by David Brenneman
"He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" Romans 8:32 NASB
Was talking yesterday with someone about how complicated adults make the Scriptures and the message of the Gospel.
Adults don't often see the forest for the trees. We often look for the complicated and when we don't find it, think that there's nothing to be had, nothing there.
Children don't have that particular problem or honestly that particular anxiety.
"At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight. All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him." Matthew 11:25-28 NASB.
Some have looked at me sideways because of saying that we as adults over- complicate the message of the Gospel.
Many a child has come to Christ because of "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong they are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so." being sang in a Sunday School class or a VBS.
We often don't look really closely at the words to "Just As I Am".
We, even after coming to Christ for salvation, look for the complicated rules that really don't exist. Much like who we read about in the early Church tried to do.
Paul addresses some of this in the book of Romans.
Turn around from sin, go the other way. Repentance.
Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Godly mindset.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit. Love your neighbor as yourself.
We often try to get out micrometers, a compass, rulers, and a microscope to look at the words of the Bible....BEFORE we stop and actually ask the writer of the Bible what He meant by what we read.
The same thing, at least in part, to the pre-Google Maps, pre-GPS days in going pretty much anywhere. All too many husbands got in trouble for not paying heed to the road atlas. The wife trying to point out where they should have turned.
We seem to think that which isn't true. That soft lie of Satan that you still need to DO something more to ensure your salvation. That the work on the cross of Jesus Christ couldn't possibly, really, be finished.
The real reality of life is this: we come to Christ and become His workmanship. We now have a God-given purpose. We now need God's help and direction to find what it is for us to be doing in the body of Christ Jesus.
His work in us is to make us more like Christ Jesus. Not necessarily health, wealth and prosperity. Not to necessarily grant you or I everything we ever wanted in life.
His work in us is to also seek out others.
This is the Kingdom Priority. He came to seek and save the lost in this world. He turned over that job to the Disciples and then to the early Church and by extension us who are in Christ Jesus today.
The work in us is alongside the work of God to prepare for the return of Jesus Christ. Prophecy it coming true in our lifetime. We eagerly await the return of Jesus. At least I do. Pretty much all that's really left prophetically to happen is the last person who would be saved is saved prior to the Great Tribulation. I adhere to what I call the bookends idea. It began with the thief on the cross. There is a last person very similar to the first. They won't have great deeds in Christ to their name. They won't have time likely to even be baptized.
Jesus loved mankind so much that He died on a cross. Was buried and 3 days later arose from the dead. Conquering sin, death and the grave. Bringing hope to the hopeless. Bring the free gift of salvation to all who would call upon His Name.
"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.
It brings my mind now to "I serve a risen Savior
He’s in the world today.
I know that He is living,
Whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy;
I hear His voice of cheer;
And just the time I need Him
He’s always near.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart." - He Lives! Alfred H. Ackley, 1887-1960
Oh my Dear Reader...oh the love of God for you!
"The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tellIt goes beyond the highest starAnd reaches to the lowest hellThe guilty pair, bowed down with careGod gave His Son to winHis erring child He reconciledAnd pardoned from his sin
Could we with ink the ocean filAnd were the skies of parchment madeWere every stalk on earth a quillAnd every man a scribe by trade
To write the love of God aboveWould drain the ocean dryNor could the scroll contain the wholeThough stretched from sky to sky" Mercy Me "The Love of God".
Jesus loves you this I know.
For His Bible tells me so.
It matters not what your life looks like right now. He who created the Heavens and the world you see can create something new in you and me.
There's nothing complicated to the love of God. We often look for a catch. Look for something that would cause us to regret coming to Christ. My Dear Reader. Would He who took on all the horrific pains of dying on a cross in your place really hide some aspect of salvation from you? People have the ability to double cross people. God is always true to Himself and His Word. The gift of salvation is indeed free to all who believe.
We live in a world that goes out of its way to weigh us down in rules and conditions that weigh on our souls. In Christ is freedom. We seek peace. It's found in Christ.
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