What Do We Deserve?

Romans 5:19 - "For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous."

God is not a respecter of persons when it comes to salvation. As Adam doomed the entire human race, Jesus Christ redeemed it. This was more than collective bargaining. It was the judgment of a holy God's requirement for disfellowshiping mankind, and then His satisfaction concerning restored fellowship with Him.

Never listen to the lie that salvation was for those who "deserve" it. Simply put, we all deserve hell yet Jesus Christ saved sinners (of whom I am foremost). If He can take a "scuzball" like myself and free me from sin, He can do it for anyone. As I tell those with whom I counsel, there is nothing you can tell me that will shock me. (If I have not done it, I have thought about doing it.) Jesus Christ came to set the likes of "dirtbags" like you and me totally free!

Reasonable Involvement

Isaiah 64:4 - "For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear, nor has the eye seen a God besides You, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him."

During the so-called "Age of Reason," notables such as Voltaire considered God, at best, to be a God detached from intimate concern over His creation. American counterparts during this time included Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson. Their human intellect reasoned if there truly was a God, then why did He not intervene more demonstrably in the cause of mankind?

What they failed to "reason" was how God's nature is always to intervene on behalf of those who seek and wait for Him. It was His nature to intervene by sending His Son on our behalf. Why would He not likewise intercede for us in every detail of our lives if it is clearly in His nature to move heaven and earth on our behalf? This, my friends, is only reasonable.

Credit to Whom Credit is Due

Romans 4:5 - "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness."

What do we have in our spiritual bank accounts? Do we have a list of "good works" that we have done for Jesus? Or, is our spiritual debit card flush with the heavenly gold of faith? We must first understand we are ungodly and need justifying. When this revelation really sinks in, we will realize we can never do anything to commend ourselves to God.

It is a humbling thing to know we can do nothing to save ourselves. It is equally as humbling to know that God still wants a relationship with us in our sinful state. "Can't I just clean myself up a bit before I come to God?" The Lord says emphatically, "NO!" We must come as we are and walk with Him as we are in honesty in humility. This fills our spiritual accounts to overflowing.

The Irresistible Call of God

Mark 3:13 - "And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him."

God's call to those whom He has chosen is irresistible. That is, He calls everyone but knows which ones will respond. While it is tragic how most will not heed the irresistibility of God's beckoning, those of us who embrace His wooing can take great comfort in knowing He will never stop telling us to "come."

He who began a good work in you will complete it, beloved. There is no stopping God once we have become magnetized by His attraction. He will never leave us, nor forsake us, until we become totally His. What He promises, He fulfills.

How to be an Overcomer

Revelation 12:11 - "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death."

It is superfluous to believe we would die for our faith if we are not dying to self in the ordinary, day-to-day. How do we ready ourselves to both live for Christ or to die for Him daily, or to ultimately give up our lives? We must confess, profess, and obsess, beloved! Our confession of what Jesus has done for us through His shed blood is fundamental. Then, we must profess daily what He has done in our respective lives, both by word and deed. Then, we must obsess on our great love, Jesus Christ, and daily give ourselves more and more to Him.

The Lord's words become lifeless when we live as philosophical professors of Christ, for they cost us nothing. Yet, if we are doing these simple yet profound things aforementioned, we will be ready to live or die for Jesus in any situation. The cost will not be a consideration in lieu of what we gain.

Numbering Our Days

Psalm 90:12 - "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom."

Understanding that we are eternal beings is paramount for receiving the full measure of God's wisdom. The catalyst for this to happen is the fear of the Lord, the gatekeeper which allows God's wisdom to flow (Proverbs 1:7).

We must be taught to number our days, as the scripture states. Teaching is often painful through experience and trial and error. Through our failures and our continual coming to the Lord in humility, our success is realized as we perfect the fear of the Lord. Doing so will allow us to present to Him a perfect heart on that day when time is swallowed up by eternity!

Christ's Appearing

II Timothy 4:8 - "In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

If we have truly loved Christ's appearing in our lives and hearts on the day of our salvation, we will be anticipating His return. Consider King Hezekiah and how he begged God not to take him to heaven (II Kings 20:6). It can be argued that Hezekiah is the reason why the Babylonians later pillaged Jerusalem. If he had not been around to show the Babylonian emissaries Judah's wealth, they might not have bothered with this distant land (II Kings 20:12-19). However, the king was only interested in the "here and now."

Are we Christians that are enraptured with our lives? Have we become so busy with the things of earth that we do not long for the things of heaven? (Luke 14:18-20) We should all beware of loving the "here and now" and long for the "sweet by and by." If not, then have we truly loved His appearing?