Love So Amazing

The One who put the stars in space
Prepares in heaven for me a place,
And someday I will see His face.
Jesus Christ my Savior.

On the cross unjustly slain,
He took away my guilt and shame.
For all my sin He took the blame.
Such love, my Lord and Savior!

My thanks and praise seem so small
Since You, Lord, sacrificed Your all
To redeem creation from our fall,
Mighty Lord and Savior.
(By Tricia 6/5/2019)

“Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”
(Fourth verse of Isaac Watts’ hymn,
“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”)

“Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” (John 14:1-3 NASB)

Whosoever Will

I loved the January 31, 2015, devotion in the “Our Daily Bread” booklet titled “A Closing Door,” written by Poh Fang Chia. I wish everyone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ as Savior would read it and heed the invitation there. It can be found at http://odb.org/2015/01/31/a-closing-door/ .

It reminded me of the old hymn “Come to the Feast.” A web page with that hymn is https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/1330 . Lyrics include “Come for the door is open wide,” and “Hear the invitation, Come, whosoever will;” and “Delay not while this day is thine, Tomorrow may never be,” among others.

Later in the day, I read an e-mail from one of my uncles that echoed the invitation in the “A Closing Door” devotion, and I have his permission to pass it on to you:

“This time in reading through this wonderful collection of books we call the Bible, I am not on the alert for sermon material, but I’m finding the reading even more rewarding. Strange isn’t it?

“I’m reading about the great care that was to be given to the lamb that was to be killed so that Israel’s descendants might live. The firstborn son of every household would die without the blood of that lamb, that perfect lamb, that pet of the family, loved, kept close, then slain, its blood applied on the door posts and lintel of every home, for the death angel is no respecter of persons. Each firstborn male not covered by the blood died. They did not have to. Safety was provided, the message was proclaimed, time was given and action was urged. But the choice was individual. The choice is still individual. The Lamb has been slain, His blood spilled, the blood applied to the door. If you will, come in, stay in. Choice is yours. This is not a church thing; it is a faith thing. It is a Jesus Christ dying on the cross thing, only begotten Son of God thing; it is a being saved or forever lost thing.

“And it is the passion thing of every man, woman or youth called out to ‘go to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature,’ thing. You pray, prepare and you go. It may be next door or the remote places of the world, but you go.

“So says an old evangelist, pastor and missionary. My name is just Dale, thank you.”

The last line of Poh Fang Chia’s devotion says, “Today Jesus invites, ‘I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved’ (John 10:9).

Have you answered Him?

(Photo courtesy http://www.public-domain-image.com )

God Brings Us Back

    Sometimes people remark, “You can’t go home again,” meaning perhaps that we can’t get back what’s in the past. A woman speaking to King David in 2 Samuel 14:14 expressed a similar thought: “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.”
This wise woman doesn’t stop with the fact that no one can go back to yesterday. She goes on to tell about how God deals with people who have been separated from Him by past events or experiences. God finds ways to bring us back to Himself.
In John 14, Jesus said that He is the Way to the Father. Romans 5:18 says, “…Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” Jesus came to earth as the spotless sacrificial lamb, suffered and died on the cross, and was raised to life the third day. In doing this, Christ became the Way that God provided for people to be brought back to Him. All those who come to Him through Jesus Christ can enjoy wonderful relationship with the almighty, all-loving, God, both now and forever. What joy!
However, even we who live in right relationship with God through Christ can put distance between ourselves and Him in daily life. We let busy-ness, distractions, sins, or bad habits draw us away, or we get lazy and start to drift from closeness with the Lord. Our merciful God has devised ways to bring us back then also. In James 4:8, God tells us to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to us. 1 John 1:9 tells us what to do about sin—confess it and receive forgiveness. In John 16, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit who helps us get back on track when we’ve gotten off.
We also have God’s written Word to bring us back to Him when we’ve wandered.  Timothy 3:16-17 says,“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” God’s Holy Spirit lives in us revealing the truths in the Scriptures and applying them to our lives.

     Thank You, Lord, for devising ways to bring us back to Yourself when we’re separated from You. Amen.

(Bible verses quoted are New Living Translation.)