dailywordofdestiny

“Draw me away! We will run after you. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you. I drew them with gentle cords, with bands of love. My lover spoke and said to me, ‘Arise my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me. See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me” (Song of Solomon 1: 4; Jeremiah 31: 3; Hosea 11: 4).

I rejoice that I am saved by the precious blood of the Lamb this day and I rejoice that He chose to die for my sins! Many who consider themselves part of the “body of Jesus Christ” will look at the ones worshiping beside them and think they were always the way they see them now. This is not so; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). My own life is a living example of God’s amazing grace. Yesterday a friend said, “Well, if you train a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not turn from it.” I then asked her, “What if the child is not trained in the way he should go?”

I was raised in the church from a very early age and I really liked to attend the services. However, as a teenager, I was more influenced by my friends and my “wants” and I quickly turned away from the LORD when I left home at seventeen. My life from that point was far from godly. Eventually I married and had children. I loved my three children, but I wasn’t there much. Their early years were spent in a daycare and in the evenings they were with various babysitters while their mom was “out for awhile”. Sunday was not a day I chose for church, it was a recovery day from the weekend.

I remember my mother being there to help me out when I got myself into messes and she never complained, or criticized me (Matthew 7: 1; Romans 8:1; 14: 10). Before she left to go home she would always say, “Judy, Jesus loves you and so do I.” I used to get roaring mad when she’d say that and would respond with, “Mom, just be quiet! I don’t want to hear about Jesus every time you open your mouth” (John 16: 1-11; 2 Corinthians 4: 3-5)! Time went on and in 1996 God decided it was time to draw me back under the shadow of His wing. I have never been the same since and I am so VERY GRATEFUL for His mercy and grace! I am now the mother who says to my sons, “Jesus loves you and so do I”, but there is a difference for them; they never grew up in a church environment as I did. So, what about my sons and all the people out there who have never been in church and who haven’t heard the good news of the Gospel?

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective and I personally believe there is hope for them because Jesus died for ALL (John 3: 16, 17) and He was raised from the dead and before He ascended into heaven, His command to all of us is in Matthew 28: 18-20. WE are to go and tell others about Christ and through our own life reveal His nature (Galatians 5: 22) and great love. He calls us to be the salt of the earth by positively affecting the people He brings around us. We are to be lights that shine from the indwelling glory of His presence (Matthew 5: 13-16).

One of the main reasons I believe there is hope for all people is a small statement mentioned in James: “Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (5: 16). “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer” (1 Peter 3:12). PRAYER!   What a privilege it is to be able to seek the LORD on behalf of the lost. I have faith in God and His Word says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3: 9). The book of Revelation mentions that the prayers of the saints are like bowls full of incense and the smoke of the incense comes up before God (5: 8; 8: 4). So, I will pray for my sons and for my loved ones and for those all around the world who have not yet made Jesus the LORD of their life.

One of my favorite Old Testament prophets is Jeremiah; he had many long talks with God and God used him to speak His words to the tribe of Judah (southern kingdom). Not all to whom we are called to witness will hear us. Not all we pray for will accept Christ Jesus as LORD.

Don’t be discouraged, no one listened to Jeremiah either, yet he is still being used by God to speak to all people groups today! Hallelujah! It is not for us to worry about how God will grab a person’s attention or bring the person to the place where they realize their need for Christ. We are only called to be witnesses for Jesus; to take Jesus with us wherever we go and be ready to: “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction…” (Timothy 4: 2-5; also John 12: 37-43).

I am convinced that we in the western churches are in a very precarious place. We have been so blessed yet we apparently feel we don’t need God. Many churches have become like storehouses partially filled with people who are fat, satisfied, and under the illusion that they have reached spiritual maturity.

Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe. In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well” (Mark 16: 15- 18). This promise is to all the tribes of Israel, not only to Judah. The restoration will include all people who trust God. God reaches toward His people with kindness motivated by deep and everlasting love. He is eager to do the best for them if they will only let Him.

Listen to what the Spirit of God has to say to YOU….

“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ … They will come and shout for joy in the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the LORD–the grain, the new wine and the oil, the young of the flocks and the herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the LORD (Jeremiah 31: 10-14). Hallelujah… God bless you.