The Work of The Lord

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters , stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor for the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

Ever since forever Jesus has been the light of the world. When he came to earth as the son of God he shined that light for all to see. But there was still darkness in the world. There will always be darkness in this broken world but it is getting darker all the time. Sin is still sin and the sins of today are not much different than thousands of years ago. Pride and ego and selfishness still cause people to do things to better their lives or so they see it that way. The Israelites served other gods that they did not know and even sacrificed their children to satisfy these gods. What kind of god would expect you to sacrifice your own children to make them happy. God may have asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on an altar but he would have never let him succeed in doing it. He wanted to see if Abraham would trust him, and he did. But he also promised that he would be the father of a tribe of people that would be as great as the stars in the sky and they were. He always keeps his promises. Today people are still sacrificing their children to their gods. The god of convenience and selfishness. Things haven’t changed much. The Pharisees didn’t believe Jesus was God’s son and that God sent him to this world because they liked being looked up to as the religious authorities and they couldn’t give that up. They made their own rules and they liked it that way. People haven’t wanted a god who would tell them what to do even if it was better for them. People like to do what they please. If God says marriage is between one man and one woman then they want it their way. So they redefine marriage to suit themselves. A person can be anything they want to be. They can make their own reality. It’s no wonder that people are so confused and depressed because there is no absolute truth in our world. The darkness in this world will continue to get darker all the time. There will come a day when the darkness is so strong that try as we can they just won’t listen anymore and then Jesus will return and our work will cease. But until that day we need to be that city on the hill that shines their light brightly.

The Kingdom

“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.” Colossians 1:13

“Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Colossians 3:1

We have been raised with Christ. Because he defeated the enemy and the grave when he gave everything for us. We have been set free. We no longer belong to this world we have become aliens and are just here temporarily. We have a new home, a heavenly home. Do we really believe that? It has already been done. I like to imagine what it will be like one day. I love the song and the movie but it is truly exciting to think about perfection. Although I don’t think I can truly imagine it. Although I have read many books about near death experiences and what they experienced. I think about all my relatives that I know. Let alone all those that passed before me. I can’t help but be so excited for what they are experiencing. Sure I miss them but I don’t grieve over them. Heck they wouldn’t want me to. That is why we don’t feel like we belong and people just don’t understand us. But remember, we don’t belong. We have been set apart, a peculiar people, we are here to shine the light of Christ dwelling within us. We have been called to bring others into the kingdom of God. To share the good news of a great hope that is available to all. That is why we must stay here for a while and can’t just go home. The godhead doesn’t need our help and could do it themselves but it is actually a privilege that helps to perfect us on our journey. It is actually bonding us together with our brothers and sisters in Christ who we will one day spend eternity with. We need to keep our focus where it belongs. We are now royalty and we need to behave more like it and our Father the King every day. We are like ambassadors who have been sent with the highest rank we could have below Christ himself. But since he no longer lives on earth we get that honor. We need to take that responsibility seriously. We are now royalty no longer here to serve ourselves but him who we serve. That is why we have laid our life down for him. There shouldn’t be anything that he has asked us to do that we wouldn’t do. I am very proud of the cross of Christ and proud to be his daughter. It may be uncomfortable to speak out at times but it would be very rewarding. It is pretty cool to share and have people agree with you and get excited about it. It really is exciting news and not everyone thinks you’re nuts. If they do I just feel really sorry for what they are missing out on not embarrassed.

Where Is Your Heart?

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

God knows your heart. No matter how good you are at hiding your true identity from the world you can’t hide from God. He knew you before he ever formed you in your mother’s womb. And he still made you just as you are and he loves you just as you are. Boy I know things about myself I wouldn’t want anyone knowing. I’m sure we all do. But we are all imperfect people. The other day I heard someone say that they could tell you the true picture of your heart by looking at your checking account or your debit account. You put your money where your mind is. How do you spend your time. We can have all the best intentions but when the rubber meets the road it’s what we do that counts. Do I spend my time on myself, others, or God? Every minute matters because you can’t make any more time than we all have. Have you ever known someone who does 90% of the work load all by themselves while others just get by with the basics of life like eating and sleeping. They say 10% of people do 90% of the tasks while 90% of the people only do 10%. Their time is theirs and theirs alone to squander how ever they want. But do you want to know the sad truth, God helps the 10% do so much more than others because he knows their heart and the 90% he takes time away from because they aren’t using it wisely. So many things we do are not necessarily wrong or sinning but they aren’t really beneficial for us or Gods kingdom. He asks us or commands us to do so many things but are we doing them or not doing them as the case may be. For instance I think I need to stop thinking bad thoughts about what others are or are not doing and look more at myself. I know God wishes people wouldn’t do certain things but he is perfect and he has given them their choice to do as they please. It’s called free will and we all have it. I am far from perfect and we all are, but spend a little time looking how you spend your time tomorrow and maybe you will agree with me that you could make some better choices.

Light

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

Hallelujah and Amen! Isn’t it great to know that God has your back and will never let you down. In the very beginning God was as the trinity. Jesus is the light of the world and God is also a very bright light. In fact we cannot see God while there is sin in our lives because his glory is so amazing that we would burn up. When we get to heaven there will not be any need for the sun, candles, flashlights, or light bulbs because God’s glory radiates out so bright that it will be day light forever because we won’t need rest or sleep because our bodies will be perfect. When I was young my family loved to go camping and at night we would build a huge bonfire and sit around telling funny stories. It was dark all around but our area was like daytime. Have you ever lit a match in pitch dark and you could see that bright flame far away. We all have the Holy Spirits light burning inside us when we know God and have accepted him into our lives. We are to share that light with the rest of the world. A small church is like a small fire and when you get a bunch of Christian’s together it could burn a forest down. God created everything and evil started with his creation and he controls all he has made. So Satan may think he has a chance but we win in the end. There will only be perfection in heaven forever with no death, pain, or tears ever again. This is so good to dwell on because you can’t help but be so encouraged.