Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

We Told You So, Dude!



A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them.

Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
(John 20:26-29)

Can you imagine the look on Thomas' face when Jesus suddenly appeared? Picture the other disciples nodding their heads as if to say, "We told you so, dude!" And though Jesus invited Thomas to touch him and be fully convinced he was real, there's no indication Thomas ever did so. Instead, Thomas believed and confessed Christ as his Lord and God (probably bowing before him). Betcha anything Thomas didn't miss church the next week.

So how can you experience the presence of God in your youth group and church--even when others don't?

Be there.
Show up at church faithfully. Make it your priority. There will always be something else you could be doing (homework, practice, TV, friends, work, etc.). But honor God with your faithfulness to him.

Be committed
Your brothers and sisters in Christ have something you need (and vice versa). Even if you feel you have little in common with them, concentrate on all that you share in Christ. Get involved in their lives.

Be expectant
When you hear God's Word taught, expect him to speak to you. As you worship, anticipate him filling the room along with your praises. Do this, and you'll experience the presence of the risen Christ.

If Thomas had stayed close to his spiritual family, he would have seen the risen Jesus with his own eyes. He wasn't there with the other disciples in the locked room. But that doesn't make him a life-long loser. It certainly doesn't mean he deserves to be "doubting Thomas" for eternity. He learned his lesson, so let's give him a break, okay?

Jesus is alive, friend. And he's there when those personally touched by him come together to honor him.

Hey, do you have a youth group? If so, do you believe you really need those teenagers at church? Are you faithful to that group? Or has your church filed a missing person's report on you?

Is church a safety net for you? A lifeline? Will you expect God to speak this week? Are you ready to conquer your doubts with Jesus' presence? Will you bow and say with Thomas, "My Lord and my God"?

 

[beensetfree]

He Loves Us!
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.

The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

The LORD reigns forever, your God,
O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

Psalm 146:7-10 NIV

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For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

Isaiah 62:5 KJV

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"I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put the fear of Me in their hearts so that they will not turn away from Me. I will rejoice over them to do them good and will faithfully plant them in this land with all My heart and with all My soul."

Jeremiah 32:40,41 NASB

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“He was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst?”

Judges 15:18

Samson was thirsty and ready to die. The difficulty was totally different from any which the hero had met before. Merely to get thirst assuaged is nothing like so great a matter as to be delivered from a thousand Philistines! but when the thirst was upon him, Samson felt that little present difficulty more weighty than the great past difficulty out of which he had so specially been delivered. It is very usual for God's people, when they have enjoyed a great deliverance, to find a little trouble too much for them.

Samson slays a thousand Philistines, and piles them up in heaps, and then faints for a little water! Jacob wrestles with God at Peniel, and overcomes Omnipotence itself, and then goes “halting on his thigh!” Strange that there must be a shrinking of the sinew whenever we win the day. As if the Lord must teach us our littleness, our nothingness, in order to keep us within bounds. Samson boasted right loudly when he said, “I have slain a thousand men.” His boastful throat soon grew hoarse with thirst, and he betook himself to prayer. God has many ways of humbling his people.

Dear child of God, if after great mercy you are laid very low, your case is not an unusual one. When David had mounted the throne of Israel, he said, “I am this day weak, though anointed king.” You must expect to feel weakest when you are enjoying your greatest triumph. If God has wrought for you great deliverances in the past, your present difficulty is only like Samson's thirst, and the Lord will not let you faint, nor suffer the daughter of the uncircumcised to triumph over you. The road of sorrow is the road to heaven, but there are wells of refreshing water all along the route. So, tried brother, cheer your heart with Samson's words, and rest assured that God will deliver you ere long.

 

[beensetfree]

The Gift of Forgiveness


Each time the barbed-wire fence closes behind me and I see the
men sitting in a circle waiting for me, I begin to pray, "Please
Lord, I want them to see You in me."

I'm often asked to speak to inmates about being the victim of crime.
On March 23, 1995, my 17-year-old daughter, Nicole, opened the door
of her father's house to a 16-year-old young man named LeVaughn
whom she knew. LeVaughn came into the house and they began to
argue over drugs.

