Another year past, and whatever joys, sorrows, mistakes, opportunities lost or embraced are now only a part of our memory; but through the grace of GOD another year has been opened to us - a year in which perhaps we reach the limits our earthly time; yet nevertheless, for we who have experienced the riches of the salvation of God through faith in His blessed Son the Lord Jesus Christ, will be full of new opportunities to serve God and to live out our Savior, displaying His very image as He displayed the express image of His Heavenly Father; another year to redeem our God given time to flesh out the Word of God and to give out the message of the glorious Gospel of Christ the power of God unto salvation to a world lost in the darkness of sin; another year to honor God by our worship and to praise His great name by our life. Accordingly, this year, I would again like to share with you my continuing resolutions based upon the following verses of divine Scripture; Eph 3:16-19 That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Phil 3:8-10 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. The great overarching desire I have for this year, and for all the remaining years that it may please God to grant unto me, is to know and experience the love of the great God and my Savior Jesus Christ in a richer, deeper and more complete way, so that I might be conformed to His image, that Christ, Who is the Hope of Glory, will be seen in me. I believe the following commitments, if kept in and through the power of the Holy Spirit, will most assuredly be an aid in my walk with my Lord Jesus Christ, moving my heart to be more thankful for the riches of the grace of God in which I stand, and to appreciate more deeply the salvation which Christ Jesus has purchased for me. So again in this another New Year I am resolved by the grace of God to do the following which all are the fruit of the love of God. (1) To spend more time talking with God in prayer (I Thess 5:17) (2) To spend more time listening to God in daily study of His Word (II Tim 2:15). (3) To honor God by walking in obedience to His glorious Word (Jn 14:15) (4) To be submissive to Gods will, walking under the control and influence of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16). (5) To be a channel of the love of God which the Holy Spirit sheds abroad in my heart (Rom 5:5) (6) To gather together with the Saints of God on a regular basis, for worship, fellowship, and mutual encouragement (Heb 10:25). (7) To live my life to the glory of God, reflecting the character of my Savior to Whose image I am being conformed (Rom 8:29). (8) To be actively sharing the Gospel as instructed by Christ Jesus (Matt 28:19-20). But even though we have entered a new year, we do not know what the year holds - whether life or death as (.... it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment Heb 9:27). Yet God has given this time - today - to those apart from Christ Jesus being yet lost in sin and under the condemnation of spiritual death (For the wages of sin is death.... Rom 6:23a) as the opportunity to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, receiving the gift of eternal life which is in Him alone for (....the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom 6:23b). There is only today, and (....the Holy saith, To day if ye will hear His voice, Harden not your hearts.... Heb 3:7-8). There is no promise to anyone of a tomorrow, but God does promise this; (He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. Jn 3:36), and so He says, (....I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I helped thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation II Cor 6:2). While it is true that no man can know the future, it is also true that all men can know the one who holds their future in His Hands. To all who have received Jesus Christ as the only way to the Heavenly Father, the future is glorious indeed, for their names have been written in the Lambs Book of Life (Rev 21:17); therefore, it is a future filled with the riches of God in Christ Jesus; a future filled with the heavenly glory of spending eternity in the presence of the One Who loved us and gave Himself for us, for Christ Jesus has promised (In My Fathers house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Jn 14:2-3). But contrasted to this is the future of all who have rejected Gods offer of salvation in and through the Lord Jesus Christ upon Whom the punishment and penalty of sin was laid, a future of eternal death full of everlasting punishment for (....whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire Rev 20:15) along with the devil that deceived them, all unbelievers cast (....into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever Rev 20:10) suffering the terrible consequences of Gods judgement upon sin, because of their unwillingness to repented of that sin so desperately loved; therefore, their sin remains unforgiven. This is the terrible future of all who reject God and His Son. God, Who is infinitely holy, has not only decreed (The soul that sinneth, it shall die.... Ezek 18:20), but that He also will judge with righteous judgement the unbelievers sin (And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before GOD; and the Books were opened: and another Book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the Books, according to their works Rev 20:12). Heaven is only for those who have been cleansed by the blood of the (.... Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world. Jn 1:29). The testimony of God is that (....there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lambs book of Life. Rev 21:17). As we enter into this new year, which future is yours? Have you trusted Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth, the One Who loves you and washes you from your sins in His own blood to save you (Rev 1:5)? Have you been washed, sanctified, justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. (I Cor 6:11)? Have you been fitted for heaven, cleansed by the blood of Gods Lamb? In Whom have you placed your future? .
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 12:20:53 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015