by David Brenneman
Matthew 16:25 NASB "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
What are you doing?
WHAT are YOU doing?
What ARE YOU DOING?
So many ways to say that in the English language yet, in regards to emphasis, the depth of the question remains.
I am by no means excusing myself in regards to my efforts to live this life as God intends for me to live. I often rest in excuses for not doing when, by all respects, I am capable of obedience.
I can easily use one excuse or another. How about you? We both lay hold of excuses to not do this or that and are creative enough to come up with excuses TO DO this or that.
We actually are incredibly creative in the lies we tell ourselves far more than the lies we tell others or even to God Himself.
Come on and for once acknowledge what's really going on in your life.
You are in this here, this now, this place and point in time because of a Godly reason, certainly not time through chance.
Not some random act.
Psalm 139:1-18 NASB "Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I get up; You understand my thought from far away. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, Lord, You know it all. You have encircled me behind and in front,
And placed Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot comprehend it.
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take up the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will take hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,” Even darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.
For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You When I was made in secret, And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my formless substance;
And in Your book were written
All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts for me, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You."
Really consider those words of King David's thoughts on how God thinks of you and I.
Every life is something that God has joined together, and no man should separate. This is something deeper than what is perceived on the surface of marriage. When a couple comes together and a child is conceived, THIS TOO is part of that vow, of marriage. What happens in the union of a man and woman isn't just sexual, it's of God. God is the only One who can create life. God is the only One who causes each part of a man and woman to do what happens and thus bring forth a child. God.
This culture in which we find ourselves is in dire need of the reminder of Psalm 139. It's in need of Believer's living out their faith in such a way that they see the work of God in our lives and have no choice but to glorify God in Heaven.
So many professing Christians are hiding their faith! So many don't place the same importance on living out the Christian life in the way the Bible teaches. They have listened, far too long, to the siren sounds of the ways of this world. They listen and watch all of Satan's "how to create this world into your own image" video's.
Happiness will never be found in living your life your way.
Prosperity will never be found in living your life your way.
You will fool yourself day after day, excuse after excuse, until maybe some day you wake up and realize you are now the Prodigal Son or Daughter crying out to God as you seek your way back home to God.
You, my Dear Reader, are living in this exact place, this exact point, in human history for a very distinct, Godly purpose.
You.
Read Psalm 139 one more time. You are uniquely qualified, through the Spirit's teaching and directing, to impact THIS here, THIS now, in human history for the Kingdom of God. You!
The things that God's done in my life, to bring me to this exact moment of typing this out on a cellular phone, to reach nearly 24.9% of all the nations of this world are more than I can fathom. 92k views in 47 nations and still going. God's doing all that because of my desire to be an Isaiah. "Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8 NASB.
So many people claiming to be Christians aren't living out their faith. They want health, wealth and prosperity but don't want what truly goes with a life of serving God. They don't want to know why they go through what they do. They don't like to hear the passage that says that all who seek to follow Jesus will be persecuted. They don't want to know about the Spiritual Surgeries that will inevitably take place to remove the sinful ways of their lives in order to bring sanctification to them.
If you come to Christ, and if in reading this you haven't yet, do not let these words or things or the lives of people claiming to be Christians dissuade you from coming to Christ. Jesus has a love for you that's unparalleled. He has a life for you that's unimaginable. He has a place for you in His life that nothing else can replace. You!
You may think you've gone too far, what you were raised to believe, is in the way. Jesus says just come to Me, you who are weak and heavy laden and He will give you rest. Romans 10 says it all. "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13 NASB.
For you have said that you have placed your faith and trust in Christ Jesus alone for salvation...are you living it or hiding it?
Are you more afraid of what man may do to you than you are in obeying the One who gave His life for You? So many people these days are afraid of the persecutions that may in fact not happen. We should be prepared if they do, but, there no absolute guarantee you will be. If the person or people the Spirit places before you in this here, this now, are ready to hear the Gospel message then YOU CANNOT FAIL. Let that sink in because Satan wants you to give in to fear over obedience. He cannot read or inhabit the mind or body of a Believer but he can attempt to influence it for his benefit.
You, my Dear Reader, were created for a Godly Purpose. You. You must not run away from it. You must not allow excuses to prevent you from it. You should not waste a moment of it. The Bible tells us to make the most of every opportunity. We are to give thanks in everything. That pretty much is summed up in the word: All.
All of you. All of your thoughts given towards a life in Godliness. All of you being thankful in All things. The perceived good, bad, and the ugly.
I am beyond astounded by God's work in me and through me. I wanted to be a writer from long ago. Reading planted the seeds of that desire. On my own, my writing went nowhere. In service to my Savior Jesus Christ, He has taken my desire and breathed life into it and taken what He's given me to write places that I have never dreamed possible.
If you claim that Jesus is your Savior, do you at all say to God: "Here am I! Send me!"? Or are you still seeking your own will on this Earth?
Matthew 16:25 NASB "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."
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