When I first began to listen, really listen to others teach the precepts and doctrine of the Bible, it inspired me and stirred such a passion in my heart! How did these people KNOW these things? How could they be so sure?
As a young child I began reading the Bible, and having no real life experience, most of what I read escaped my understanding completely. BUT... a layer of wisdom was being sowed in my heart. As I continued to read, and study, and listen to others, and study some more and read some more I discovered that a great deal of the Bible revealed itself, quite simply, within itself.
Take as an example the great problem of SIN. Having listened to the teaching of man we come to understand that we each are sinners in need of a Savior, and God provided Jesus as our Savior. We are blessed at the Great Salvation but are then deceived into condemnation, believing falsely that having once obtained the Great Salvation we are no longer worthy of it, can never be worthy of it and must pay a price, over and over again, in what appears to be a vain hope that we'll squeak by and sneak into heaven.
NAH... that just ain't the truth my friends!
Here's a simple truth in Gods Word taken from the Old Testament.
Jeremiah 3: 1 They say "If a man divorces his wife, and she goes from and becomes another man's, may he return to her again? would not that land be greatly polluted? But you have played the harlot with many lovers; Yet return to Me" says the Lord.
If the "text" for the sermon were to stop there, we would only grasp how woefully we lack, how we fall so far short. We might say we believe that God forgives us, certainly, but there would linger an edge of fear, a slice of doubt that could keep us enslaved to our sin as a burden that, though lifted, the shadow would remain to cloud our life still.
Continuing to read we will find within the same passage of scripture these words of truth:
Jeremiah 3: 12 -13 ...For I am merciful, says the Lord; I will not remain angry forever. Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the Lord your God....
Forgiveness is a complete and utter thing with God. He requires that we acknowledge our sin in order that we will take responsibility and turn away from sin. He doesn't hold it over our heads, count it against us forever or bring it up to humiliate us. He throws it in a sea of forgetfulness, He separates us from it as far as the east is from the west and He remembers it no more. GRACE.
In His Word, the Bible, we find we can indeed have the Great Salvation. In our human frailty we find in Him we have Great Hope of His strength being our strength.
Be encouraged today!
IF you have confessed your sin to God, and turned away, repented of it, He has forgiven you and you walk, not burdened or shadowed, but FREE indeed as Christ Jesus declared! Truly free to live in newness of heart, strength of purpose and JOY as you fulfill the great and mighty plan God has for your life!
IF you have not yet taken this step yet, today can be the day of your rebirth as a new creation in Christ, set free from enslaving sin and moving forward in the Grace of the Lord our God.
This is our Great Hope, to live eternally through Christ in God. Allelujah!
Want to know more, understand more, gain more and receive all that God has for you? Read, dear friend, His matchless wonderful words of life and love and hope and joy found in His book that we call the Bible.
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It isn't just "a" book, it is THE BOOK.
Through it for centuries God speaks to those
who will LISTEN. |
