NOW THIS IS ETERNAL LIFE

Now This Is Eternal Life

John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

Eternal life is more than an endless existence. Eternal life is to know God; to know Him in such an intimate way you want to spend eternity with Him. There is only one way to acquire this type of intimacy and that is through His son Jesus Christ.

Jesus died and shed His blood so we could be forgiven of our sins. Sin separates us from God and keeps us from having a meaningful, loving relationship with Him. Sin results in alienation from God and if we remain in our sins we cannot have a personal relationship with God. Once our sins have been confessed and we have asked Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior our sins are forgiven and we are able to respond to the love of God and become a member of His family. Not only are we forgiven and welcomed into God’s family, we are given the gift of eternal life. What a wonderful gift that is!

The Scripture quoted above reveals an important definition of what eternal life really is...to know the only true God and Jesus Christ, His Son. To know God gives the highest meaning to life. It is the most personal, intimate relationship we will ever experience, in this life and for eternity. We were created to enjoy a loving relationship with the Creator God; to walk and talk with God in perfect unity; to love and be loved by Him. Sin separated us from this relationship. Jesus removed the barrier of sin through His death on the cross. His work of redemption gives us a second chance at real life and brings us back into a personal relationship with God the Father. God is not a god or one god among many; He is the ONLY God. The choice to believe or not to believe in Him is a choice we must all make. It is a decision we make individually; no one else can make it for us. If we don’t place our faith in Him we are lost.

In our unsaved condition we cannot know God. Millions of individuals are walking around this planet seeking the meaning of life, and it grieves me to say, they are looking in all the wrong places. The reason Jesus came to the earth was to save us, forgive us and redeem us. He showed the depth of his love by His willingness to die for sinful man.He didn't have to, He chose to in obedience to the will of God the Father. 

Entering into a relationship with God through His Son is the starting point. As we walk together our relationship grows sweeter and sweeter. We look forward to spending eternity in heaven.

How about you? Have you discovered the true meaning of eternal life? If the answer is no, get to know Jesus! To know Him is to know the Father and to know the Father is to know the real meaning of eternal life. david

THE PERSON WHO TOOK JESUS'S PLACE

The Person Who Took Jesus’s Place

John 16:7  But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

It is difficult for us to understand how the disciples would have felt when Jesus told them He was going to leave them. He not only said He was going to leave them, He told them it would be for their good. These disciples had left their families and their jobs to take up with this itinerant preacher, going from town to town proclaiming the coming of the Messiah who would usher in the Kingdom of God. His words were persuasive, His miracles never before seen. He had turned water into wine; miraculously healed lepers; fed thousands with a few fish and a few loaves of bread; restored sight to the blind and enabled the lame to walk. He stilled the raging sea and brought the dead back to life. They believed He was exactly who He claimed to be, the only begotten Son of God, the Savior of the world. And now He was going to leave them and He was telling them it was for their good He was going.

How could this be possible? Who could take His place? The name of the One coming reveals the uniqueness of His replacement. He would be the Counselor, the Comforter, and the One who would convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. He would be the Spirit of Truth and would guide all who believe in Christ into all truth. His actions and revelations would bring glory to God and always exalt Jesus Christ.

The Counselor Jesus is talking about is the Holy Spirit. (John 14:26) He is the Spirit of power, the Spirit who teaches, the Spirit who lives within us and guides us. He is the One who opens our spiritual eyes and ears and baptizes us into Christ at the point of our salvation. He is the power of our resurrection and searches all things, even the deep things of Christ. He is the Spirit behind our being born again, our becoming a new creation in Christ Jesus. (John 14: 26; John 16:13; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:11; Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Titus 3:5)

Our Comforter, the Holy Spirit, brings relief in the midst of our distress and supplies wisdom in the midst of our confusion. He is our Intercessor, the One who reconciles us to God.

It is this third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised would come to take His place. Jesus knew what His disciples needed and what we modern-day disciples need to be able to live faithfully in a righteous and holy relationship with Him. What a wonderful God, what a wonderful Savior, what a wonderful Holy Spirit Jesus sent to fill the void of His absence. 

Here beloved is the “good news:” all who belong to Jesus have His wonderful Holy Spirit living within them. He is in the process of transforming us to the image of Christ. Hallelujah!  My heart aches for this work of the Spirit to be completed soon. As the chorus of the beautiful hymn says, “Oh to be like Thee! O to be like Thee, Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thy art! Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness, stamp Thine own image deep on my heart. 

