Passage of the Day: Acts 9: 10 – 19 … 10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. 12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” 13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. 14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. 16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” 17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. 19 So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.
My Journal for Today: Don’t you just love the message of metamorphosis in the life of the Apostle Paul, being transformed by God’s grace from a murderous marauder to a zealot for the Gospel. Oh how I identify with this message of hope, having been a Saul of Tarsus in my life and having been raised from the ashes of sinful living to become an Ordained messenger of the Gospel in my own life time.
I hope that any who are reading this are not imprisoned by the lies of shame and blame the enemy would love to see us carrying around from anything in our past. The message of God’s saving grace is so simple and complete. It is actually found in that great victory chapter of Romans 8, where in verse 1, God had him write, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Do you believe that, my friend? Do you live with that truth in your heart? I hope so; because if you do and you’ve forgiven yourself for anything in your past, just as has God if you are saved, then you can become, as I am, a poster child for another of God’s great truths from the Apostle Paul, … that one from 2nd Cor. 5: 17.
My friend, take in one of the greatest truths in all of the Bible, "… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” … Now, dear one, meditate on that one for a moment. Think on the reality and hope embedded in that message.
You know, it is said that Ted Bundy, the infamous serial killer, came to Christ a short time before he was executed for his murderous life. Remember that Jesus told the one thief on the cross that his repentance and acknowledgement of Christ as the Son of God would mean that this thief is now with Christ in heaven. So, if God can save a Saul of Tarsus, or the thief on the cross, or even a Ten Bundy, our God can save and forgive ANYONE; and that includes Bill Berry … or you. My dear friend, if God can forgive and save a Bill Berry, His grace and mercy can – and has – saved you from any sin in your past.
We simply have to allow Him to forgive us; and then we have forgive ourselves; and, in the hope of Christ, we are and remain saved from any sin … sins past, sins present, and yes, even sins in the future.
What a glorious hope we have in our Savior, Jesus.
Let it go, my friend. If you have anything in your past which has you shackled by your own shame, let it go! If you are in Christ, dear one, and you have confessed this past to your Lord and Savior, in the words of Christ Himself from the cross, “It is finished!” You are now cleansed FOREVER; and you can walk from this day forth as the new creation in Christ you are.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, I pray that all who are in You accept the truth and reality of Your saving grace and live as You have cleansed us … forevermore. Amen
A Pastor’s PS: If you’d like to meditate on the truths in this journal entry for today, click on this link and you can see a music video of the wonderful song sung by Casting Crowns, … East to West. I hope you’ll take this in. It’s well worth the few minutes you’ll take to do it. … <’BB><
Showing posts with label forever. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forever. Show all posts
Monday, October 12, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
2009 – Day 105.Apr. 16 – Permanent Dwelling
2009 – Day 105.Apr. 16 – Permanent Dwelling
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 - 15 … 14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.
My Journal for Today: Today, Chuck Swindoll uses this short diversion into the life of Saul, during our time studying the life of David, to make a very important theological point. In today’s verses we seem to have biblical evidence that God, the Holy Spirit, can/will leave a believer who is disobedient of God’s way or will. And there are other instances where that seems to be the case, like with Samson in Judges 16: 20, which says, “He (Samson) did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” Or in Psalm 51: 10, where a repentant David pleas to God, “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” This would seem to surface a fear that God, the Holy Spirit, having inhabited the being of a believer, could or would leave that person, allowing for salvation to be lost because of disobedience or sinfulness.
And I agree with my devotional writer, Swindoll, that this is a point which must be clear for the New Testament Christian. It is true that God, the Holy Spirit in the times before Pentecost (see Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon the newly established Church), as we have documented in the Old Testament, quite often came upon and into the life of an OT believer, usually to allow that person to carry out God’s will for a specific purpose or task. However, in instances like the ones documented above with Saul or Samson, God’s Spirit could depart, leaving that person without the Spirit of God and having to deal with life in the flesh. As we read for Saul in today’s passage, God’s Spirit departing that person could produce emotionally troubling times; and with Samson we know that his strength to resist sin or deal with the world left him until God’s Spirit returned at the end of his life to show forth God’s power and victory over evil. But if you are a Christian today, we need not fear that occurring in our now saved lives.
The promise of God from the age of grace, in which we Christians now live, is a forever sealing of God’s Spirit once we surrender our lives at conversion to be baptized (not physically, but Spiritually) in Christ. So, once I gave my life completely in repentance to Christ and received Him as Lord and Savior of my life, that was and is a FOREVER deal. God’s Spirit is in me, which makes my body and life a Temple for the Spirit of God to reside – FOREVER [see 1st Cor. 3: 16]. There are a myriad of New Testament Scriptures to support the doctrine of “once saved – always saved;” but let me just cite one which is very familiar to most all Christians, John 3: 16, which don’t I probably don’t need to quote here because of its familiarity believers in Christ.
