THESE WORDS CAME TO ME AS I WAS PREPARING A DEVOTION FOR OUR FAMILY REUNION 2003. I HAD BEEN PREPARING SOMETHING DIFFERENT, BUT GOD SHARED THIS WITH ME ONE EVENING AS I WAS RETURNING FROM THE COAST.
FIVE THINGS EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW
1. WE ARE NO ACCIDENT. GOD CREATED US WITH A PLAN AND PURPOSE. GOD LOVES US VERY MUCH. EPHESIANS 1:4,5 , "Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure." Psalm 139:15-17a "You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God." Also read John 3:16,
2. SIN SEPERATES US FROM GOD. It was sin that separated Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23a says "For all have sinned ; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. And, For the wages of sin is death." We all have sinned and need to be reconciled with God in order to have a relationship with Him.
3. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR RECONCILLIATION. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sin to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." Romans 3:25, " For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed His blood, sacrificing His life for us." It only happens if we make the choice. Better now while we have options. Also read John 3:5 & 6
4. LIFE IS ALL ABOUT LOVE. We have to plan to love each other. And, how much more should we love our families? Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. All the other commandments and all the other demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." Turn it loose. Give your love freely to others even if they don’t deserve it.
5. THERE WILL BE A DAY OF RECKONING. Galatians 6:7 "Don’t be misled. Remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it. You will always reap what you sow. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful desires will harvest the consequences of decay and death. But, those who live to please the spirit will harvest everlasting life from the spirit." Also read John 14:2.
If we recognize God’s love and purpose,
If we acknowledge our separation,
If we accept God’s greater plan,
If we demonstrate love,
Then, we will be prepared for God’s day of reckoning and go to be with Him in heaven.
Please direct any questions or comments, to Brad Gilton @559-553-3305 or BGG721@AOL.COM
|