How grateful we should be to Christ for the giving of His Holy Spirit. david

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD

Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God."

Why do you think the angel’s message to Mary concerning the birth of Elizabeth’s child in her old age was important? Mary needed to be encouraged. She had just been told that she was going to give birth to a son and she was to name him Jesus. Mary’s response was, “how will this be…since I am a virgin?” What the angel revealed to her seemed to be impossible. God knew this would be Mary’s response so he sent an angel, a messenger, to strengthen her faith. Mary would have known Elizabeth, a relative of hers, wanted children but she also knew she was beyond normal childbearing age. If Elizabeth was pregnant it would be the result of a miracle performed by God. If God could work such a miracle in Elizabeth’s life, He could work a miracle in her life. The angel’s message strengthened her faith and gave her confidence that she could trust God to do the impossible.  Mary’s response to the angel is the response of faith; “I am the Lord's servant…May it be to me as you have said."  

The angel’s message to Mary is also recorded for our encouragement and the strengthening of our faith. All of us need to be reminded of the sovereignty and power of God. Listen to the angel’s message, “nothing is impossible with God."   Do we believe it? Does our life reflect it? Is this our faith position? When we face trying times; when there appears to be little or no hope and the counsel of others has little to offer, do we hear the Lord speaking to our hearts saying, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

The day we believe this truth is the day we begin to grow in our faith and understand the power of Jesus over all things. With Jesus there will always be hope; even in light of the reality of our weaknesses, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual. We can draw strength and assurance and comfort in His presence for nothing is impossible with Him. We can rest in His peace and draw from the blessings He makes available to us through His indwelling presence. Is it easy to do? No! Is it doable? Yes!

When this truth is ingrained into our hearts and minds, when it really becomes ours, it will revolutionize our thinking. It will enable us to focus our attention on the sufficiency of Christ rather than the insufficiency of self. We can face our inabilities without shame because we know when we are weak, Jesus will be our strength. When we are shortsighted, Jesus will expand our vision through His living Word. When we need direction Jesus provides us with spiritual ears to hear Him speak to our hearts His blessed truths. Friends, our God is able. His power and sufficiency to save is available to all of us. All we need do is ask. When we need to be encouraged it would be wise to remember the comforting words spoken by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Ephesians:  “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

On a personal note: when I become anxious, the Holy Spirit reminds me, I am to be anxious about nothing. Rather than spending time being anxious I can spend time in prayer, asking God for the peace of His presence. And dear friends, when I am obedient and allow the peace of God to wash over my spirit, I can offer a prayer of thanksgiving from my heart; a prayer to Him who is able to do more than I can imagine for God is at work within me. (Phil 4:6-7; Eph 3:20-21) What a Wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord!

While sitting here writing this devotional the Lord brought the following hymn to mind. I share it with you in the hope it will bless you as it blessed me. I looked up the lyrics on the internet and discovered that I could not only read the lyrics but I could also listen to it being played on a piano. As I read and listened I had a wonderful time of worship. The words are so meaningful. They are truly like a balm to my soul. The web address is as follows if you choose to go there: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/334. You may need to cut and paste it in the address bar.

1.      A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
  A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
  Where rivers of pleasure I see.

o    He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
  That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life in the depths of His love,
  And covers me there with His hand,
    And covers me there with His hand.

2.      A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
  He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
  He giveth me strength as my day.

o    Chorus

3.      With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
  And, filled with His fulness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God,
  For such a Redeemer as mine!

o     Chorus

4.      When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
  To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love,
  I’ll shout with the millions on high.

o     Chorus

Lyrics:  Fanny Jane Crosby (1820-1915)

Music: William James Kirkpatrick(1838-1921)

God bless you all. Who knows the next time we see each other we may be dressed in His brightness, meeting Him in the air. We will shout together to His praise and who knows it may be one of Eleanor’s favorite words we will shout in honor of our King: Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Amen!

david

PEACE BE WITH YOU!

 Peace Be With You!