But I will quote it after all, to make my point. It of course says [NKJV], For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, if one took the position of God’s Spirit leaving a saved person after he/she were saved, causing that person to lose salvation, the phrase “everlasting life” in John 3: 16 would be sham. It would be meaningless. Everlasting is FOREVER, not just for as long as one is obedient. As Swindoll rightly points out from Ephesians 4: 30, linked for you here - once saved, we are sealed by God’s Spirit until “the day of our redemption,” which is, of course, when we die. Jesus said it from the cross, when He died, Satan’s power over our lives is “finished;” and we, who are in Christ, can know that we are saved FOREVER and have God’s Spirit residing FOREVER in our souls.
Now I know that Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit and our witness can be dampened by our sin choices and our disobedience. However, this does not mean, as happened with king Saul, that God’s Spirit can or will leave our souls. Salvation in Christ is a FOREVER deal; and we need to hold on to that truth and live, as Paul wrote in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked] as “living sacrifices” for our salvation, “… proving what is that good and perfect will of God” for our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You live in me; and I live for You. Amen
Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 14 - 15 … 14 But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you.
My Journal for Today: Today, Chuck Swindoll uses this short diversion into the life of Saul, during our time studying the life of David, to make a very important theological point. In today’s verses we seem to have biblical evidence that God, the Holy Spirit, can/will leave a believer who is disobedient of God’s way or will. And there are other instances where that seems to be the case, like with Samson in Judges 16: 20, which says, “He (Samson) did not know that the Lord had departed from him.” Or in Psalm 51: 10, where a repentant David pleas to God, “Take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” This would seem to surface a fear that God, the Holy Spirit, having inhabited the being of a believer, could or would leave that person, allowing for salvation to be lost because of disobedience or sinfulness.
And I agree with my devotional writer, Swindoll, that this is a point which must be clear for the New Testament Christian. It is true that God, the Holy Spirit in the times before Pentecost (see Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit came upon the newly established Church), as we have documented in the Old Testament, quite often came upon and into the life of an OT believer, usually to allow that person to carry out God’s will for a specific purpose or task. However, in instances like the ones documented above with Saul or Samson, God’s Spirit could depart, leaving that person without the Spirit of God and having to deal with life in the flesh. As we read for Saul in today’s passage, God’s Spirit departing that person could produce emotionally troubling times; and with Samson we know that his strength to resist sin or deal with the world left him until God’s Spirit returned at the end of his life to show forth God’s power and victory over evil. But if you are a Christian today, we need not fear that occurring in our now saved lives.
The promise of God from the age of grace, in which we Christians now live, is a forever sealing of God’s Spirit once we surrender our lives at conversion to be baptized (not physically, but Spiritually) in Christ. So, once I gave my life completely in repentance to Christ and received Him as Lord and Savior of my life, that was and is a FOREVER deal. God’s Spirit is in me, which makes my body and life a Temple for the Spirit of God to reside – FOREVER [see 1st Cor. 3: 16]. There are a myriad of New Testament Scriptures to support the doctrine of “once saved – always saved;” but let me just cite one which is very familiar to most all Christians, John 3: 16, which don’t I probably don’t need to quote here because of its familiarity believers in Christ.
But I will quote it after all, to make my point. It of course says [NKJV], For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Now, if one took the position of God’s Spirit leaving a saved person after he/she were saved, causing that person to lose salvation, the phrase “everlasting life” in John 3: 16 would be sham. It would be meaningless. Everlasting is FOREVER, not just for as long as one is obedient. As Swindoll rightly points out from Ephesians 4: 30, linked for you here - once saved, we are sealed by God’s Spirit until “the day of our redemption,” which is, of course, when we die. Jesus said it from the cross, when He died, Satan’s power over our lives is “finished;” and we, who are in Christ, can know that we are saved FOREVER and have God’s Spirit residing FOREVER in our souls.
Now I know that Christians can grieve the Holy Spirit and our witness can be dampened by our sin choices and our disobedience. However, this does not mean, as happened with king Saul, that God’s Spirit can or will leave our souls. Salvation in Christ is a FOREVER deal; and we need to hold on to that truth and live, as Paul wrote in Romans 12: 1-2 [linked] as “living sacrifices” for our salvation, “… proving what is that good and perfect will of God” for our lives.
My Prayer for Today: Lord, You live in me; and I live for You. Amen
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