We live to the Lord.
(Spurgeon Devotional)
(Rom 14:8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.)
If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. It was not absolutely necessary for our preparation for immortality that we should linger here. It is possible for a man to be taken to heaven and to be found fit to partake in the inheritance of the saints in light, even though he has only just believed in Jesus. It is true that our sanctification is a long and continued process, and we shall not be perfected until we lay aside our bodies and enter within the veil; but nevertheless, if the Lord had wanted to, He could have changed us from imperfection to perfection and have taken us to heaven at once.
Why then are we here? Would God keep His children out of paradise a single moment longer than was necessary? Why is the army of the living God still on the battlefield when one charge might give them the victory? Why are His children still wandering here and there through a maze when a single word from His lips would bring them into the center of their hopes in heaven?
The answer is--they are here that they may "live to the Lord" and may bring others to know His love. We remain on earth as sowers to scatter good seed, as plowmen to break up the fallow ground, as heralds publishing salvation. We are here as "the salt of the earth,"1 to be a blessing to the world. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily life. We are here as workers for Him, and as workers together with Him. Let us see that our life fulfills this purpose. Let us live zealous, useful, holy lives, to "the praise of his glorious grace."
Meanwhile we long to be with Him and daily sing--
My heart is with Him on His throne,And ill can brook delay;Each moment listening for the voice,"Rise up, and come away."
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Let me try to catch up a little bit here.
ReplyDeleteBefore camp I did have the opportunity to visit with a young man I am trying to connect with. This was our 3rd exchange and he brought up the conversation of spiritual things, very encouraging. Please pray for this man, call him "A", as I think it will be a slow process particularly because of his background. I am hopeful that the Lord can use this relationship for his glory.
I had an opportunity to share with an ex-ray tech. yesterday and it was short and sweet. He is a member of an SBC church here in Owasso but doesn't attend. I probed a little about that but he was very closed. I did invite him to Bethel and admonish him that he needed to be involved with a family of faith since he professed to be a christian. The more we spoke however the faster he worked and it was a brief encounter.
Last week I was at children's camp in McAlester and had a great week, thanks for all the prayers. Many highlights but two in particular. One was that the kids were exposed to missions in some very practical ways. So much so that I saw some of our kids use their candy money to buy Spanish Bibles and Life Straws (personal water filters for 3rd world countries).
Another was on the way home we stopped for fuel and a potty break. Since I was the last in line for the bathroom I met a local man that asked about our group. His background was varied from Catholic, Baptist and A.G. but he attends the Catholic church pretty regular. I asked him "as a Catholic what did he think it took to go to Heaven"? His answer was works based but it gave me the opportunity to answer quickly how scripture answers that question. His response was "yea yea". I pressed him with the truth that all the good deeds in the world would do us no good. I pointed him back to the finished work of Christ and our need for reconciliation with God. I told him that we could only be reconciled on "God's terms" not our own. It was a brief encounter but I was grateful for it.
Last night we had 33 people out making visits and had some great contacts. I was able to do some inreach as well as see some prospects for our church. Many fliers were distributed for our Kid's Club that starts tomorrow night. Please be praying for this opportunity that we might see much fruit born through this endeavor.
Blessings
The kids and I were out in the neighborhood this morning, biking, jogging. We ran into our neighbor, Barbara. We asked her what she thought it took to go to heaven. She answered believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved! We then asked her what she really thought of the resurrection and Christ's perfect life. She smiled really big and told us the resurrection proves it all, without it we have nothing. She told us that the resurrection proves to her that one day He will raise her with Him, since He raised His son. We talked about the gospel for about 5 minutes and then she told the kids how she writes to Jesus every morning, she writes down her prayers and then goes back to read them every once in a while. The kids were so impressed with Barbara and her strong faith. It was a wonderful encounter and a great way to start our morning!
ReplyDeleteMags
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI went to Home Depot today to purchase a new trimmer for my bushes. I spoke with one of the employee's for a while trying to figure out which trimmer I needed. Real nice guy, after I found what I needed I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with him. I got to know him a little bit, found out he's lived in Owasso for a short period of time, he grew up in an SBC church and has not attended church in a long time. I asked what he would look for in a church and his answer included things like the church should be friendly, he wants a younger preacher like Joel Osteen (no comment), wanted a preacher who didn’t “talk over his head” and one he could easily understand. I keyed in on the last comment and agreed that a preacher needs to be an effective communicator or he’s not doing his job. I told him that the most important message for any pastor to communicate is the Gospel. I explained, and he agreed, that we are all sinners and we sin against God daily. I went through the Gospel with him explaining how Jesus lived a perfect life, died in the place of sinners, was buried and rose again on the third day; I went on to state that only those who trust in His righteousness and blood will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He was very engaged and seemed to agree with me. To God be the glory!
Jimmy