I was just standing at my sink washing dishes when the thought occurred to me that about 20 years ago, I had completely turned my back on God and was running as hard as I could the other direction. Had it not been for God's grace and my best friend's obedience to Him, I don't believe I would be alive today.
Not only am I living proof of God's patience, forgiveness, love, grace, mercy and redemption, but also of His bountiful blessings to those who love and trust Him. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace."
God's grace abounds. Look at this:
"Main Entry: abound
Definition: exist in abundance
Synonyms: be alive with, be all over the place, be knee deep in, be no end to, be plentiful, be thick with, be up to one's ears in, crawl with, crowd, flourish, flow, have a full plate, infest, overflow, proliferate, swarm, swell, teem, thrive" (from Thesaurus.com).
We are alive with God's grace, knee deep and up to our ears in it, there is no end to it. It is plentiful and thick. It crowds and flourishes, flows and overflows. WOW!! How great is our Father's love for us!!
I said all of that to say this ... if you are running from God: STOP!! He will not stop pursuing you, so you might as well give up and surrender. He loves You so much and just wants the very best for you. Not only will he heal your mind, heart and soul, but He will bless you beyond measure.
If God is telling you to do something: OBEY! Someone's soul may depend on your obedience to Him!
You may not like what I have to say right now ... but I am being obedient to the One who loves me with an unconditional, everlasting love. He has given me the gift of salvation and blessed me with so many things that I cannot count them all. I can never do enough to repay the debt I owe Him, but I will serve and obey Him as long as I live on this earth. Then I will worship Him for eternity when I see Him face to face.
I pray this gets to the person it needs to get to, but even if it didn't, it reminded me of how blessed I am to have everything that I have right now!! —Teresa Schultz
He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him. (Luke 20:38 NAS)
God was living before the “beginning”, lives today, and will live forever. He will still be living after the last grain of sand pours out of the hour glass of eternity. Jesus was with and within God throughout all yesterdays, is with and within Him today, and will be with and within Him for ever more. The Holy Spirit who is our daily guide has been alive and well through all ages, times, and seasons.
God in His various personas has always lived and never died. All of His creation has always existed in one form or another. You and I and all of mankind have been with God forever. When our time on earth ends, we will not die but simply continue living in God.
Abraham first became aware of our Creator: He realized that there is no other God beside the all powerful and loving One. Abraham still lives in God. Moses who spoke with God in the burning bush and atop Mt Sinai still lives in God. Jesus who died on the cross and rose on the third day still lives in God. You and I also live in God and will forever more. God is the God of the living, with death and resurrection being the proof. —Arthur Hill
Father, live in us and help us to live in you. Amen.
Clock watching is futile and frustrating; I cannot rush time in my anticipation for an activity to end, or for one to begin. As a young child, and into my teens, I frequently turned my attention to huge clocks hanging on classroom walls. At the beginning of class, it seemed that I had such a long time before I would be allowed to leave. Yet, I remember most the regularity of craning my neck to watch the second hand move at a snail’s pace just before class dismissal. As if an athlete involved in stiff competition, I wanted the clock to run out. I listened for the bell.
“My time has almost run out. Very soon now, I will be on my way to heaven. I have fought long and hard for my Lord, and through it all I have kept true to him. And now the time has come for me to stop fighting and rest. In heaven a crown is waiting for me which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me, but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again (2 Timothy 4:6b-8 Living Bible).” Class is dismissed! —PamFord Davis
Take my yoke upon you … For my yoke is easy. And my burden is light. (Mathew 11:29-30 NIV)
The instructions and responsibilities God gives you are not burdensome at all. 1 John 5:3 says His commandments are not grievous. He’ll never ask you to do something that’s beyond your ability. All He asks is that you trust in His Word and act your faith. That’s how simple the kingdom life is; you don’t have to toil.
Think about it: All the sins you ever committed were automatically blotted out by the blood of Christ! As numerous and terrible as they were, all you had to do was to confess with your mouth the Lordship of Jesus, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you became a new creation (Romans 10:9). You became righteous in an instant, and were translated into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. Now, you have dominion over Satan and the cohorts of darkness; glory to God!
If it was that simple for you to receive salvation and have eternal life imparted to your spirit, then you have to agree that life in the kingdom is that way too. All you have to do is receive and appropriate for yourself all the wonderful blessings of salvation: wholeness, preservation, health, peace, deliverance, safety, security, victory, success, and prosperity! All these and more are included in the salvation package!
The Word "Lord" doesn’t only mean boss; it also means bread-provider, protector and caretaker. So when you declare that Jesus is Lord of your life, you’re saying His your bread-provider, Protector, Caretaker and the One who has responsibility over your life. It’s that easy. Don’t think it’s too simple to be true. Live without stress today and always. —Godlove Njut Tabi
Precious Father, I thank you for your goodness and the opportunity you’ve given me to bask in your blessings and live the good life you’ve freely made available to me in Christ. I lay all burdens at your feet, and choose the stress-free life! Thank you for taking charge of my family, health, finances and all that concerns me; I live in absolute joy today, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