LeVaughn picked up the butcher knife from the kitchen counter and
stabbed Nicole to death. My only child lay dying on the floor of the
living room, her eyes still open. The last sight she saw that day was
the face of the young man who was killing her. This young man whom
I had never met in my life, came into my life that day and changed my
life forever.

I buried my daughter, and one week later the District Attorney informed
us he was asking for the death penalty for LeVaughn. He began telling
us how he wanted to try the case, and then he proceeded to ask us
if we believed in the death penalty. Everyone said, "yes," except for
me. I said "no."

I don't believe in murder. Murder is murder, no matter how you look at
it. It was no more right for me to take LeVaughn's life then it was for
him to take Nicole's life. I did not need revenge.

I waited one year to be faced with the young man who had changed
my life forever. He was hostile and angry during the trial. My greatest
fear was that he would get the death penalty and that I would then have
to fight to never allow that to happen. But God knew that wasn't
how He wanted me to spend my time. LeVaughn was found guilty of
second-degree murder and sentenced to thirty-eight years with
no probation.

God had other plans for my life. LeVaughn still looked angry when
he was sentenced two weeks later. Only now, he was sitting right
next to me as I stood at the podium to address the court and the
judge, but I was warned not to address LeVaughn. I was told I
couldn't speak to this person who had changed my life forever,
and he was sitting right next to me.

I began reading what I had written and then God spoke to my heart.
I needed to talk to this young man. It might be my only opportunity. I
turned and looked into his face. This was the face that my daughter
saw as she lay dying on the living room floor just one year ago, and
now I was looking into that same face. I told LeVaughn that I was not
angry with him, but that I felt very hurt. I told him that I had
compassion for him and that I hoped that he could somehow find
a way to turn his life around.

And lastly, I told him that I would be praying for him. The face that
was so full of anger was now looking at me in disbelief, and the
anger was gone.

When I walked away from the courthouse that day, I knew that God
had given both of us a gift. It was the gift of forgiveness. I was able to
forgive the young man who murdered my daughter. Not because he
asked me too, but because it was what God wanted for both of us.
God was never going to be able to use me if I was angry. Forgiveness
brings peace. And with that peace comes overwhelming joy. The joy
of knowing that God will forgive me just as I have forgiven.

Two years ago, I became a Prison Fellowship volunteer. I also
volunteer for the Pre-Release Programs in several prisons in
my area. I do a Parenting Program, Personal Development
Program and the Victim's Sensitivity Program. I have also become
a trained mediator, mediating minor offenses for the District
Attorney's Office, and I'm currently working on a program to do
mediations between victims and offenders of violent crimes. I
believe in rehabilitation.

As I walk out of the prison I feel so much peace. I don't see
myself as a victim. I see myself as someone who has had
something happen in my life, and I chose to let God use it so
that I might be of greater service to Him. There is a sense of
God's presence in prison. God is everywhere, even in prison.
And to think I might never have known that -- if I wasn't able
to forgive.

 

[beensetfree]

He Watches Over Us...
Life will be brighter than noonday,
and darkness will become like morning.

You will be secure, because there is hope;
you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid,
and many will court your favor.

Job 11:17-19 NIV

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For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

1 Peter 3:12,13 KJV

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Because you have made the LORD your refuge,
the Most High your habitation,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.

For he will give his angels charge of you
to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 91:9-11 NASB

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Doth Job fear God for nought?”

Job 1:9

This was the wicked question of Satan concerning that upright man of old, but there are many in the present day concerning whom it might be asked with justice, for they love God after a fashion because he prospers them; but if things went ill with them, they would give up all their boasted faith in God. If they can clearly see that since the time of their supposed conversion the world has gone prosperously with them, then they will love God in their poor carnal way; but if they endure adversity, they rebel against the Lord. Their love is the love of the table, not of the host; a love to the cupboard, not to the master of the house. As for the true Christian, he expects to have his reward in the next life, and to endure hardness in this.

The promise of the old covenant is adversity. Remember Christ's words — “Every branch in me that beareth not fruit” — What? “He purgeth it, that it may bring forth fruit.” If you bring forth fruit, you will have to endure affliction. “Alas!” you say, “that is a terrible prospect.” But this affliction works out such precious results, that the Christian who is the subject of it must learn to rejoice in tribulations, because as his tribulations abound, so his consolations abound by Christ Jesus. Rest assured, if you are a child of God, you will be no stranger to the rod.

