Your Sacrifice

Psalm 116:12

What can I offer the LORD

     for all He has done for me?  (NLT)

     In my humble opinion, and from the deepest depth of my heart and soul, I believe that the best thing a true believer can offer their Creator, Provider, Protector, Savior, Advocate, and Lover of their soul is the very life that He created and then saved from eternal death.  Our holy and just God came to save the people of this wicked world from the darkness and damnation that is rightly deserved.   And He did it by physically suffering, dying, and taking our punishment.  Our Lord God, Christ Jesus, was murdered by religious thugs for crimes He did not commit.  He did this to satisfy God’s anger against His people who no longer followed His ways and a world that blatantly turned against its Creator.  Our God is a Saving God and He has been more than patient with this evil world, which is probably more wicked than it was in Noah's days before He destroyed mankind with the flood.  And yet, our Lord God has given this wicked world fair warnings and another escape route so that everyone (not just a select few) will have the chance to change their evil ways and avoid the destruction and eternal condemnation that is coming. 

     But this fallen world tells us a different story.  It blames God for all the pain, suffering, sickness and injustice that appears to have no end—that God does not care and has left us to our own demise.  But our merciful God is not at fault my friend, it's because this wicked world is governed by evil and its people have turned away from God and chosen Satan instead.  We cannot know the ways of God this side of Heaven, but we can know that the Lord is giving the lost and misinformed people of this fallen world more time to hear the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ.  But as God's redemptive plan draws to an end, there is still time to nail your sinful life to the Cross of Christ and be born again in Spirit and Truth.  For with the blood of Jesus covering your sins, you will not escape the terrible wrath of God that will be poured out upon this evil world.  

                     A Whisper of Hope

I sacrificed My life for you, dear child...now it's time to sacrifice your life for Me.  I came to die for you, so you could live.  I shed My blood to cleanse your sin and paid the price that belonged to you.  I came, I died, and paid your debt!

Romans 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you

to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and

holy sacrifice—the kind He will accept.  When you

think of what He has done for you, is this too much

to ask?  (NLT)

                     “I assure you, unless you are born again,

                you can never see the Kingdom of God.”

                                  (John 3:3)

       Remain Forgiven

Luke 21:34-36

But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed

down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life,

and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come

as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole

earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be

counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to

pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”  (NKJ)

     It is so amazing that the Almighty God of Heaven and Earth left His glory behind to give us fair warning about the coming wrath the He will unleash upon this evil world that is governed by the Prince of Darkness.  Satan has been successfully deceiving mankind since the dawn of time and it will continue to be so until Jesus returns to rid the earth of evil and to set up His Kingdom.   The warning clearly shows that we have a merciful and gracious God who created us to be His children forever, for He did what needed to be done to make it so.  Unlike Satan and his band of fallen angels, God gives His people a second change to be redeemed and forgiven for our rebellion.  The Lord loves His people, Israel, and all human beings above all His creation and He takes no delight when we sign the eternal lease for the eternal Lake of Fire with Satan and all his fallen angels. 

     Sadly there will be many who call themselves God's people and Christians who will be caught with their pants down when the Lord removes His Church and unleashes His deadly wrath upon this earth for seven dark and bloody years.  Our God is a patient God who has given us gracious time to choose His Way or the Devil's way.   When you choose God’s Way you die to self and are born again in Christ Jesus, no longer living and thinking as the world does.  Instead, you live and love like Jesus, because the moment of His return, you do not know. So remain alert, and stay free from the darkness.  For a moment of pleasure is not worth the risk, my friend.  Be forgiven and remain forgiven!

                                  A Whisper of Hope

I provided the Way, My child…because of My Great Love for you.  Don’t be tempted and fall for the lies of the Enemy who wants to destroy your life and kill your soul.  Remain in the Light of My saving grace and and all will be forgiven.

Revelation 3:10

Because you have obeyed My command to persevere,

I will protect you from the great time of testing that

 will come upon the whole world to test those who

belong to this world.  (NLT)

          Do not be misled.  Remember that you cannot

                 ignore God and get away with it.