John 20:19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

One of the most wonderful blessings available to mankind as a result of the resurrection is the peace of God. Prior to the resurrection this peace was not available to anyone. It’s interesting to note the first greeting Jesus gave to his disciples when he met with them following his resurrection from the grave was, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus knew what the disciples were going to need, for the task He would commission them was not going to be easy. Many of His followers would be ordered to renounce their faith under the threat of death. Their refusal to do so could result in their death and the death of their families and friends. In this fallen and sinful world under the influence of Satan, it would prove to be very difficult to find a lasting peace. Jesus knew there would be only one place, one source, for the peace the world would so desperately need and that was to be found in Him.

The peace of Jesus continues to be needful in the day in which we live; a day characterized by evil and sin. People are unwilling to turn to the source of righteousness and peace, Jesus Christ. Idols are being fashioned daily in the hearts and minds of those who are unwilling to accept the gospel of peace offered to them. God’s of man’s own choosing are being worshiped by countless millions. The darkness in which they dwell is so complete within them they are unable to see their true condition; their separation from the source of eternal life. They go about life proclaiming peace, peace when in reality there is no peace. Their hearts condemn them for they are inwardly convicted of their sin but they refuse to turn to God for forgiveness and the peace that follows their confession of faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. (1Jn 3:20)

This lack of peace so prevalent among us, has been and continues to be studied and written about by doctors, psychologists, researchers and pharmaceutical companies in an attempt to bring relief to the troubled soul, yet the answer remains as elusive today as it has ever been. Why? They are looking for the answer in all the wrong places? There is only one place that has the answer for the individual who is looking for peace, the Bible. The Bible reveals the source of peace found only in the person of Jesus Christ. The peace He offers does not come cheaply. It cost Him His life. He died a cruel and horrible death and yet had He not died, there would have been no resurrection; without a resurrection there would be no peace. Without the resurrection the disciples would not have had the wonderful experience of having Jesus coming to stand among them and hearing these wonderful words spoken by him, “Peace be with you.” Not only would the disciples have missed hearing these wonderful words, we too, as his modern-day disciples, would not be able to hear Him speak to our hearts the wonderful words that bring us comfort and ease our fears and anxiety, “Peace, I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Troubling times will come but they are no match for the peace of His presence. Do you need to hear Him speak today? Sit quietly before Him.  Envision His presence and thank Him for coming. Ask Him to give you ears to hear and a heart to believe and to speak words of comfort and peace to your heart. Then allow Him to speak to your heart and fill you with His peace.  david

·         Romans 5:1 (NIV) Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

·         Romans 15:13 (NIV) May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

·         1 Corinthians 14:33 (NIV) For God is not a God of disorder but of peace… 

·         Ephesians 2:14 (NIV) For he himself is our peace…  

I Am Always With You

Psalm 73:23-26 Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. 24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. 

He is the Lord your God and He is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you and rejoices over you with singing. He is always with you and holds you by His right hand. He will guide you and make known to you His counsel and His will and after you have spent time on this earth, walking with Him, He will take you into His glory, into His very presence. 

Rest in the Lord today with the sure knowledge this earth has nothing to offer you of any eternal significance. The Holy Spirit that dwells within you has the power of revelation and insight; today, he will take you to a deeper level in your understanding of who God is so you will be able to confess that you have none other in heaven or earth besides Him. Making that confession will be strong medicine to your heart and to your spirit. His right hand continually reaches out to you and will be available to you throughout everything you experience today. When you are too weak or unable to hold His hand He will hold to yours and will not let go. You belong to Him! If that doesn't make you shout HALLELUJAH, nothing will! 

Beloved the Bible contains hundreds of words of encouragement to those who love God. Yet there are four words you can repeat over and over today that will be a source of great comfort; God is with me! God is with me! God is with me! Knowing this enables you to live without fear. Be encouraged in your soul as you walk with the Lord, your Savior for He is mighty to save and He loves you. 

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He takes great delight in you; he will rejoice over you with singing allowing you to rest in the peace of his presence. Praise the Lord! 