Sooner or later every bar of gold must pass through the fire. Fear not, but rather rejoice that such fruitful times are in store for you, for in them you will be weaned from earth and made meet for heaven; you will be delivered from clinging to the present, and made to long for those eternal things which are so soon to be revealed to you. When you feel that as regards the present you do serve God for nought, you will then rejoice in the infinite reward of the future.

 

[beensetfree]

The Perfect Guy


But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7

If you wrote a "want ad" for the perfect guy, what would it say?

Wanted: Boyfriend. Must be tall (at least 5'11"), with amazing eyes (preferably blue), and a fabulous smile. Any hair color acceptable, but no shaved heads, please. Broad shoulders and well-defined arms, a definite plus.

If we're honest, most of us will admit that we're drawn to good-looking guys. But have you noticed how a really handsome guy can suddenly become way less attractive if he's a total jerk?

When God was choosing a king to replace Saul, he told the prophet Samuel that he'd find the future king among the eight sons of Jesse. But Samuel wasn't supposed to look for the handsomest, the tallest, the strongest, or the smartest. God told Samuel to ignore all the external things, even though most people get hung up on that stuff . Instead God wanted Samuel to value what God valued: the new king's heart.

God chose David as the future king because of the attractiveness of his heart. God knew that David would be a man who loved God deeply, who cared about the things God cared about, who made mistakes but still followed hard after God. And that's the kind of guy God was looking for.

Is that the kind of guy you're looking for? Let's think about rewriting that "want ad." Maybe something more along the lines of this:

Wanted: Guy who's totally committed to God. Whose love for God produces a real love for others. Must be patient, generous, and quick to forgive. Humble and teachable spirit preferred. Strong convictions a definite plus.

* Find out more about Samuel's search for the perfect guy when you read 1 Samuel 16:1-13.

Prayer: God, help me to look beyond appearances to the heart. Help me to look for a guy who puts you first in his heart and life...

 

[beensetfree]

Concerning Money
One man pretends to be rich,
yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor,
yet has great wealth.

A man's riches may ransom his life,
but a poor man hears no threat.

Proverbs 13:7,8 NIV

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Better is little with the fear of the LORD than
great treasure and trouble therewith.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a
stalled ox and hatred therewith.

Proverbs 15:16,17 KJV

__________________

A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth
And does not know that want will come upon him.

Proverbs 28:22 NASB

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“We will remember thy love more than wine.”

Song of Solomon 1:4

Jesus will not let his people forget his love. If all the love they have enjoyed should be forgotten, he will visit them with fresh love. “Do you forget my cross?” says he, “I will cause you to remember it; for at my table I will manifest myself anew to you. Do you forget what I did for you in the council-chamber of eternity? I will remind you of it, for you shall need a counsellor, and shall find me ready at your call.”

Mothers do not let their children forget them. If the boy has gone to Australia, and does not write home, his mother writes — “Has John forgotten his mother?” Then there comes back a sweet epistle, which proves that the gentle reminder was not in vain. So is it with Jesus, he says to us, “Remember me,” and our response is, “We will remember thy love.” We will remember thy love and its matchless history. It is ancient as the glory which thou hadst with the Father before the world was.

We remember, O Jesus, thine eternal love when thou didst become our Surety, and espouse us as thy betrothed. We remember the love which suggested the sacrifice of thyself, the love which, until the fulness of time, mused over that sacrifice, and long for the hour whereof in the volume of the book it was written of thee, “Lo, I come.” We remember thy love, O Jesus as it was manifest to us in thy holy life, from the manger of Bethlehem to the garden of Gethsemane. We track thee from the cradle to the grave—for every word and deed of thine was love—and we rejoice in thy love, which death did not exhaust; thy love which shone resplendent in thy resurrection. We remember that burning fire of love which will never let thee hold thy peace until thy chosen ones be all safely housed, until Zion be glorified, and Jerusalem settled on her everlasting foundations of light and love in heaven.

 

[beensetfree]

YOUR CHOICE WILL BE HONORED


We don't like to talk about hell, do we? In intellectual circles the
topic of hell is regarded as primitive and foolish. It's not logical.
"A loving God wouldn't send people to hell." So we dismiss it.

