“WHY DO YOU CALL ME ‘LORD, LORD’ AND DO NOT DO WHAT I SAY?” LUKE 6:46
Dear Friends,
Have you given your life to Jesus Christ & 8211; the One who rose from the dead,
defeated death, broke the power of sin, destroys the work of Satan and is able
to raise you from the dead? (John 11:25) Then why do you worry about your financial
security, or your personal safety, or the things going on in our world and country?
Does God not say, if He is for us, it doesn& 8217;t matter who is against us?
(Romans 8: 31) Maybe we worry because we really haven& 8217;t given our lives
over to Jesus Christ to do with as He pleases, to use us for His purposes and
glory even if it means suffering and loss of our temporal dreams and ambitions
& 8211; even & 8220;ministry& 8221; dreams. This was Peter& 8217;s problem as
he ministered with Jesus and had his own temporal ideas about & 8220;the ministry& 8221;
which did not include Jesus dying on the cross for our (and Peter& 8217;s) sins.
When Jesus began to talk about His death Peter rebuked Him and said & 8220;Never,
Lord& 8221;. Jesus turned and said to Peter, & 8216;Get behind me Satan! You
are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things (the purposes)
of God, but the things of men.& 8217;& 8221; (Matthew 16:21-23) & 8220;Self-pity
is from the devil, and if I wallow in it I cannot be used for God and His purpose
in the world.& 8221; (Oswald Chambers & 8211; My Utmost- Nov. 10)
It is becoming increasingly clearer to me, that we as Christians in America,
demonstrate through our worry and fear about the temporal things of this life,
how we have not surrendered our lives to God& 8217;s purposes and have lost
the very vision that Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself, lived and died for.
Jesus always and only did what He saw the Father doing (John 5:19) and calls
us and commands us to do the same. & 8220;In the same way, any of you who does
not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple.& 8221; (Luke 14:33) Only
if we do this can we live without fear and worry and besetting sins and have
the hope and peace and joy of Jesus (John 14:27) even in the midst of suffering.
As Paul said in the midst of his many trials, & 8220;Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.& 8221;
(2 Corinthians 6:10)
As I write this letter it is the day after Veteran& 8217;s Day on which we
remember and give thanks for all the men and women who have given their lives
for our country. Yet, why won& 8217;t we as Christians who say we believe in
the eternal kingdom of God, give up our ambitions and pleasures and even our
lives (Revelation 12:11) for the King of kings Who gave His life for us, and
even promises to reward us for serving Him for all eternity? Why do we cling
so determinedly to our own ways and will to have a good and happy life on this
fallen planet which is cursed (Genesis 3:14-24; Romans 8:18-25) and destined
to be & 8220;destroyed and burned up& 8221; by the fire of God. (2 Peter 3:10-12)
Ultimately, the question is not, What is going to happen to America and our
lives as Americans? The question we all need to be asking is, What is going
to happen to me on Judgment Day when I will give an account to Jesus Christ
the Righteous Judge (John 5:22) Who will judge all mankind, believers (1Corinthians
3:10-15) and unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15) & 8220;according to their deeds& 8221;.
(2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelation 20:12)
& 8220;As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days
took His seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of His head was white
like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands
attended Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was
seated, and the books were opened.& 8221; (Daniel 7:9-10)
God warns us and calls us to repent because He loves us and wants us to know
the blessing of obedience we can have now in this life and the eternal blessings
and rewards for all eternity as we, like Jesus, as a Man Himself, always obeyed
His Father. & 8220;My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from
Me. Yet, not as I will, but as You will. If it is not possible for this cup
to be taken unless I drink it, may Your will be done.& 8221; (Matthew 26:39,
42)
May we too say to the Lord, & 8220;Thy will be done& 8221; in my life and live
the life that Jesus Christ died to give us. May we say with Paul who loved and
followed our Lord Jesus and gave his life for His glory: & 8220;I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life
I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave
Himself for me.& 8221; & 8220;For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.& 8221;
(Galatians 2: 20; Philippians 1:21)
He alone is worthy,
Len and Kristen
P.S. Do you know for certain that you have eternal life through Jesus Christ?
In the midst of the confusion of a one- world religion and supposedly many ways
to God, we need to declare what we believe as Christians. The God we worship
is the God revealed in the Bible, the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
One God in Three Persons and Who is ultimately revealed in the Person of the
Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 1:1-3) The most personal Name for God is Jesus,
which means Savior. He and the writers of Scripture claim that He is God and
the only way to the Father and to salvation. & 8220;I and the Father are One.& 8221;
& 8220;I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except
through Me.& 8221; (John 10:30; 14:6; Also see Acts 4:12) Jesus backed up His
claims of being & 8220;Lord& 8221; by being raised from the dead (Romans 1:4)
in a resurrected body that would never die, never grow old or be sick and is
like the resurrected body we will receive as believers. (1 Corinthians 15:12-58)
The Bible says that this Holy God is separated from man because of our sin,
& 8220;For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.& 8221; And & 8220;no
one is righteous, not even one.& 8221; (Romans 3:23; 10) We must admit we are
sinful and separated from God and plead for His mercy and forgiveness through
the merit of Jesus Christ& 8217;s substitutionary payment for our sins by shedding
His blood on the cross. & 8220;God made Him (Jesus Christ) Who had no sin to
be sin for us, so that in Him (Jesus) we might become the righteousness of God.& 8221;
(2 Corinthians 5:21) Yet salvation is more than intellectual assent to these
Biblical truths and creeds of the church. Jesus says we must be born again to
see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-8) & 8220;Yet to all who received Him, to
those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God
& 8211; children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or of a
husband& 8217;s will, but born of God.& 8221; (John 1:12-13) Sincerely ask Jesus
to forgive all of your sins, be your personal Savior and fill you with the Holy
Spirit to empower you to live for His glory the rest of your life. Then the
Scriptures say you can know that you have eternal life and have full assurance
that you are God& 8217;s child forever. & 8220;The Spirit Himself testifies
with our spirit that we are God& 8217;s children.& 8221; (Romans 8:16; 38-39;
Also see 1 John 5:13) Call me or any of us at Reflections if we can help you.