Isa 41:13 For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

YOU ARE IN ME AND I AM IN YOU

You Are in Me And I Am in You

John 14:20 (NIV) On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  

What difference should it make to you knowing you are in Jesus Christ and he is in you? Hopefully, a big one. It means whatever touches you touches him. It means Jesus Christ intimately knows you and that means, to REALLY KNOW YOU! He knows when you sit and when you stand up. He knows your thoughts. He knows when you’re going out and when you’re lying down; he is familiar with all your ways. Before a word is on your tongue, he not only knows the word, he knows the intent of the words you are going to say. God’s hand will not only be your guide, it will be your support. Even when going through the darkness of sickness and despair, God’s light will continue to be around you and God’s comforting presence will never fail you. God was fully aware of you even before you were born. His eyes saw your unformed body before you were conceived. The days ordained for you were written in his book before one of them came to be. (Psalm 139:2-17)

God is close to those who are going through difficult times, not because he loves them more, but because they need him more. It pleases him when we focus our thoughts on him, and ask him for the strength we need to walk faithfully with him. When you rest in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will fill your mind with the things of God; his love, his faithfulness, his truth, his power to deliver. It is these thoughts that will bring courage to your heart enabling you to rejoice in the midst of all circumstances. (Philippians 4:4)

Today and every day is a good day to take delight in the Lord. Committing everything that you have, everything you are going through, everything you need to do, to him. He has given you the promise he will walk with you and never leave you and when the going gets rough if need be, he will carry you in his loving arms.

God says what he means and means what he says. You can count on it. Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow! How blessed we are to be His! Hallelujah! David  

  

A GREATER MIRACLE; RESURRECTION POWER

A Greater Miracle; Resurrection Power

John 11: 14-15 " So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, 15 and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

 Why in the world would Jesus have said, “for your sake I am glad I was not they are,” when He received the news that Lazarus had died. He certainly was not implying He did not care about Lazarus and his family. Jesus loved this family deeply. He had something else in mind when He made the decision not to go to the family when He first heard about Lazarus’ illness (v 6). Jesus is omniscient and he knew what Mary and Martha, Lazarus sisters, needed even though they didn't  He also knew what the disciples needed to see in order to strengthen their faith in Him and in His saving, resurrection power. 

God’s ways are not our ways and God’s ways will always prove to be the best. Even when our prayers are not answered in behalf of a loved one; even when marriages fail and families are torn apart; even when our financial problems cause great pain and loss; there is Hope! And where there is hope there will be praise and glory given to God for the last chapter is yet to be written. It will be written by God. 

When Jesus arrived, the disciples, the family of Lazarus and all the onlookers, thought it was too late. Mary and Martha were disappointed because He had not come quicker. Jesus did what He did to give us the assurance of resurrection power. He showed us in a graphic way that the grave and death is no longer a threat to those who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We would not have a record of those wonderful words of comfort He spoke to Mary when He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” We would not have a record of His powerful question to her and to all who follow Christ; a question that should cause each of us to reflect on our faith in His resurrection power, “do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26) 

Jesus was testing Mary’s faith. He is testing our faith. Do you believe in His resurrection power? If not, why not? Jesus revealed His power over death and the grave to all who were present that day and it should be just as real for us. Jesus went to the tomb and told the people to remove the stone that sealed the grave and spoke these exciting words of resurrection power: “Lazarus, come out.” (John 11:43) And Lazarus did as he was commanded. The people saw the glory of God being demonstrated through Jesus Christ, God’s Son. (John 11:40) 

Here’s a new question for reflection: would you rather Jesus answer your prayers the way in which you have prayed or answer them in the way He knows is best?

My dear friends, if Jesus had healed Lazarus when He was miles from him, we would never have known in such a powerful way the power God has over death and the grave. Because of the way in which God answered the prayers of Mary and Martha, we know the grave is not our final destiny. When we draw our last breath on this earth we are responding to the call of God “to come out;” to come out of our bodies, to come out of this world of sin, sickness and death and enter into our eternal home prepared for us by the God who loves us.  We can fully entrust our lives, all that we are, to His love, power and purpose for us. The story of Lazarus is that there is a greater miracle than physical healing. It’s the miracle of the Resurrection! Be encouraged, yes! Be quick to give praise and glory and honor to our Lord. Amen and amen. david

DIRECTIONS FOR LIFE

Directions for Life

Psalm 119:2-3 (NIV) ² Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart. ³ They do nothing wrong; they walk in his ways.

