January 3rd 2021
Remember Today Is The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life!
John 3:16-19 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
This great gift of God is abundantly sufficient to provide salvation and everlasting life for the whole world. But a gift only becomes a gift when it is accepted, and the greatest of all tragedies is that this greatest of all gifts has been spurned and even ridiculed, or—worst of all—simply ignored by multitudes who need it so much. When they brazenly refuse God’s free gift of everlasting life, they can only perish in everlasting death. God did all He could do when He gave His Son; for when He gave His Son, He gave Himself. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
If Jesus asked you to do something for Him, would be feel compelled to do it, or would you run away from Him? The Bible tells us that most men who were called by God, tried to shift the responsibility to someone else, or asked if Jesus would select someone else who is more qualified. We read about Moses who told God he was not capable, and asked God to get someone else, and how Jonah refused and tried to run away! An exception it seems was Abraham, and God said the whole world would be blessed because of how Abraham responded to what God’s requested him to do. What about you is Jesus calling you to do something in your world today? We have been commanded to tell the Biblical accounts, to entice mankind to come to believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Savior of the world. How are you (we) doing on this command?
We are told that when we accept the gift of salvation we are immediately changed. This change causes us to be more capable of avoiding our sinful nature, which the first sin brought into this world, causing it to be forever cursed. However, Jesus Christ was brought into this cursed world to alleviate this curse by paying the price for all of mankind’s debt, so that we can all be saved despite our sinful nature. Without a Savior all mankind is destined to go to hell when we die to this mortal life in this world. No one is good enough to go to heaven when we die, because we are issued a sinful nature inherited from that first sin when we are born of woman into this world. Our salvation cannot be earned by any number of good deeds we may perform in our lifetime. As Paul writes for us this change to a new creation occurs when we accept salvation through Jesus Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
We are now in the final stages of celebrating again the birth of Jesus Christ into this world to allow salvation of sinful creatures, because of God’s mercy to allow salvation for all of mankind. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5). Because of Jesus’ arrival into this world everyone has the opportunity to be awarded their salvation by merely believing this Christmas message from God, and thus accepting their salvation. On that first Christmas day mankind was given the greatest gift of all, the promise that God is with us on this earth. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23). Now therefore, God/Jesus is available to all who believe, and we are offered kinship with Jesus/God, as all those who accept salvation become children of God! How about that for a Christmas gift!
Let us cover this again, the only way to gain salvation is through having faith to enable you (us) to believe God’s Word, as supplied to us through the Bible. This is the only book that God choose to supply His message for all mankind so that everyone who believes will be saved. Your immortal soul will end up in heaven when it leaves this mortal cursed world! End of story, this is that greatest gift you are seeking. Nothing in this cursed world can replace it, that is the only true story with a happy ending! Got it? If you do tell some other member(s) of mankind, you cross paths with during your lifetime, if they believe it, they will be saved! How is that for having Jesus give you the opportunity to point your brother or sister toward salvation?
Paul helps us to try and understand the great true story. It starts with our faith to believe. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10). Note what it says about good works. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God has prepared a path for us to walk that will lead us to “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Are you trying to stay on that narrow path which Jesus has led you (us) to where it is possible for you to help someone to find their own narrow path that leads them through this life to end up with Jesus Christ where He is waiting for them? This is the only path that leads to eternal life with Jesus. Believe it the God of the Bible is the only God. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6). One certainly is the key word in these verses and must be the key word in the heart of those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ is not a separate entity He is part of the one God a mystery that will be made clear to His followers in the new heaven, also known as the new earth, which will be created when the time is right for it to come!
A new beginning was the first verse God gave us in His Word, and tells us that the created earth was perfect, and then later we learned this perfect world was cursed because of the sin of Adam, which changed it to become the home of mortal beings. This was not the original plan God/Jesus had when they created it! In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1). This curse will be removed when all the souls saved through Jesus Christ become residents of this new world. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. (Revelation 21:1 a). Remember today is the first day of the rest of your life! Your immortal soul will never pass away! A New Year starts today. Share in the joy Jesus Christ has left for us, as we know our immortal soul has been saved by Jesus’ perfect sacrifice! Now that is a great start to this new year!
Wishing you and your loved ones,
Happy New Year!
John 3:16-19 (NIV)
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
This great gift of God is abundantly sufficient to provide salvation and everlasting life for the whole world. But a gift only becomes a gift when it is accepted, and the greatest of all tragedies is that this greatest of all gifts has been spurned and even ridiculed, or—worst of all—simply ignored by multitudes who need it so much. When they brazenly refuse God’s free gift of everlasting life, they can only perish in everlasting death. God did all He could do when He gave His Son; for when He gave His Son, He gave Himself. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
If Jesus asked you to do something for Him, would be feel compelled to do it, or would you run away from Him? The Bible tells us that most men who were called by God, tried to shift the responsibility to someone else, or asked if Jesus would select someone else who is more qualified. We read about Moses who told God he was not capable, and asked God to get someone else, and how Jonah refused and tried to run away! An exception it seems was Abraham, and God said the whole world would be blessed because of how Abraham responded to what God’s requested him to do. What about you is Jesus calling you to do something in your world today? We have been commanded to tell the Biblical accounts, to entice mankind to come to believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the Savior of the world. How are you (we) doing on this command?
We are told that when we accept the gift of salvation we are immediately changed. This change causes us to be more capable of avoiding our sinful nature, which the first sin brought into this world, causing it to be forever cursed. However, Jesus Christ was brought into this cursed world to alleviate this curse by paying the price for all of mankind’s debt, so that we can all be saved despite our sinful nature. Without a Savior all mankind is destined to go to hell when we die to this mortal life in this world. No one is good enough to go to heaven when we die, because we are issued a sinful nature inherited from that first sin when we are born of woman into this world. Our salvation cannot be earned by any number of good deeds we may perform in our lifetime. As Paul writes for us this change to a new creation occurs when we accept salvation through Jesus Christ. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
We are now in the final stages of celebrating again the birth of Jesus Christ into this world to allow salvation of sinful creatures, because of God’s mercy to allow salvation for all of mankind. But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Galatians 4:4-5). Because of Jesus’ arrival into this world everyone has the opportunity to be awarded their salvation by merely believing this Christmas message from God, and thus accepting their salvation. On that first Christmas day mankind was given the greatest gift of all, the promise that God is with us on this earth. "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us." (Matthew 1:23). Now therefore, God/Jesus is available to all who believe, and we are offered kinship with Jesus/God, as all those who accept salvation become children of God! How about that for a Christmas gift!
Let us cover this again, the only way to gain salvation is through having faith to enable you (us) to believe God’s Word, as supplied to us through the Bible. This is the only book that God choose to supply His message for all mankind so that everyone who believes will be saved. Your immortal soul will end up in heaven when it leaves this mortal cursed world! End of story, this is that greatest gift you are seeking. Nothing in this cursed world can replace it, that is the only true story with a happy ending! Got it? If you do tell some other member(s) of mankind, you cross paths with during your lifetime, if they believe it, they will be saved! How is that for having Jesus give you the opportunity to point your brother or sister toward salvation?
Paul helps us to try and understand the great true story. It starts with our faith to believe. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no-one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10). Note what it says about good works. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. God has prepared a path for us to walk that will lead us to “good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Are you trying to stay on that narrow path which Jesus has led you (us) to where it is possible for you to help someone to find their own narrow path that leads them through this life to end up with Jesus Christ where He is waiting for them? This is the only path that leads to eternal life with Jesus. Believe it the God of the Bible is the only God. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6). One certainly is the key word in these verses and must be the key word in the heart of those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. For Jesus Christ is not a separate entity He is part of the one God a mystery that will be made clear to His followers in the new heaven, also known as the new earth, which will be created when the time is right for it to come!
A new beginning was the first verse God gave us in His Word, and tells us that the created earth was perfect, and then later we learned this perfect world was cursed because of the sin of Adam, which changed it to become the home of mortal beings. This was not the original plan God/Jesus had when they created it! In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1). This curse will be removed when all the souls saved through Jesus Christ become residents of this new world. Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. (Revelation 21:1 a). Remember today is the first day of the rest of your life! Your immortal soul will never pass away! A New Year starts today. Share in the joy Jesus Christ has left for us, as we know our immortal soul has been saved by Jesus’ perfect sacrifice! Now that is a great start to this new year!
Wishing you and your loved ones,
Happy New Year!
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