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Listen to this devotional: |
Listen while you read: "Higher Ground"1 (Lyrics) |
When I was growing up, there were two groups of kids in my neighbourhood: those older than me and those younger. There weren't any kids the same age as me. If I played sports or games with the younger kids, I was always the leader, and I got to pick a team. When I played with the older kids, I was usually picked last. I accepted that. When some of the older kids played with some of the younger kids, some of them didn't get picked at all. Can you imagine not getting picked?
Matthew 7:21-23 – Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (NKJV)
Judgement Day! Now that's a time when you don't want to not get picked. There are no second chances. The Message puts it more bluntly.
Matthew 7:21-23 – Knowing the correct password — saying "Master, Master," for instance — isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience — doing what my Father wills. I can see it now — at the Final Judgement thousands strutting up to me and saying, "Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking." And do you know what I am going to say? "You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don't impress me one bit. You're out of here." (MSG)
This passage tells us several things. Firstly, not everyone who says or thinks that he or she is a Christian is going to get into heaven — and that's sad. Secondly, we are expected to do the will of God. How many times does the Bible tell us to repent? Repent doesn't just mean being sorry for our sins; it also means turning from them. Thirdly, Jesus wants to have a personal relationship with us. "I never knew you" tells us that.
So how do we have a relationship with Him? How do we have a relationship with anybody? We talk to them and listen to them; we spend time with them. In the case of Jesus, we talk to Him in prayer, we listen to Him by reading His Word, the Bible, and we obey Him. "If you love Me, keep My commandments", He said. (John 14:15 NKJV)
Seeing that you're reading this, the good news is that it's not too late! Start today, and make a habit of talking to the Lord in prayer and reading and heeding His Word every day, or as close to every day as you can get. Being "too busy" is not good enough. But don't wait, because when you leave this earth, it's too late.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word and for wanting to have a relationship with us. Help us to remember to further our relationship with You, each and every day. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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Friday, April 19, 2024 – In Middle East — Thank you for praying for our Bible Study. We are having great times of fellowship and growing in His Word. Pray for God to make disciples who will be sensitive to His leading to share with others who will also trust in Him and share Him.
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Good word, Steve.
Bless you. You had a great message for everyone today. Thanks for your great work.
Thank you for your insight and admonition. I liked this encouragement for starting the week.
May we all read, heed, and obey God’s Word. Thanks for sharing this devotional with us. Blessings.
Many thanks Steve. You and your wife provide a great team ministry through these devotions. I always enjoy your relevant messages and try to follow the precepts daily.
Devotionals like yours is one of the ways of helping me, and all of us, to stay close to Jesus.
And I was always the last one picked!
Thanks for writing.
Steve this was a crackerjack of a devotional. It grabbed my attention immediately; partly because I agree with you 100{8395b6ce96fcf25a14d80edc3b65c36a8995b6c1ba5f8c16ac11d8adaa79f35b} and partly because it is the exact message I want to share with so many of my friends. I will pray along with you that we can have doors opened to us to share Jesus with friends who do not know Him.
Wow! Yes. Repentance. For what? I haven’t done anything.” ” What about all the times you went ahead and never ASKED ME if that was the way to go? The times you wouldn’t listen. The times you refused to do what you knew was the generous and loving thing to do? You lived your own agenda and not MINE. You were not about MY business. It was your business.” Good people don’t think they have anything to repent of. How wrong we are! Look again! Thank you.
Amen Steve, tell it like it is.
Dear Steve,
I’m glad the coin has two sides. You have presented one side.
Paul, who was a vile killer of Christians, became one of the greatest propagators of faith in Jesus Christ, and he highlighted his inspired writings with statements of assurance of grace through faith.
Paul writes much about grace and faith.
In fact how can anyone receive grace accept through faith, or faith except through God’s grace, a gift from God?
Might you and I come together in realizing that if a person truly believes in salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, His Holy Spirit will show in the human being’s life. Amen.
Praying for you, and for me.