I have been encouraged to think about some issues that have been on the back burner of my "mentals" for quite some time. For me to share what crosses my mind and path is a task that seems to have an assignment attached and a call from My Lord that I must answer to and for.
The most important message of our lives as Believers is the Gospel Good News of God's unconditional love for humanity and conveying that in our own way to others who make up our world is top priority lest any should miss it.
That said, I am so thankful for all who share in this season with our feet on planet earth to make this Journey with Jesus and each other. I am thankful for all the amazing brothers and sisters in Christ across the street and around the world who lend their faith to others whose faith might be faltering in this crisis and to the unsaved that they might seek to find the Peace we have in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World.
We recognize that this world is NOT our (Eternal) home. We are truly just passing through. Our Eternal Home is with God, who is our Heavenly Father. While in this temporal place our soul is housed in a physical body subject to the elements of the atmosphere here. At the moment of our predetermined expiration date, we all will be evacuated and transported into another realm very much alive. Followers of Jesus call this "Salvation" and for us it will be an alive and "well" living happily ever after in a delightful place and never ending story.
For those who choose to reject Jesus, eternal life brings horrific judgment and agonizing separation from our Creator God Who is the source of all that is "Good".
As a follower of Christ Jesus, faith is a supernatural experience for it is written, "Faith is the substance of thing hoped for and the evidence of things unseen." Faith is action and faith moves through conviction and belief. Faith treats things hoped for as reality and things unseen as real. Far from a "pollyana" mentality that "everything is beautiful", faith grabs onto the Word of God and His written promises, convicted and convinced all will come to be.
Jesus is the One God sent into the world to save us. But to save us from what you might ask? The simple answer is judgement; Divine judgement which is the penalty for sin that unfortunately all humanity has been born with. It's called a fallen or "sin nature" embedded in our flesh.
Consider that the Cross with all its brutality was the place and God's only Son the subject upon whom all God's Holy righteous wrath against sin was poured out. And the worst of the penalty for sin was suffered as Jesus said, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?" Separation from His Father God was the worst and deepest agony since it was the first time in eternity such a separation in the Trinity existed. He alone knows of the pain of such a separation because He alone knows the fullness of the love of God.
To accept Jesus is to acknowledge that we are helpless sinners who deserve the wrath of Holiness, but with overwhelming gratitude for God's gracious provision where Jesus took our place and our penalty; that's what makes Him our Savior, and then in surrender to His Holy Spirit; that's what makes Him our Lord.
There is no escape from the fallen sin nature other than death, Our Creator God unwilling that any should perish, provided that a substitute, blood shedding, Holy sacrifice be made available to all and any who would willing accept His gracious gift.
Jesus, the "Savior" Son of God is that "Gift".
We are all born as the immortal image bearers of the One True God. God's original design gave humanity the mandate to tend to all He created in this world. It was an assignment to co-labor WITH Him, not to be independently living life here without Him.
Free will is a God ordained component of Divine design. For free will to be free there must come to us a choice and with it the freedom to experience the consequences whether good or bad that go with our free will decisions.
The most far reaching free will decision and consequence that our Sovereign Creator God has established is our eternal destination point, whether with Him in Paradise or without Him in Hell.
Life on this planet for very one of us ever born, boils down to this one eternally consequential free will decision: Where will we spend eternity and with Whom?
Time is of the essence to make a decision and make no mistake, a "no" decision is a decision in God's gracious economy. Either we choose and accept Jesus, as the One God sent to rescue us or not. The "not" choice is a choice, much as choosing "not" to eat dessert is a choice at the end of a meal.
God's Word is our instruction manual for life here and beyond. Choosing to read it helps us to choose wisely in all other matters of our free will decisions, including where we will spend eternity.
The choice is ours and one way or another it will be made and then God will honor our choice.
I implore you in love, please seek the One True God and His Son Jesus while He may be found.
The Holy Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?
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