“Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying “You shall not eat of it”: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return'” (Genesis 3:17-19).

Had Adam not paid attention to Eve and stuck by God’s commandment to the letter, things would be so very different. A sinless world! But there we have it – humanity is born into sin and could die in sin. With sin, there is a plethora of curses. These translate into problems, be it at micro level where the individual is concerned or at a macro level which affects society as a whole.

It is not uncommon to come across people having a rushed meal while standing up. There is sweat on their foreheads. The food is close to tasteless; the tummy just needs to be filled. Does it not fit the rebuke from God to Adam and Eve prior to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden?

Toiling is an inevitable facet of human life. There are the masses across continents who toil for the purpose of making ends meet. Then there are those who sweat it out because they are chasing an elusive dream – a seemingly better life. There will be those who claim that they are enjoying every bit of it. Really?

Sounds like a half-truth. With the need to toil comes worry. Everyone will have worries; it varies by way of form and intensity. A lot of it could have little or no basis, but it is enough to suck the joy of living out of each and every soul.

There are those who profess that their lives are devoid of whatever worries. By their outward appearance, they look convincing. Same goes for their speech and demeanor. But these folks do worry, only that they cleverly disguise it. These folks are indeed living a lie. They are not honest with themselves, and they will struggle when it comes to sincerity with others.

It is all interrelated; the stress of daily living and the never-ending torrent of worries causes deceit to flourish. Deceit can take the form of blatant trickery or, in a more subtle way, show up as an excuse. Expect nothing good to come out of broken promises. Trust is in short supply; there is cause for cynicism, which breeds contempt and ill will. When these negatives get out of hand, anger, hatred, and even violence are the end results. The case for doing good is diminished; plotting and executing evil deeds appears to be justified!

“The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

All of humanity has the propensity to commit some form of evil. The boy or girl next door that appears decent could be in the front-page news for a violent misdemeanor. Everyone is capable of performing a diabolical deed at some point in their lives. No one is immune from this tendency.

“As it is written: ‘there is none righteous, no, not one'” (Romans 3:10).

The same goes for sickness and tragedies in life; no one is immune from these negatives. These are the thorns and thistles that plague the human race. No one has any clue when these nasties will strike, but they can truly be life-altering events. Perhaps as bad as a broken promise, if not a shattered dream turned upside down into a living nightmare. They suck the joy of living, but life with whatever pleasures that go with it will indeed come to a concluding moment. Death!

This is when flesh and bones return to the dust of the ground. Does all that pain and sorrow end there? It does not look that way for the bulk of humanity. Everyone is worried about dying; it becomes a psychological issue for some. Witnessing a fatality at point-blank range could be cause for poor appetites and sleeplessness!

“For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

It is truly not a pretty picture when anyone falls short of the glory of God. Without God, there can be no relief from the heartaches, pain, and sorrow of life on earth. It does not stop when the body goes to the ground. It only gets worse, and it will stay that way for eternity!

Humanity is therefore cursed for eternity because of the action of one forefather. It is the curse that separates the human race from the loving Heavenly Father. We know it as the fallen nature. The earth is indeed a fallen planet!

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

God is truly a loving Creator. Despite the seemingly inseparable gulf between Him and humanity, He provided an avenue for reconciliation. He did so in a way that many on this fallen planet have problems coming to terms with. But this is the Truth; He sent His only Son to die for all of humanity’s wrongdoings – past, present, and future!

The Son of God in the person of Jesus Christ did die in a manner that was seen as the worst possible through human eyes. With His Blood spilled on the woodwork of torment, He took the place of every sinner on this fallen planet. The iniquity of every human being was erased by his Precious Blood!

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

Because of what the Lord Jesus Christ did on Calvary, that separation from God the Father is indeed null and void, provided one believes that this is true!

Herein is an important thing for serious consideration. Are you happy living as you are in your fallen state? Does the thought of it only getting much worse in the end ever bother you?

You can only have a significant improvement in the quality of your life when there is no separation from God. The only way for this to happen is to believe in Jesus Christ. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Once He is in the driving seat, things will only get better. Challenges will be seen in a totally new light, and your joy will be complete. Make this a hundred percent commitment today!

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).

Blessings

Edwin

Contact me at edwinuk13@gmail.com

 

Philippians 1:20-23; “as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose, I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.” (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Colossians 3:11; 16-17; “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all…. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

If a person could inherit all the riches this world contains yet not have Jesus as their Savior, they are lost forever. On the other hand, to be the poorest person in reference to worldly possessions yet to have Jesus in their life, on their heart, and have called out to Him to be their Savior, they have wealth that this earth could not equal.

It’s not whether or not a person has sinned, as Romans 3:10 tells us that no one is righteous. Going to Romans 3:23, we read, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The consequences are very plain in Romans 6:23, but with a qualifier. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There is a simple but complete formula to eternal life, yet so many will not accept it as true. It’s just too simple for some to follow.