But to dismiss it is to dismiss a core teaching of Jesus. The
doctrine of hell is not one developed by Paul, Peter, or John. It is
taught by Jesus himself.

We are free either to love God or not. He invites us to love him. He
urges us to love him. He came that we might love him. But, in the
end, the choice is yours and mine. To take that choice from each of
us, for him to force us to love him, would be less than love.

God explains the benefits, outlines the promises, and articulates
very clearly the consequences. And then, in the end, he leaves the
choice to us.

Hell was not prepared for people. Hell "was prepared for the devil
and his angels." (Matthew 25:41) For a person to go to hell, then, is
for a person to go against God's intended destiny. Hell is man's
choice, not God's choice.

Consider, then, this explanation of hell: Hell is the chosen place of
the person who loves self more than God, who loves sin more than his
Savior, who loves this world more than God's world. Judgment is that
moment when God looks at the rebellious and says, "Your choice will
be honored."

To say there is no hell is to say God condones the rebellious,
unrepentant heart. To say there is no hell is to portray God with
eyes blind to the hunger and evil in the world. To say there is no
hell is to say that God doesn't care that people are beaten and
massacred, that he doesn't care that women are raped or families
wrecked. To say there is no hell is to say God has no justice, no
sense of right and wrong, and eventually to say God has no love. For
true love hates what is evil.

Hell is the ultimate expression of a just Creator.

 

[beensetfree]

God is For Us!
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:31,32 NIV

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Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Psalm 23:6 KJV

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Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God!
For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek;

You have shattered the teeth of the wicked.
Salvation belongs to the LORD;
Your blessing be upon Your people!

Psalm 3:7,8 NASB

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The LORD is for me, so I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?

Yes, the LORD is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.

It is better to trust the LORD
than to put confidence in people.

It is better to trust the LORD
than to put confidence in princes.

Psalm 118:6-9 NIV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

Pursue Purity
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:3-6 NIV

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For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.

Titus 2:11,12 KJV

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Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Galatians 5:24,25 NASB

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”

Romans 3:31

When the believer is adopted into the Lord's family, his relationship to old Adam and the law ceases at once; but then he is under a new rule, and a new covenant. Believer, you are God's child; it is your first duty to obey your heavenly Father. A servile spirit you have nothing to do with: you are not a slave, but a child; and now, inasmuch as you are a beloved child, you are bound to obey your Father's faintest wish, the least intimation of his will.

Does he bid you fulfil a sacred ordinance? It is at your peril that you neglect it, for you will be disobeying your Father. Does he command you to seek the image of Jesus? Is it not your joy to do so? Does Jesus tell you, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect”? Then not because the law commands, but because your Saviour enjoins, you will labour to be perfect in holiness. Does he bid his saints love one another? Do it, not because the law says, “Love thy neighbour,” but because Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments;” and this is the commandment that he has given unto you, “that ye love one another.”

Are you told to distribute to the poor? Do it, not because charity is a burden which you dare not shirk, but because Jesus teaches, “Give to him that asketh of thee.” Does the Word say, “Love God with all your heart”? Look at the commandment and reply, “Ah! commandment, Christ hath fulfilled thee already — I have no need, therefore, to fulfil thee for my salvation, but I rejoice to yield obedience to thee because God is my Father now and he has a claim upon me, which I would not dispute.” May the Holy Ghost make your heart obedient to the constraining power of Christ's love, that your prayer may be, “Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.” Grace is the mother and nurse of holiness, and not the apologist of sin.

 

[beensetfree]

Life Into The Dead
===================

Open supernatural doors in my life today.

Save and set free!

Give me a double portion of your Spirit as I take back
everything that the devil has stolen: Emotional Health,
Physical Health, Finances, Relationships, Job, Home & Marriage.

I cancel every plot, plan and scheme the enemy has devised
against me, in the MATCHLESS NAME OF JESUS.
And I declare: NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME WILL PROSPER.

I speak LIFE into every dead situation.

And, I thank You that nothing is over into my life and to my
situations. My household is blessed; my health is blessed,
my marriage is blessed, my finances are blessed, everything is blessed.

