Monday- January 4, 2016
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Another year is upon us ready or not. We must continue to consume God’s Word with renewed enthusiasm for it is the only reliable Truth and light for these times. We must seek after His Truth such that His Truth burns within us like the disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Luke 24:32 (KJV)
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
If any of us have found ourselves reading the Scripture or studying The Three Minute Word as some sort of perfunctory obligation we must repent and ask the Master to show us how to be renewed in our zeal, in our first love.
Each of us are unique in the plan of God, He has given us special talents, personalities, callings, and gifting. He has a very special plan for each one and each one of us are the only ones who can accomplish that plan according to the perfect will of our Heavenly Father.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (GW)
11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.
12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you.
13 When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me,
Notice that all of the foregoing promise of God is contingent upon us seeking Him with our whole heart, not as a matter of course, or even blind obedience, but on purpose and with our whole heart being singular in focus. Synonyms for the word ‘wholeheartedly’ in verse thirteen are: enthusiastically, passionately, unreservedly, totally, unequivocally, unswervingly, and committedly. I have to ask myself if that describes how I am pursuing the Lord.
The Lord is coming back for a triumphant Church. A Church that bursts through the gates of Heaven with shouts of great joy on that coming up morning. In the following passage the Apostle Paul is talking to the saints and faithful at Ephesus telling them the will of God and how to be a part of the glorious Church for which Jesus is soon returning to whisk away into Heaven.
Ephesians 5:26-27 (KJV)
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
A glorious church is one that is aglow and overflowing with the goodness of God. He is not talking about our church buildings, he is talking about you and me individually and as the family of God which at His coming will predominately be without spot or wrinkle. Without spot means undefiled by the world and without wrinkle means that we are to be flawless, yes, perfect like He was in the earth and today at the right hand of the Father.
1 John 4:17 (KJV)
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
Before Jesus left He told us that we were to be like Him.
John 14:12 (KJV)
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
Do we really believe that or are we running around talking about how everybody sins and we can’t help it because we have a sin nature or are we proclaiming the Word of God and asking Him to help us step into the Word in fullness. Are we examining and judging ourselves daily so that we will not be judged? Do we truly understand and believe the following passage and are we conducting our lives accordingly?
2 Peter 3:9-13 (KJV)
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Yes, Jesus is coming back to receive us, His bride
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (KJV)
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (bold added)
The day is fast approaching when the Father will look over at the Son who is seated at His right hand on Heavens Throne and say, “Go Son, today is the day, your bride is ready, My Church is ready, bring them home!” Excitement will instantly crackle throughout Heaven, those who have gone before us will be ecstatic with joy, the angels will break into song perhaps “Glory to God in the Highest”. Jesus will shout with joy, the archangel will shout, and God’s very own trump will be blown and we are out of here. Let us examine ourselves, will we have done our assignments, will we have been faithful? This day will be a mystery at first to the world, we are the only ones who will feel the totally encompassing power of God taking us away in a split second and changing our corruptible body to an incorruptible body, we are the only ones to hear His voice for we have been hearing it since the day of salvation, and we will recognize the voice of the archangel for he was been ministering in our lives from birth.
The following passage will be a reality before our eyes, we are there now in the spiritual realm but we will be there on that day in all realms and we will for the first time just begin to really get a handle on just how good our God really is.
Hebrews 12:22-24 (KJV)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