                              (Galatians 6:7)

                   Honor and Respect

Malachi 1:6

The LORD Almighty says to the priests: “A son honors his father,

and a servant respects his master.  I am your Father and Master,

but where are the honor and respect I deserve?  (NLT)

     When we become a born-again Christian, we become a new person, dedicating our lives to God and His purpose, like a priest does.  We also become disciples of Jesus Christ—messengers of the Good News of Salvation through the death and resurrection of our Lord God and Savior.  The message of forgiveness and eternal life is for everyone living on the face of this earth, and Jesus has given us the Great Commission to proclaim this Truth to the world.   But as disciples and holy priests, are we living a new life of repentance and devotion to the Lord?  Are our actions honoring and respecting our Mighty God and Savior?  Do our lives reflect the kind of reverence and respect that God so rightly deserves?   Our Lord God not only created us and sustains us, but He also saves our precious souls from eternal condemnation.  As holy priests we must live righteous lives before God and the world, thanking and praising Him for His gracious provisions, especially His saving grace—the undeserved gift of salvation that saves us from eternal condemnation in hell. 

     As a disciple you must stay connected to God, so you can know His will, stay repentant, and to be re-energized.  We owe God our very lives, because He chose not to give us what we deserve, rather He chose to give us what we don't deserve.   As Christians, we have a high and holy calling because we belong to God.  He gave it all so you could have it all. Christ Jesus was not forced to become a man of flesh and blood and sacrifice His life for a wicked world. He gladly volunteered to take the sins and punishment of the world.   The blood of Jesus is the only Way to forgiveness and eternal life. The Lord God is our Father, Provider, Healer, and our Source for eternal life.  The least we can do is give Him our life in return, honor Him in our living, and respect His authority with our obedience.

                                  A Whisper of Hope

Honor Me, child…and I will honor you in return.  Show Me respect and I will bless you richly.  Live to please Me and I will guide you safely through this difficult live until you reach Home.   You will fail Me from time to time, but I never forsake My children, nor will I ever stop loving you!

Revelation 1:5, 6

All praise to Him who loves us and has freed

us from our sins by shedding His blood for us. 

He has made us His Kingdom and His priests

who serve before God His Father.  (NLT) 

                And you must love the Lord your God

             with all your heart, all your soul,

                    all your mind, and all

                         your strength.

                          (Mark 12:30)

                   Promised Peace

Micah 4:3-4

The LORD will settle international disputes. All the nations

will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into

pruning hooks. All wars will stop, and military training will

come to an end. Everyone will live quietly in their own homes

in peace and prosperity, for there will be nothing to fear. The

LORD Almighty has promised this!  (NLT)

     What an awesome change this will be for a world that has been at war with itself and its Creator from the very beginning.  Mankind has been fighting and killing, cheating and stealing, slandering and suing one another since the beginning of time.  But our Lord God and Savior put a plan in place to save us from the chaotic living that sin brings and bring His righteous rule into our world where we will live together in peace and prosperity forever.  Although many people have dreamed and tried to create utopia in this fallen world, every attempt has failed miserably, making matters even worse.  But unlike the many failed attempts of utopia, we Christians know and can trust that Jesus, our King, will return to set up His perfect Kingdom on Earth.  Jesus, the King of the universe, is also our God and Savior, and only He has the power to end the evil in our world. 

     Upon His return, King Jesus will reign in this world for a thousand years and there will be no more killing or wars, no disease or sickness, no suffering or pain, and absolutely no injustice at all.  It will be a safe haven for every person, because Jesus will remove all unrighteousness before it can spread to others. And after His thousand-year reign, Satan, the fallen angels, and those who have rejected Christ Jesus will be sent into the eternal Lake of Fire forever.  And our God will create everything new and perfect for those who are faithful and called by His Name.  God's promise of eternal life in a body that will not grow old or get sick makes this difficult life a whole lot easier to cope with.  Knowing you will live in a perfect world without sin and evil is like a perfect dream come true.  Utopia, as we understand it, is not even close to the incredible future that God has planned for His children.

