him now, you will have an eternity in Hell to regret it!  If you confess Jesus is Lord while you live on this earth, you will have an eternity to rejoice with Him in Heaven!

Just, DO IT NOW!

"Lord Jesus, help me to confess Your Name to someone every day.  Give me the opportunity and the courage today to proclaim that You are indeed Lord!  And may You be praised forever!  Amen."

Say YES to Jesus!

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Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.  Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.

You are God's people, so don't let it be said that any of you are immoral or indecent or greedy.

Ephesians 5:1-3

Jesus acted like God!  The things that He did were the things that God would do if He had a human body.  In fact, Jesus was God in the flesh!  Love was the guide for the life of Jesus.  He loved God and did everything God wanted Him to do.  Jesus loved us and sacrificed His life on the Cross so that we could be what God wants us to be.

The very Hand of God formed you and shaped you in your mother's womb.  And the Son of God provided the sacrifice so that you could be formed by the Holy Spirit in you into the image of Jesus!  It is an amazing and glorious transformation.  A sinner who is stained with the Blood of the Lamb and is guilty of rejecting the One sent to save Him, is transformed by that Blood into the image of Jesus Christ.  It all begins when the "sinner" says YES to Jesus!  Jesus stands at the door and knocks, but waits until you open the door!  Then, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, comes in and make His home in your heart!

It's not about rules, or about rights!  It's about righteousness!  The righteousness of Jesus is transferred into your heart. 

You were created in the image of God and were perfect before Him until your "brush with Satan" blurred the picture.  Jesus, on the Cross restored the picture and brought you back into perfect relationship with God the Father!

"Lord Jesus, I want You to clean my heart again today, so that everything about me will be like everything about You!  And may You be praised forever.  Amen."

Choose Your Engine

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I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used  when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven.  There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well.

Ephesians 1:19-21

Have you ever seen a large boat with a small "trolling" motor hanging over the stern? Using only a relatively weak engine the boat is able to move slowly through the water while the fishermen search for a catch. But when needed, they turn off the trolling motor and start the very powerful engine deep inside the boat.

A life lived only in the power of the "fleshly man" is like that boat cruising through rough waters with only the trolling motor. You can move through life and accomplish some things, but it is nothing compared to allowing the Holy Spirit of God to empower your every step!

These Bible verses even say that the power that is available to you as a follower of Jesus Christ is the same power that God used to raise Jesus from death and let Him sit at the right side of God in Heaven! I must confess that I don't even begin to comprehend the full extent of what that means. If the Resurrection and Ascension Power is there for me, then what difference should that make in my life? It does mean that I have the Power to be victorious over everything that might come my way!

So are you navigating through the stormy water of this life using only a small trolling motor for the power to move? Or are you trusting in Jesus to empower you by His Spirit to move surely and swiftly through all the rough seas of life? The difference between the successful and victorious Christian and one who is not is whether or not God's Power is the "engine of choice!" You can choose to run your life on your own power or by the Power of God's Spirit. The difference will be quite evident to everyone!

"Lord Jesus, I choose today to run my life with Your Power and not my own. Strengthen me in my resolve to let the Holy Spirit be the driving force of everything I do, today and forever. Amen."

Tears of Terror or Joy?

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Look! He is coming

with the clouds.

Everyone will see him,

even the ones who stuck

a sword through him.

All people on earth

will weep because of him.

Yes, it will happen! Amen.

The Lord God says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the one who is and was and is coming. I am God All-Powerful!”

Revelation 1:7-8

The return of Jesus Christ will not be a secret and private event. When Jesus returns everyone will see Him coming! And all people will weep because of Him. Some will be tears of despair and fear and others will shed tears of joy!

Can you imagine the fear of those who have rejected Jesus and even spoken out against anyone who has faith in Him? Those who persecuted the followers of Jesus will themselves be terrified when that day comes. It will suddenly become clear to everyone that Jesus is real and that all other "roads to God" lead straight to Hell!
But those who fall down and worship Jesus now, will fall down and worship Him then, and their tears will pour out because of the joy of seeing Jesus!

When Jesus comes, your tears will come as well. But you now have a choice as to whether your tears will come in terror or joy! When that day comes it will be too late to choose Jesus!

Jesus chose you and came to earth to pay the price for your eternal salvation! If you choose Jesus now, then when He comes that "Day of Joy" will last forever!

"Lord Jesus, I know that You will come back, even as You said You would. When You do may my tears be TEARS OF JOY and not tears of terror! Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen."