March 1st 2015
To Live Is Good, But To Die Is The Ultimate Reward!
Romans 6:23(NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has a great gift available for everyone. Like all gifts, you must accept it with gratitude toward the giver. To receive this gift, you must first die to receive it. You must die to the life you were given at your birth into this world. Do not misunderstand these comments, they do not mean you must die and leave this world, but you must die to the life seeded by the sins of this world. When Adam took a bite of that forbidden fruit, and committed the first sin, the effects caused a curse to be put on every baby born into this world. The gift of God, through the perfect sacrifice of His Son, must be believed and accepted, and then you die to that life and sinful nature.
You must also believe that this salvation that awaits your acceptance is the only way for any of us humans to be able to go to heaven, when we do finally die to this worldly life! The writer of the book of Acts, writes about this event. Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Jesus came into this world as a light to show us the way to know where our immortal soul will spend eternity. Everyone who does not accept this divine message is still remaining in the darkness of this world. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. (John 12:46, NLT) Are you still remaining in this worldly darkness?
Peter wrote about this acceptance and how it will put us in the light, so we can see the ways to serve the Lord, because we have accepted the offer of the light of the world. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4) Have you accepted the escape clause offered by Almighty God? It says, “You may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Jesus tells us that He will indwell us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He will remain in us, and we can thus remain in Him. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5) Have you become a branch of this eternal Vine, which feeds us with the truth through the Word of God? Have you thanked God today for giving His Word through the Bible? Read all about it! The Bible is a gift from God, have you accepted it, as a free gift? If you have how can you not allow time in your daily life to read it?
Do you have a life plan that is based upon trying to follow the commands issued to us by God/Jesus? John writes for us in the Bible the words said by Jesus when He walked this earth as a man. Jesus said we must follow His commands, and we will try to do it, because we love Him like He first loved us. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:10-12) Have you tapped in on the love and joy offered by Jesus? Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Can you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love.” Jesus also said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Are you rapt in the love of Jesus? Have you put on the joy of Jesus? The ways of this world do not offer such joy and love, so have you died to this worldly way of living? Keep working on becoming more Christ-like, and you may find it possible to experience true joy and love, even in this cursed world!
Moses met with God many times, while he was still living in this world. Reading these accounts has always been awe inspiring to me. What about you have you read them and wondered what it must have been like to meet with God sometimes on a daily basis, while still living in this cursed world? Moses writes about these encounters in several Old Testament books. In Exodus Moses wrote about meeting with God, but never seeing His face, or experiencing His glory.
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no-one may see me and live." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
(Exodus 33:18-23)
Note in this encounter with God, Moses has requested, "Now show me your glory." However, in God’s response to this request, God says, "you cannot see my face, for no-one may see me and live." It seems like a bad thing to think that if anyone sees God’s face, they will die. However, we must remember that, if we have accepted the gift of salvation offered by God/Jesus, then dying is not a curse, but instead a reward. We have been given life, and we must live in this sin tarnished cursed world, and the reward is to die, and then spend eternity with Jesus/God. To live is good, but to die is the ultimate reward!
Let us close this commentary with a prayer my mother taught me to say when going to bed each night. Some reading this may identify with it! This prayer teaches that whatever day God decides to take us home to be with Him is a good day! Actually, it is the day of greatest reward, someday to look forward to in joy!
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul shall take! Amen.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Romans 6:23(NIV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has a great gift available for everyone. Like all gifts, you must accept it with gratitude toward the giver. To receive this gift, you must first die to receive it. You must die to the life you were given at your birth into this world. Do not misunderstand these comments, they do not mean you must die and leave this world, but you must die to the life seeded by the sins of this world. When Adam took a bite of that forbidden fruit, and committed the first sin, the effects caused a curse to be put on every baby born into this world. The gift of God, through the perfect sacrifice of His Son, must be believed and accepted, and then you die to that life and sinful nature.
You must also believe that this salvation that awaits your acceptance is the only way for any of us humans to be able to go to heaven, when we do finally die to this worldly life! The writer of the book of Acts, writes about this event. Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Jesus came into this world as a light to show us the way to know where our immortal soul will spend eternity. Everyone who does not accept this divine message is still remaining in the darkness of this world. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. (John 12:46, NLT) Are you still remaining in this worldly darkness?
Peter wrote about this acceptance and how it will put us in the light, so we can see the ways to serve the Lord, because we have accepted the offer of the light of the world. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4) Have you accepted the escape clause offered by Almighty God? It says, “You may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Jesus tells us that He will indwell us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, and He will remain in us, and we can thus remain in Him. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5) Have you become a branch of this eternal Vine, which feeds us with the truth through the Word of God? Have you thanked God today for giving His Word through the Bible? Read all about it! The Bible is a gift from God, have you accepted it, as a free gift? If you have how can you not allow time in your daily life to read it?
Do you have a life plan that is based upon trying to follow the commands issued to us by God/Jesus? John writes for us in the Bible the words said by Jesus when He walked this earth as a man. Jesus said we must follow His commands, and we will try to do it, because we love Him like He first loved us. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. (John 15:10-12) Have you tapped in on the love and joy offered by Jesus? Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
Can you love your neighbor as you love yourself? Jesus said, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love.” Jesus also said, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” Are you rapt in the love of Jesus? Have you put on the joy of Jesus? The ways of this world do not offer such joy and love, so have you died to this worldly way of living? Keep working on becoming more Christ-like, and you may find it possible to experience true joy and love, even in this cursed world!
Moses met with God many times, while he was still living in this world. Reading these accounts has always been awe inspiring to me. What about you have you read them and wondered what it must have been like to meet with God sometimes on a daily basis, while still living in this cursed world? Moses writes about these encounters in several Old Testament books. In Exodus Moses wrote about meeting with God, but never seeing His face, or experiencing His glory.
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no-one may see me and live." Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen."
(Exodus 33:18-23)
Note in this encounter with God, Moses has requested, "Now show me your glory." However, in God’s response to this request, God says, "you cannot see my face, for no-one may see me and live." It seems like a bad thing to think that if anyone sees God’s face, they will die. However, we must remember that, if we have accepted the gift of salvation offered by God/Jesus, then dying is not a curse, but instead a reward. We have been given life, and we must live in this sin tarnished cursed world, and the reward is to die, and then spend eternity with Jesus/God. To live is good, but to die is the ultimate reward!
Let us close this commentary with a prayer my mother taught me to say when going to bed each night. Some reading this may identify with it! This prayer teaches that whatever day God decides to take us home to be with Him is a good day! Actually, it is the day of greatest reward, someday to look forward to in joy!
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul shall take! Amen.
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
|
|
|