                                A Whisper of Hope

It is true, dear child…that I have a glorious future planned for all those who are called by My Name.  I know it seems too good to be true, and maybe a little far-fetched for your human mind to grasp, but nonetheless, it is true.  And one day, in the blink of an eye, it will become a reality for you!

Revelation 20:1-4

Then I saw an angel come down from Heaven with the

key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. 

He seized the dragon—that old serpent, the Devil, Satan

—and bound him in chains for a thousand years.  The angel

threw him in to the bottomless pit, which he then shut and

locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until

the thousand years were finished.  Afterward he must be

released for a little while.  (NLT)

                        Hallelujah!  For the Lord our God, 

                         the Almighty, reigns.

                             (Revelation 19:6)

                           Life in God

Ezekiel 18:30, 31

“Therefore, I will judge each of you according to your

actions, says the Sovereign LORD. Turn from your sins! 

Don’t let them destroy you!  Put all your rebellion behind

you, and get for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. 

For why should you die?  I don’t want you to die, says the

Sovereign LORD.  Turn back and live!”  (NLT)

     The Sovereign Lord God feels exactly the same today as He did back in the days of Ezekiel, because God never changes!  Because He loves people above all His creation, He gives us a change to repent and live today, just as He was doing back then!  This is why He personally came to save His chosen people and the world.  God gave Israel and the world the only Way to escape His wrath and eternal condemnation.  He has woven into the very fibers of every human being, the desire to live forever.  And because of this God given desire, most people fight hard to hang on to this short life as long as they possibly can, regardless of the pain and suffering it brings. God did not create us to die, but to live in fellowship with Him forever.  But because sin has infected our world with death, all its inhabitants must die.  So the Lord came to give us the Way to escape our second death, which is even more frightening than the first.  And God's Church, the body of Christ, is the bearer of this Good News that not only saves us from a fiery end and eternal damnation, but gives us the guarantee that our earthly death is not death at all, but the beginning of a very long and perfect life. 

     God does not force us to listen to His message of Good News or accept His gift of salvation. Instead, He graciously gives us a chance to hear the Good News and make our own decision.  Sadly, most people will reject the saving grace of the Cross of Christ so they can continue to indulge in their own ways and the sin they love.  We have two basic choices: Heaven or Hell. You can choose God’s Way or Satan's way.   You can selfishly live this life your own way hoping for the best, or you can live God's Way knowing the best is yet to come.  You can live in the darkness of this fallen world and follow the crowd, or you can live in the Light of the World and be transformed into His Likeness.  You have been blessed with a free will and a sound mind, my friend, use it wisely while it’s still on the table.

                                A Whisper of Hope 

Turn to Me, My child…for I don’t want to lose you forever.  I want you to live and enjoy the glory of My Presence now and in the Home I am building for you—an eternal Home where there is no more pain or tears or suffering.  But you must choose the Way I have provided, for it is the living Way!

1 John 4:9

God showed how much He loved us by

sending His only Son into the world so

that we might have eternal life through

Him.  (NLT)

                                                  

               His ways are everlasting.

                        (Habakkuk 3:6)

                    Saved by Death

1 Peter 1:6

So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead,

even though it is necessary for you to endure

many trials for a while.  (NLT)

     No matter how difficult this life is for the Christian who is solid in their faith, they have the confidence and courage to look ahead to the glorious future God has promised.  His promise of a new eternal life with Him gives us a joy that cannot be measured or taken away.  It is this inner joy of salvation that sets the Christian apart from the rest of the world.  Unlike the billions of people who do not embrace this promise, Christians have the advantage of knowing the plans of God—plans that exceed anything from this fallen world, because we know that this fallen world and everything it embraces is quickly fading away and will one day disappear.  Our Lord God and Savior Christ Jesus, knows firsthand how hard, cruel and wicked this evil world is, especially for those who are called by His Name. He knows what it’s like to be hated and persecuted. He knows all the slander and lies that we face.  He knows what it's like to go without. He knows what it feels like to be hurt, brutally beaten, and nailed naked to a dead tree. He knows what it’s like to suffer like no human has ever suffered, and die a godforsaken death.  He was unjustly condemned to die a criminal's death and was punished by God for the sins of the world, yet He Himself lived a sin free life.

