Lamentations 3:22-24: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.” (ESV – all emphasis is mine)
In several different places in the Bible, the Lord says that whatever we ask, He will do it. For example, John 14:13-14 states: “Whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in my name, I will do it.”
There are those who misuse verses such as this to try and turn people away from the Father. They will make some ridiculous request like asking for a large sum of money, and when it doesn’t happen, they say this proves there is no God. The truth is, God will not honor any selfish motives.
Galatians 6:7-8: “Do not be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
James puts God’s motives in true perspective. James 4:2-3: “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly to spend it on your passions.”
There is a humorous story from years past that I can still recall. A person calls out to the Lord, asking if money is immaterial to Him, and if a thousand years is the same as a minute to Him. God said that this was so. The person then states, “Give me a million dollars!” God answers: “Sure, in a minute!”
Emphasis today is on what earthly possessions we can have, not realizing that the most important gift ever has already been given to us. All we have to do is to truly ask for it.
Our Father sent a most important part of Himself: Jesus, our Holy Lord and Savior, to this earth so that His requirement of a one-time, pure and sinless blood sacrifice for our sins could be made. No sacrifice that originates from this earth could ever meet that requirement. Our responsibility is to receive and accept Jesus as our eternal Shepherd to be able to be with Him in Heaven forever.
Jesus Himself told us there would be more who would be enticed by what this world offers than would call out to Him for Salvation. Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”
It’s easy to go along with and be accepted by the worldly crowd because that reinforces their sinful actions. But to reject the world in favor of Jesus becomes a threat to them that they can’t handle. To have been in the will of the Father prior to Calvary, and to have received and accepted Jesus as Savior from Calvary on, has been subject to persecution. In some cases, that persecution has led to martyrdom.
There have been many songs written telling of the Faithfulness of our Heavenly Father toward us. There is one that was written by Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (1851-1920) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1898. It is titled “God Is Faithful,” and its message is inspirational.
1.) God is faithful, ever faithful; He will surely keep His word to the uttermost fulfilling every promise I have heard.
ref.) God is faithful, ever faithful; I will trust Him all the way. God is faithful, ever faithful; He will keep me night and day.
2.) God is faithful; He will do it, not my own weak heart I trust; but His Spirit dwelling in me, wise and holy, kind and just. (Ref.)
3.) God is faithful; this my refuge; when the storms of trial rise: Help is coming, swiftly coming from the hills beyond the skies. (Ref.)
4.) God is faithful; He will make me more than conqueror in the strife; Yielding wholly to His guidance, this is blessing, this is life! (Ref.)
Our Heavenly Father does not just sit on His throne waiting for us to mess up so He can punish us. He truly loves all of us. One of the most well-known verses in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so Loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
Our Jesus could have decided we were not worthy of His precious blood being shed, and having to endure all He went through at Calvary. However, He completed what no other “human” could have done, and even sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all who would receive and accept that pure, sinless blood sacrifice.
There are many verses in the Old and New Testaments about the Holy Spirit being within us. God has promised that all true believers will not go through the tribulation/wrath that will come upon this earth. When the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way to allow the ultimate antichrist to come out (2 Thessalonians 2), true believers must be removed and taken up to meet Jesus in the air.
Paul tells us what will take place in the event known as the Rapture in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. The dead in Christ will be risen and taken up to meet Jesus, and then all who have the Holy Spirit in us will be taken up also. We are told that all who are taken up will be with the Lord always.
Those who are left behind will face an earth which will enter a time of tribulation/wrath that will be worse than anything like it has ever occurred in the past.
Many people will take the mark of the beast, which will give them some security during the tribulation, but that will be an unforgivable sin which will ultimately give them a place in the eternal lake of fire (Revelation 14:9-11).
While He was on this earth, Jesus stated that we will not know the day or hour that this age would end (Matthew 24:36-37). His message overall was that we need to receive and accept Him as our Savior and have the gift of eternal life in Heaven when we leave here. That message is also given by John, Paul, Peter, James, and numerous other Bible prophets.
There is nothing today that the Father did not tell us would happen. We are not guaranteed another day here (Proverbs 27:1, James 4:13, and others), and it would be to our advantage to have Jesus in our hearts as our eternal Savior right now.
The saying, “Be Prepared,” definitely applies here. Today would be a good time to call out to the Savior, admit you are a sinner, as everyone on Earth is; ask for His forgiveness and to become a part of His precious flock (Romans 10:9-13). There are no works or any other actions on our part that can earn our Home in Heaven. (Ephesians 2:8-9) The Father has even provided the pathway to forgiveness when we do sin, in 1 John 1:8-10.
Our Savior is available always to take the call from anyone who will receive and accept Him. It’s up to each individual to do so, as our Heavenly Father will force no one to call out. Now would not be too early!
Hope To See You At Home!