First, we must admit that we know we are sinners, and without an Ally, we cannot reach Salvation. Jesus is that special Ally, and all who truly call out to Him to forgive their sins will receive a loving pardon. We must believe that He is truly the Son of God, and therefore is God Himself (John 10:30). When one calls out to Jesus to forgive them and be their Savior forever, they will be saved (Romans 10:13).

A, B, C, nothing difficult at all, yet so many believe there must be more pomp and circumstance than this. The Father purposefully made it this way so that no one could boast that they were able to “earn” or “buy” their eternal Home in Heaven. Ephesians 2:8-9 covers this very well.

Besides, if we were able to earn or buy our way into Heaven, Jesus would not have had to suffer and die a horrible death to be our pure, sinless blood sacrifice. It would simply be the rich who would get in, and the poor would be cast aside.

John 3:16-18, John 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 John 5:10-12 and numerous other Bible verses tell us that as long as we have Jesus, we have the Father. No Jesus; No Father, and that would lead to Revelation 20:11-15, the White Throne Judgment.

It should be noted that when a person takes their last breath on this earth, their eternity is set. The best example of this is the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31. When the rich man died, he was immediately in torment. Lazarus had been a poor beggar but lived a righteous life. When he died, he immediately was in Paradise, or “Abraham’s Bosom” as it was referred to. Paul’s message in the Philippians 1:20-23 verses is that he knew he would be with Jesus when he died and was not afraid to cross death’s threshold.

Will L. Thompson wrote a hymn in 1904 called “Jesus is All the World to Me.” It’s an encouraging song of glory and praise to our Savior, and to those of us who are saved, it is a joy to hear and sing.

1.) Jesus is all the world to me, my life, my joy, my all. He is my strength from day to day; without Him I would fall. When I am sad, to Him I go; no other one can cheer me so. When I am sad, He makes me glad; He’s my Friend.

2.) Jesus is all the world to me, my Friend in trials sore. I go to Him for blessings, and He gives them o’er and o’er. He sends the sunshine and the rain; He sends the harvest’s golden grain. Sunshine and rain, harvest and grain; He’s my Friend.

3.) Jesus is all the world to me, and true to Him I will be. O how could I this Friend deny, when He’s so true to me? Following Him, I know I’m right; He watches o’er me day and night. Following Him by day and night; He’s my Friend.

4.) Jesus is all the world to me; I want no better friend. I trust Him now; I’ll trust Him when life’s fleeting days shall end. Beautiful life with such a friend, beautiful life that has no end. Eternal life, eternal joy; He’s my Friend.

The final stanza sums up what all of us are looking forward to. For those who do not have the Savior, as 1 Corinthians 1:18 states, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the Power of God.”

Our Savior knew that His gift on the cross would be turned down by more than would accept it. He stated there would be a turning away toward the end of this age (Matthew 24; Luke 21), and more would be on the road to destruction than on the pathway leading to life. However, as John 10:18 states, He laid His life down willingly for any and all who receive and accept Him.

For anyone who doesn’t believe that we are in the “birthing pains” that Jesus spoke of in Luke 21, could anyone even a decade ago believe there would be open worship of Satan in today’s society? Yes, it’s always been here ever since the Garden of Eden, but not out in the open as it is today.

There are churches of Satan around the country, and no one bats an eye. On the other hand, Christians are being labeled as “haters” for not accepting all the abominations the Bible spoke of. Who would ever have thought that on a nationwide, and actually worldwide, production of the Grammy Awards, there would be a whole segment of praise and worship for Satan?

If this does not scream that our days here are short, I don’t know what else it will take. Wars, earthquakes, changing weather, pestilence, and every other sign listed by the prophecy Bible leaders are here now.

We have no idea exactly when the Trumpet of God will sound, and the shout from the archangel calls out for us to rise up to meet our Jesus in the air. It could be any day now or maybe a while longer. However, Jesus said the generation that saw the “budding of the fig tree” would not pass before He comes for us. That was the rebirth of Israel on May 14, 1948, after not being a sovereign nation for almost 2,000 years.

The choice is up to each individual to make, as the Father will force no one to accept His Son. However, all who truly receive and accept Jesus will have eternity with Him. All who do not will have eternity in hell, as stated earlier. There is no third option.

It would definitely not be too early to call out to the Savior, ask His forgiveness, and to be your Savior forever. Please remember that when your last breath is taken here, your eternity cannot be changed. There will be no pardons or after-death forgiveness.

And what if Jesus delays coming for another year? Would you have lost anything by calling out to Him now? He died for everyone, and His blood can cover all your sins. He will take your call all day, every day, 24 hours a day. The call is free; the benefits are invaluable.

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus.

huebshman46@gmail.com