    Our Lord God took on human flesh to die the death we all deserve—so we would be spared the sinner’s death of eternal darkness and condemnation.  It is so essential to our spiritual health that we rely on the Cross of Christ to save us from the wrath that we all deserve.  We cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try, because we cannot be good enough to stand in the Presence of our Perfectly Holy and Righteous God.  When you live apart from the Living God, going with the flow of this dying world, you will never find the kind of joy and hope that helps you endure the calamity this world dishes out.  You will become discouraged, disappointed, and left hopeless.  But when you put your future in the hands of your Lord God and Savior—hands that were nailed through with rusty spikes, nothing from this fallen would will ever take your joy away, because you will know that the glory of Heaven awaits all those who die to self for the glory of Christ Jesus.

                           A Whisper of Hope

Don’t be fooled, My child…you cannot be good enough to receive the gift of salvation.  You cannot live apart from Me and escape the condemnation that sin brings.  Only My death and blood can save you from the eternal punishment you deserve.

Romans 5:1-4

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight

by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus

Christ our Lord has done for us.  Because of our faith,

Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege

where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look

forward to sharing God’s glory.  We can rejoice, too, when

we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are

good for us—they help us learn to endure.  And endurance

develops strength of character in us, and character strength-

ens our confident expectation of salvation.  (NLT)

          He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of

          Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God

                              (1 Peter 1:19)

                God is With Us

Hosea 14:9

Let those who are wise understand these things.  Let those

who are discerning listen carefully.  The paths of the LORD

are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in

them.  But sinners stumble and fall along the way.  (NLT)

     The Lord has never left us to our own demise, even though we chose to live apart from Him.  He knew we could never defeat the evil without Him.  Throughout the history of mankind God has been directing and implementing His perfect Plan for Redemption. Nothing slips by our Sovereign God. He is always with us, guiding our ways for the good of His Kingdom.  The Lord created us in such a way that we would always need His help, especially while we live in this evil world.  God has graciously given us His written Word so that we might gain the wisdom to live wisely and righteously and walk in His ways.  God also gave us His Son, who saved us from our sins and the condemnation that this evil world will suffer at the end of time.  And in the greatest love, selflessness, and humility, our Lord God, Christ Jesus gave up His life so ours would not be lived in vain.   And to help us achieve perfection, the Lord sent the Holy Spirit, who helps us accomplish what would have otherwise been impossible for us—overcoming the evil that hold us in bondage to sin and death. 

     The Lord God is not the supreme dictator who forces you against your will.  Instead, He is your loving Father in Heaven, who gives you opportunities to choose the path of your choice.  God allows you to make mistakes, which helps you learn from first-hand experiences.  He gives you the mental capacity and the ability to research and weigh all the different options you have.  He gives you the plain truth and the common sense to see how your choices will affect you and what the end results will bring.  Most people choose to take the world’s path, opting to go after those things that satisfy our selfish human desires, which unbeknownst to them, leads into a darkness that is difficult to navigate and eventually leads into the abyss.  God’s path, on the other hand, is brightly lit with the glory of the Lord and you can see clearly what lies ahead.  You are able to choose the right path that is not only the best for you, but also for those around you.  And by remaining in the Light of the Living God, you will gain personal access into God's Presence where He comforts you in your times of trouble, gives you the courage to stand firm in the right choices you make, and the solid guarantee that you will make it safely Home—a glorious destination that awaits your arrival into the Savior's loving arms.

                                                            

                               A Whisper of Hope

I Am with you always…dear child.  I do not slumber nor do I get distracted.  I Am always there to help you in every way.  I watch over you every moment of your life, even when you are walking away from Me.  I love My children as a Father should.  You are safely in My care…ALWAYS!

Jude 24

And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep

you from stumbling, and who will bring you into

His Glorious Presence innocent of sin and with

great joy.  (NLT)

                                                                      

                      For you were once darkness,

            but now you are light in the Lord.

                       (Ephesians 5 :8)