IN JESUS's MIGHTY and MATCHLESS NAME.

AMEN!

 

[beensetfree]

Be Thankful!
I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.

Psalm 7:17 NIV

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And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the LORD, offer it at your own will.

Leviticus 22:29 KJV

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For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 4:4,5 NASB

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If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, you must do all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:30-31 NLT

__________________

Enter His gates with thanksgiving
And His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him, bless His name.

For the LORD is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting
And His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:4,5 NASB

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“All they that heard it wondered at those things.”

Luke 2:18

We must not cease to wonder at the great marvels of our God. It would be very difficult to draw a line between holy wonder and real worship; for when the soul is overwhelmed with the majesty of God's glory, though it may not express itself in song, or even utter its voice with bowed head in humble prayer, yet it silently adores. Our incarnate God is to be worshipped as “the Wonderful.” That God should consider his fallen creature, man, and instead of sweeping him away with the besom of destruction, should himself undertake to be man's Redeemer, and to pay his ransom price, is, indeed marvellous!

But to each believer redemption is most marvellous as he views it in relation to himself. It is a miracle of grace indeed, that Jesus should forsake the thrones and royalties above, to suffer ignominiously below for you. Let your soul lose itself in wonder, for wonder is in this way a very practical emotion. Holy wonder will lead you to grateful worship and heartfelt thanksgiving. It will cause within you godly watchfulness; you will be afraid to sin against such a love as this. Feeling the presence of the mighty God in the gift of his dear Son, you will put off your shoes from off your feet, because the place whereon you stand is holy ground. You will be moved at the same time to glorious hope.

If Jesus has done such marvellous things on your behalf, you will feel that heaven itself is not too great for your expectation. Who can be astonished at anything, when he has once been astonished at the manger and the cross? What is there wonderful left after one has seen the Saviour? Dear reader, it may be that from the quietness and solitariness of your life, you are scarcely able to imitate the shepherds of Bethlehem, who told what they had seen and heard, but you can, at least, fill up the circle of the worshippers before the throne, by wondering at what God has done.

 

[beensetfree]

The Narrow Gate To Life And The Broad Path To Destruction


The Bible says a lot about salvation, mostly that it’s only through Christ that we can be saved, so here are Bible verses about salvation that reveal it’s open to all, but it’s not the broad path many people think it is.

Repentance and Faith
Jesus best described the gospel of the Kingdom of God in Mark 1:15 when He began His earthly ministry and said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled,” meaning the age of grace had come but it comes only through trust in Christ. Today, if you hear His voice, or the Spirit’s call, don’t harden your heart (2 Cor 6:2), because if you were to die or Christ returns before trusting in Him, there is no time left to repent and believe. This is no time to sit on the fence and think about it because those who wait on the fence will be judged along with those who openly reject Christ today, so “unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). Why not “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead [and] you will be saved” (Rom 10:9)?

The Narrow Road
Years ago, when I briefly lived in Arkansas, there was an old winding dirt road that went up Bernie Mountain in northwest Arkansas. The road was dangerously steep and curvy but there was no other way up the mountain, at least by car, so as hard, narrow, and steep as that road was, we had no choice but to take it. It was the only way. We didn’t’ really complain about the road because we knew it was the only way up to our home, so in similar fashion, Jesus says, quite specifically, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

God offers the free gift of eternal life, but it’s not just any way but Jesus is “the way,” just as the Apostle Paul wrote, that it is “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Obviously, this means “He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5), so finding the narrow path to eternal life is not by works, but by what Christ did in His life and His death and His resurrection.

The Broad Path
Since the Bible states, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12), this rules out any other human source or power by which we can be saved to eternal life. Tragically, Jesus says that not everyone who “says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 7:21), but “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). Jesus says to all that we must “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (Matt 7:13).

If you look around the world, it doesn’t appear that most of the world has trusted in Christ, so naturally, the path that leads away from Christ and toward destruction is broad. If only few, comparatively, have trusted in Christ, the path or road doesn’t have to be as broad. You don’t build four-lane highways where a county road is because there’s not that much traffic. The narrow path or gate to eternal life is passed through, single-file, and no one gets in on the coattails of another, however, the path or gate to destruction is wide. That’s why many will say, “Lord, Lord,” and not a few, and those same “many” will be turned away at the time of their judgment (Matt 7:21-23).
For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many (Matt 7:13).

