DEAD END Who are these people all dressed in white? -Revelation 7:13 Sister Mary asked her third-grade class to complete the following sentence: To be a saint in heaven, a person must be _____. The answer was supposed to be holy. However, Johnny wrote: To be a saint in heaven, a person must be DEAD. This is a profound statement. To be saints in heaven, we must not only be physically dead, but dead to self (see Jn 12:24). To be saints in heaven, we must be sealed (Rv 7:3), that is, branded as the property of God. However, we want to own rather than be owned. We want to do our own thing. Therefore, we must die to ourselves to accept the seal of Gods ownership of our lives. To be saints in heaven, we must wash our lives in the blood of Jesus, the Lamb (Rv 7:14). We must repent of doing our own thing and running our own lives. However, we dont want to admit our sins. Therefore, we must die to ourselves. To be a saint in heaven, we must be happy, that is, blest (Mt 5:3-12). However, this happiness is by Gods standards, not the worlds. Gods happiness includes voluntary poverty, sorrow for sin, lowliness, hungering for holiness, etc. We dont understand, agree with, or even want Gods happiness, but we must die to self to accept it. To be saints, we must be dead. Prayer: Father, may I be crucified with Jesus (Gal 2:19). Promise: We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope based on Him keeps himself pure, as He is pure. -1 Jn 3:2-3 Praise: Alleluia! All you saints, praise the all-holy Lord. Alleluia! ---------------------------------------------------
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 14:00:32 +0000
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