Father God, I am humble, grateful, loved, and at peace.
In the US, death toll tops 20,000. World Wide, 108,827. For every person still in the center of YOUR grace, perfect love cast out all fears. We are human beings and death is eminent. The Word of God says in Hebrews 9:27 that each person will die. What happens after that should concern us.
I pray as this Silent Saturday comes to a close. Over 2,000 years ago, it was such a different atmosphere as Jesus was laying dead in the tomb. The day prior, He was crucified and many rejoiced and celebrated, and many were in disbelief and left with grief unimaginable. HE was not only innocent but He was God!
It's so amazing and so crystal clear that we are sinners and that this heart is indeed pride-filled and wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9). If Jesus would have waited for us to come into YOUR truth, if HE had waited for us to stop sinning and realize that we were dead in our trespasses....we would never have reached that point, and that YOU already knew to be true. You knew us and You know us!
And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but GOD knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God." Luke 16:15
The very reason that HE, Jesus died while we were still in our sins (Romans 5:8)
You are LOVE and YOU have gifted us with free will. For many, that gift is killing them. For others, it is leading them to the foot of the Cross.
I pray as we approach the celebration of Resurrection Sunday, many will be celebrating their triumph from death to life, as they have realized and professed their need for a Savior; have repented of their sins and placed their faith in the Lord Jesus. I will never forget the first time I felt like a New Creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Nothing and NO ONE can tell me that You are NOT God, that Jesus is NOT the Son of GOD, and that the Holy Spirit does NOT dwell inside of me. Similar to Moses, I came face to face with My Lord and my Savior....No one can tell me what I experienced on May 20, 2016!!!
I know who I used to be and I know what YOU delivered me from. Saying, THANK YOU simply is not enough. And I PRAISE You GOD that I don't have to pay YOU back. However, I can choose to live a life in worship as a result of my gratitude.
Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God's marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And, live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Romans 12:1
I love You Lord Jesus and I say again, THANK YOU for going to the Cross for me. Help me to live the rest of my days in response to that AMAZING LOVE!!!
