Tuesday, April 8, 2014

A bit of encouragement for my friends

John 3:17 (ESV) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

My brothers and sisters in covenant with the God who is real,

Blessings be upon you, blessings upon blessings as we serve out our remaining time on the planet earth.  Our God is love and he is power and he is mighty in strength!  He stands in power over all things, who can explain him?  Who can see his boundaries, or stand in judgment over his decisions?  

Yet the Earth is a spinning ball of trouble.  What sin has yet to be committed?  What sorrow have we spared ourselves?  Sometimes I'm so discouraged by the incredible problems facing our generation, but I take heart, for our savior has overcome the world. 

Conspiracy upon conspiracy, corruption on wall street, criminal governments, international banking scams, satanic imagery in the media, marxist atheism prevailing on college campuses, and the abortion genocide, just to name a few of these issues, and the task seems quite daunting at times.  I look puzzlingly at Christians who seem to mesh into the culture and embrace it, but it's not for me to judge their actions. 

Day in and day out I find myself faced with new situations where I may represent a bit of God's grace and mercy.  Mercy is forgiveness we have of our sins at the cross of Jesus Christ.  Grace is the redemptive work the Holy Spirit does in our lives on a daily basis.  

We are richly blessed to know and be in communion with the author of life.  

1 John 3:2 (ESV) Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 

 Is your heart directed by God?  Draw near to him not in word only, but also in your emotions, your feelings.  Surrender yourself to him on a daily basis, give yourself over obediently to his direction and loving guidance.

Give yourself a nudge to the homeless and the helpless.  When you consider walking away, or driving off, instead, fight through the fear and awkwardness, and serve those who have nowhere to stay, and suffer all manner of affliction.  This is pleasing to God.

Isaiah 58:10-11 (ESV) If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
 
I'm honored and humbled to be here to encourage you: Don't give up the race.  Don't grow weary in doing good.  Keep the faith, day in and day out.  When your start getting tired of loving and helping others, go to God and confess your confusion and sadness to him.  He is not offended at words spoke in emotion, in fact he prefers our genuine tears to any false religious ceremonialism.  

Our God laid the foundations of the Earth.  He wove galaxies and nebula between his fingers, with no effort at all.  He rested for pleasure not necessity.  His thoughts planted the burning centers of stars in the far corners of space-time.  His whims sent rocks hurtling between solar systems.  His righteousness and curiosity set humanity on the Earth.  His justice saw the results of sin in the human heart pervert the creation into futility, but his mercy and grace sent the savior Jesus Christ into the world, and as such, all things will one day be made new.

Revelation 22:1-5 ESV / Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.