The Holy Alphabet

A lthough things are not perfect
B ecause of trial or pain
C ontinue in thanksgiving
D o not begin to blame
E ven when the times are hard
F ierce winds are bound to blow
G od is forever able
H old on to what you know
I magine life without His love
J oy would cease to be
K eep thanking Him for all the things
L ove imparts to thee
M ove out of “Camp Complaining”
N o weapon that is known
O n earth can yield the power
P raise can do alone
Q uit looking at the future
R edeem the time at hand
S tart every day with worship
T o “thank” is a command
U ntil we see Him coming
V ictorious in the sky
W e’ll run the race with gratitude
X alting God most high
Y es, there’ll be good times and yes some
will be bad, but…
Z ion waits in glory…where none are ever sad!

I WILL LOVE YOU, O LORD, MY STRENGTH. THE LORD
IS MY ROCK AND MY FORTRESS AND MY DELIVERER;
MY GOD, MY STRENGTH, IN WHOM I TRUST; MY SHIELD
AND THE HORN OF MY SALVATION, MY STRONGHOLD.
( PSALM 18:1-2 *NKJV )

God’s Mercy

The death or hardness of  heart of an unbelieving friend or relative often times leads even ardent believers to question God and His loving faithfulness. If you are one such individual this post is for you. I pray that you may be comforted with heaven’s own love.

Everything in a believer’s life must begin by Faith. By faith we believe in God, His Son Jesus. Similarly by Faith we must believe whatever the Word of God says is True. This is the foundation upon which your Christian life needs to be built upon. Such a man or woman will be like the wise builder who built his house upon the rock; though storms, wind and flood come, the wise man’s house shall continue to  stand.

The book of Romans, chapter nine helps us understand in perspective our topic. Apostle Paul like us suffered great sorrow and unceasing anguish of heart. He even wished that he was cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers – the people of Israel. Some of you may have felt in a similar manner, ‘If my husband/son cannot be with God, then I too do not want this Heaven.’

Paul goes on to say that the adoption as sons, the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises were the birthright of Israel. Theirs were the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God. But then, Paul says, “6not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. 7Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. ……In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

Further down, in verse 14 to 18, Paul gives us the right Godly perspective on this matter.
“14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses,    “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,     and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. 17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.

In verses 30-33, Paul further states that, Israel pursued righteousness through works but did not obtain it, while gentiles obtained righteousness by Faith in Jesus. Israel’s unbelief disinherited them from their promise, while the gentiles’ belief allowed them to be  regarded as Abraham’s offspring.

So you see, your loved ones salvation depends not on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. And God’s mercy is available to every individual desiring to make a personal choice to believe in Jesus as their personal savior. 
 

A Cruel and Selfish God?

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Genesis 3:22

Question: Why would a ‘loving God’ say, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil, so he must not be allowed to live forever”? If God was so loving would he not want man to live forever? How do you reconcile your image of a loving, considerate God with the God who spoke these words? Why do you serve such a cruel and egoistic God?

Answer: Until the day they sinned, Adam and Eve were totally unaware of evil and had lived a very protected life. In Rev 21.27 we see that the bride of Christ (the redeemed of the Lord) will also dwell in similar surroundings (Nothing impure will ever enter it). But, Adam and Eve lost their innocence the moment they sinned through disobedience. In His mercy, and infinite wisdom God created man very different from the angels.

Angels were created as immortal beings. (Living creatures that never die.) So when these eternal beings rebelled, God cast them out of Heaven and prepared the Lake of fire as their eternal place of punishment. (everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: Matthew 25.41)

When man, God’s crowning glory was created, God created him as a triune being. Man was created as a spirit, having a soul, living in a physical body (1 Thessalonians 5. 23). However, God warned Adam that the day he sinned (disobeyed God’s one commandment) he would die, For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6.23). This death was not only physical but also death or separation from the presence of God. (Absence from God is death/hell, but to be present with God is life/heaven.)

Despite man’s disobedience, God loved mankind so much that he made a divine provision for man’s disobedience. He gave us His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(John 3.16) Just as one man’s disobedience led to death, one man’s (Jesus, the Son of God) perfect obedience led to mankind’s restoration to God.

Meanwhile, if man had been allowed to eat from the Tree of Life, man would have become immortal like Lucifer and God would have been truly a cruel God. For then God would have been compelled to damn mankind to eternal punishment along with Lucifer and his demonic angels. Instead, God’s Love reached out to restore us to His presence thru the substitutery death of Jesus. Jesus took upon Himself the death penalty that was due to all sinners and gave us the right to eat from the Tree of Life. Revelation 22.1-2 “. . . . .On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month” ……( This is “only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Revelations 21.27) So, while in this temporary life, we are commanded to eat Jesus’ flesh and drink His blood in remembrance of Him, until he returns ( 1 Corinthians 10.16; 11.26) so that the same Life giving Spirit that raised Jesus will also give life to our mortal bodies. (Romans 8.11 )

Thus, unto all who believe in the name of God’s one and only begotten Son, Jesus, God gave the right not only to eat from the Tree of Life but also to live in His presence for all eternity. So yes, I can boldly assert that I serve not a cruel God but a loving Father.