God’s blessings are available to those who keep his statutes. His statutes are a reflection of his will for all of mankind. For a believer to be blessed by God they must follow God in fateful obedience to his revealed will. God’s will, his statutes, are the guidelines and plans for His special people, a chosen people. Even though this 119^th Psalm was written with Israel in mind it is still applies to the church, the body of believers, today.  It is God’s desire for all who have come to him for salvation to continue to live righteously. They do that by willingly submitting their will to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

God’s way will always be different than man’s way. God’s way is the “way of righteousness”. God’s way is revealed to believers through the indwelling Holy Spirit, through prayer, through reading His Word and through fellowshipping with other believers. Following the leading of the Holy Spirit draws us into a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Because the Holy Spirit is our teacher and our guide, the way of God is not difficult to discern. God’s way will always stand in opposition to human wisdom, worldly values and our human desire to be in control. God’s way will never make sense to the natural mind of fallen humanity because it has to be Spiritually discerned and believed by faith. When we walk in the revealed way of God, we will always walk in the way of righteousness.  

Beloved, God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we need and when we need it. We will never be able to satisfy our hunger and thirst from what the world offers. If we reject his way and continue to go our own way we will continue to walk in darkness and never enter into the light of his presence. To walk in the way of our own choosing is to continue to live in sin, resulting in broken homes, wrecked relationships, shattered dreams and disappointment. Those who reject God will one day stand before him and then they will know the truth but it will be too late. It has never been God’s intention or desire to live apart from us. If we are separated from God, we are the ones responsible. We are the ones who failed to respond to God’s invitation to walk in faith. We are responsible for our sin and if we continue to reject the Way of God we fail to accept God’s deliverance and salvation made available to us through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ.  

When we ask Christ to come into our lives, the Holy Spirit gives us insight into these truths; hopefully, we will turn to him and seek him with all our heart and desire to walk in his ways. Dear friends, when God created you in love, he also created a manual for you on how to live. He gives you access to it each day. Within its pages are revealed the Way of God, the Way of Righteousness. You know the name of this manual, it’s  the Bible. Open it up. Read God’s love letters to you and follow His directions. You will grow to love it in the same way you grow to love Him. david

THE WALK OF FAITH

The Walk of Faith

Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”

Enoch walked with God. He had a special relationship with God; it was so special in fact that he did not see death, at least not in the normal sense. When it was his time to leave this earth and enter into the presence of God, God took him away. His relationship with God was so special that God blessed him with a special “mini-rapture.” One millisecond he was here on the earth and in the next instant, he was in the presence of God. His body was never found because it was instantaneously changed into a glorified body and was taken to heaven. Enoch was blessed because he had chosen earlier in his life to walk in close intimacy with God.

How did he do it? First of all he responded to God’s call on his life. His response was a faith response. He had no idea of where God was going to lead him but he was willing to go. As he walked with God, God taught him the ways of righteousness and holiness. Enoch became a disciple; he became a follower of God and would be known by those around him as a man of God. God spoke to Enoch and Enoch lived as God instructed him. His talk matched his walk! God was preparing Enoch for eternity, just as He is preparing each of us when we choose to become His follower. God worked out His plan and purpose in Enoch’s life and He desires is to work out His plan and purpose in each of our lives as well.

Walking with the Lord is a challenge. It was not easy for Enoch to give God his undivided attention and surrender his will to God, but when he did, his life was changed. His worldly and flesh desires were replaced with the desires God had in mind for him. This transformation was not an easy thing to accomplish. And yet his willingness to submit himself to the leading of God led him into a more intimate, loving and knowing relationship with the God who had created him. The more faithful the walk, the more intimate the relationship becomes and the less we allow the world to creep in and replace our time with God. That was true in Enoch’s day just as it is today. Enoch chose to spend more and more time in God’s presence, and one day while the two were out walking God said to Enoch, “Enoch, let’s go home.” I can’t begin to imagine the joy that he would have felt as he heard God’s gracious invitation.

May I ask you a question for your reflection? Who are you intentionally walking with each day? Does your daily walk reflect your talk? I’d like to share a quick story with you. About fifteen years into our marriage, Eleanor and I were riding somewhere, I was driving and she was sitting in the passenger seat next to the window. She looked over at me and asked, “Why don’t we sit really close to each other like we used to? Remember when we were dating and after we first got married and before we had children?” My answer was, “Eleanor, I haven’t moved! I’m still siting where I always sit.” After a few seconds of reflection, we both broke out in laughter. She then said, “You’re right,” and moved over next to me. For years that space had gotten filled with kids, dogs, groceries, you name it. The things of life had moved in; not bad things, but even good things can keep you from the best place to be. If your walk is not as close as it once was, God hasn't moved. Maybe it’s time for you to move back. 

God loves you. Celebrate it and enjoy His presence. david