Hello Precious Christians In Jesus’ Name,
“See, I (God) have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;
In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.
But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them;
I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it.
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15
How does anyone live with the abandonment and loneliness of believing there’s no God? Why would anyone not want to be a Christian? Why would they not want God’s rest, love, joy and peace in their life? How can they live today without knowing that God, their loving, Heavenly Father, can make all things work together for their good, that they can cast all their care on Him? Why do any of us choose to live with the trappings pride brings to one’s life, with worry and fear when God’s perfect love can cast out fear and the worry associated with it?
At one time in my life, I was as bad off as the lame man, the leper or the blind man Jesus healed in the Bible stories. I was so blinded to everything God had for me – always satan’s plan. My leprosy was the panic, fear, frustration, anger, resentment, restlessness, unforgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, lack of love, unfulfilled dreams and goals, and the fear of man that kept me from even beginning to understand God’s love for me.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Surely he shall deliver thee…”
Psalm 91:1-3a
I (Mark) was lame and needed to be delivered – I didn’t know how good “delivered” could be. I needed to find out how I could “dwell in the secret place of the most High.” I was out from under God’s protecting presence, His dwelling place. I needed a Savior, someone who could save me from the ugly and heavy burden the sins of fear, care, bitterness (and all the rest) had placed on my life.
Little by little, God began to bring about change in my life. He began to deal with these harmful traits and learned behaviors, these awful, devlish things that had such a “strong hold” on my mind, my emotions, my heart, personality, and relationships.
What can I say about Jesus’ love for me? Wow, He’s simply incredible and unwavering in His faithfulness and love for me. How grateful I am that He saw my need for Him, and that He’s taken the time to help me change, to become renewed.
“For this purpose the Son of God (Jesus) was manifested, that He might destroy the works (anger, fear, panic, frustration, bitterness, jealousy, coveting, divorce, fighting between us, selfishness, unforgiveness, revenge, you name it) of the devil.”
1 John 3:8
“The thief (satan) cometh not (comes only to), but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (by trying to make us miserable through bitterness, fighting with each other, hate, resentment, selfishness, you name it): I (Jesus, on the other hand) am come that they (you and me) might have life (free from anger, resentment, bitterness, coveting, hate, selfishness, etc.), and that they might have it more abundantly (living free in Jesus’ joy, peace, love, forgiveness, blessings, care for us, etc. – and, it only gets better all the time because He’s infinite in His love for us).”
(John 10:10) Edits Mine
The Gospel, the Bible, Jesus and Christianity…it’s all really as simple as the above verses imply. But, the Gospel message, the Bible, Jesus and Christianity can make all the difference in anyone’s life, here in this earthly life and into eternity.
That’s why God sent Jesus…to destroy the works of the devil (fear, anger, bitterness, jealousy, you name it), and to give us His (Jesus’) life, instead.
Jesus, oh my precious Jesus, Your Presence makes me whole.
God bless you all,
Mark