This morning I spent time with God in prayer asking Him to pour a word into me that I could pour out to others. And of all the topics He has put on my heart over the past days, weeks and months...today I felt Him say, nothing is as important as our salvation. And even some of those who have experienced Him still don't get the seriousness of it. I know, because I didn't for many years. Then He pointed me to 3 separate scriptures, Deuteronomy 13:4, Matthew 7:21 and 2 Corinthians 5:10 (I will quote these later in this blog). As He gave me today's word, He also made it very clear to me that this was not just for the lost, it was not just for the saved too...it was for everyone. It is a message of truth, in love....and not one to make some feel guilty or unworthy. It is a message of hope, but also one of boldness. I'm not hoping people will read this and agree....I am hoping they will read it be woke up! The enemy is delivering a lie into the lives of the lost, and into the lives of those who claim to follow Jesus. And I hope after this short read you will stare deep into your own life and ask yourself these very important questions..."Where will I spend eternity? And what will Jesus have to say to me when He sees me face to face?".
We have been fed a watered down message of salvation for years and years now. It is not one that I see in the bible and it is not one that I see the people in the bible lived out. When Jesus came, He came with a new message of salvation. One that could not be earned, one that was given freely through grace and mercy...but also one to not be looked upon lightly. The man (Jesus) came down from heaven, did NOTHING half heartedly as He walked out God's plan, died an excruciating death, defeated sin once and for all, rose again to show that He was who He said He was, and then left us with the Holy Spirit as a guide, and then He went back to heaven to intercede with The Father on our behalf for all of eternity. And if some of that was a little to deep, then let me say it like this.....He came and lived a perfect life as an example to us, He left us with the hope of grace for the times we did mess up, but He also left us with the Holy Spirit to help us, and then He went back to heaven to always make a way for us to speak to God. Something that we could not directly do before Jesus. All because God loves us......all done out of love....done personally for you out of nothing but LOVE. It is not a situation where God is saying "I did this for you, now you do this for Me!" He did this for you to give you a choice that otherwise you and I would not even have. A choice of heaven over hell. Peace and joy over bondage and torment. To trade in a feeling of being used by this world for a feeling of being loved and accepted by your Heavenly Father.
So why am I saying all of this? Because the message of salvation needs to be taken very very serious...and I don't feel like it is. The church, and we the people of the church, have let the message get watered down for far to long, and it is time we realize what serving God really means. It means you are not going to hell. That alone should wake you up! It means you have the chance to make sure others don't go to hell. It means that a love this powerful should not just steer you in a different direction, but it should radically change you! Receiving a love like this should make you sick to your stomach when you think of sin, when you think of the power sin once had over you, and the power it has over others. It shouldn't seem like a "second chance" when you meet Jesus, but instead is should feel like a full blown rescue! You have been rescued, or you have the chance to be rescued from HELL....forever. Each and every one of us is going to spend "forever" somewhere. And if you think this world has become corrupt and bad....it is nothing compared to the reality of hell. So again, God made a way. A way to not just go to heaven, but to win as many other people as we possibly to Him so they can too. He gave us the message...and we are not just to tell it, we are to live it! Which brings me back to my 3 scriptures...2 Corinthians 5:10 says "You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him". This is not a light, feel good verse...this is a command. This is a message telling us we NEED to take serving God serious! As serious as He took sending Jesus to die for us. That serious! Why should we take it so serious? Because God knows our hearts...He looks into our hearts...He sees the intention of our hearts with EVERY action we do, and to show this Matthew 7:21 says "“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". Meaning not everyone who "claimed" they knew Him, really knew Him. And HE and only HE will determine some day who truly served Him and who simply said they did. Those who turned from their ways and chased after Him will receive His reward, and those who made a mockery of the death of His son by claiming it's meaning, but not letting it affect them, will be judged by Him. Again, something we should take very serious. His love was sent to change us...to impact us...and to allow our lives to impact others.
Each and every one of us WILL stand before God one day and give an account for what we did with our lives, what we did with the message of salvation that was given to us. And each one of us will see either the rewards of the life we lived for Him.....or the results of the rejection we showed Him. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad". Please, please think about that day for a second. Not only is it a day you will be judged with the final judgement, but it is also a day you will stand face to face with the one who died for you. And you look into His eyes knowing this is the man that took the beating you deserved and the death you deserved....He is also the one that is willing to say "I know everything there is to know about you...everything, and because of how much you loved me, lived for me and let me live in you, I say well done my good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21)....or He will be the one that says "You knew what I did for you, and I gave you so many chances to change your life for me, but you never wanted to. And no matter how badly I wanted you to, you rejected all my words.....". I know which one I want to hear, and I know which one I want every friend and loved one of mine to hear. So yes, I take my gift of salvation very very serious.
As I stated in the beginning of this message, this is not a message of guilt or shame, but one of love and hopefully awakening. The choice always has been, and always will be up to you. I look down on nobody who rejects God's gift, but instead my heart breaks for them. But it almost breaks more for those who claim it, but continue to live the same sinful life as before they met Him. Do you have any idea how many lives may be negatively impacted by watching you serve yourself when you say you serve Him? I'm afraid that if you don't stop and turn your wicked ways, then some day you will get to see the faces of those that watched you, and rejected Him because of what they saw in your life. Please know I say that in love as a wake up call....
God, thank You for Your gift of salvation. Please let it open the eyes of the lost, and stir the heart of the deceived, and change the lives of every ear if falls on. In Jesus name, Amen
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