The Man of Salvation
There is not really a plan of salvation as much as there is a Man of Salvation, and that is Jesus Christ. When the jailer spoke to the Apostle Peter and Silas about being saved, he asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family” (Acts 16:30-31). On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowd “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38), so even though the way is narrow, and it only goes through Jesus Christ (John 6:44), it is still open to all (John 3:16).

Jesus says, whoever comes to Him, He will “give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). The psalmist puts it well in writing “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame [but] they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous” (Psalm 25:3). On the day of His visitation, the one who puts their trust in Christ will hear His master say to him or her, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matt 25:21).

Conclusion
The gate may be small and the way may be narrow, but at least there is a way, so to complain that there is only one way and the way is narrow, is like complaining that there’s only one emergency exit out of a building on fire. Escaping the fire is only possible through a fire escape, and it’s typically narrower than the doors that everyone came in through, but people don’t care that it’s narrow when there’s a fire.

They’re just glad there is a way out, narrow or not, because at least there is a way. Jesus is still and always be the only way of escape from the wrath of God (John 3:36b), for “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame” (Rom 10:11), so clearly, “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:25-26)? The answer to that question determines which path you will take and where you will end up, and there you will stay, for time without end.

 

[beensetfree]

Delight yourself in Him and pray!
Surely then you will find delight
in the Almighty and will lift up
your face to God.

You will pray to him,
and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows.

Job 22:26,27 NIV

__________________

If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

John 15:7,8 KJV

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If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:11 NASB

__________________

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you keep obeying my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

John 8:31,32 NLT

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.”

Luke 2:19

There was an exercise, on the part of this blessed woman, of three powers of her being: her memory — she kept all these things; her affections — she kept them in her heart; her intellect — she pondered them; so that memory, affection, and understanding, were all exercised about the things which she had heard. Beloved, remember what you have heard of your Lord Jesus, and what he has done for you; make your heart the golden pot of manna to preserve the memorial of the heavenly bread whereon you have fed in days gone by.

Let your memory treasure up everything about Christ which you have either felt, or known, or believed, and then let your fond affections hold him fast for evermore. Love the person of your Lord! Bring forth the alabaster box of your heart, even though it be broken, and let all the precious ointment of your affection come streaming on his pierced feet. Let your intellect be exercised concerning the Lord Jesus. Meditate upon what you read: stop not at the surface; dive into the depths. Be not as the swallow which toucheth the brook with her wing, but as the fish which penetrates the lowest wave.

Abide with your Lord: let him not be to you as a wayfaring man, that tarrieth for a night, but constrain him, saying, “Abide with us, for the day is far spent.” Hold him, and do not let him go. The word “ponder,” means to weigh. Make ready the balances of judgment. Oh, but where are the scales that can weigh the Lord Christ? “He taketh up the isles as a very little thing:” — who shall take him up? “He weigheth the mountains in scales” — in what scales shall we weigh him? Be it so, if your understanding cannot comprehend, let your affections apprehend; and if your spirit cannot compass the Lord Jesus in the grasp of understanding, let it embrace him in the arms of affection.

 

[beensetfree]

The Loser's Club

So who are you? Are you a nobody? Hey, most of us around here are. This Losers Club you've joined contains a whole bunch of insignifi cant people. We're not movie legends or rock stars. We don't own private jets or second homes in Jamaica. We may not be fi rst in our class or the best at anything. We fi t the painted sign hanging on the door of a neighborhood tree house:

"Nobody act big. Nobody act small. Everybody just act medium."

That's what most members of this club are. Just regular people. Average. Ordinary. Common.

Medium.

If that describes you, be encouraged. It seems that God really enjoys hanging out with people like that.

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26- 29, NLT)

God enjoys taking nobodies and transforming them into somebodies.

Society says in order to become somebody, you have to accomplish some great feat or record-breaking achievement. The world says to become signifi cant, you have to "be Number 1." But God says you're already important in his eyes. All you have to do to achieve your greatest potential is to recognize him as Number 1. That's the big difference between God and the world.