Amen.
PSALM 84:11
For The LORD God is a Sun and a Shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; He withholds no good thing from those who walk with integrity.
Revelation 21:23
And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.
Isaiah 60:19
The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but The LORD shall be unto thee an Everlasting Light, and thy God thy glory.
Psalm 3:3
But Thou, O LORD, art a Shield for me; my Glory, and The Lifter up of mine head.
Right now people are excited about the solar eclipse that will be happening this week, when the sun is completely covered by the moon and darkness will be upon the land briefly. But someday, both sun and moon will vanish, for their usefulness will have faded. I think that is the more exciting event to look forward to and I'm so glad I'm going to see The Light of heaven someday!
THOU ART A SHIELD - Kent Henry
(LIGHT OF THE WORLD) HERE I AM TO WORSHIP -The African Children's Choir
REVELATION 19:11
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He does judge and make war.
THE LORD PRESERVES THE SIMPLEHEARTED
Psalm 116:6
The Lord preserves the simplehearted; I was helpless, and He saved me.
Simplehearted does not imply simpleminded. The simple in mind are openminded, hearing everything but the instruction of the wisdom of The Lord. The simple in heart have the faith of a child, believing without seeing.
Believing that The Lord has done great things for us, though we, as yet, may not see the results of our childlike faith. A person must be aware of their helplessness to save themselves before they can reach out to The Lord for salvation.
Before I was born somebody prayed for me. When I walked in the ways of the world, somebody prayed for me. When I should have died in my sins, somebody prayed for me. Though my heart was harder than my head, somebody was praying for me. And while some still do, the ones who prayed for me without my knowledge are now in my "great cloud of witnesses" (Hebrews 12:1). They passed the torch of a faithful, prayer-filled relationship in Christ to me and I'm passing it to the next person to reach out for it.
I was helpless. I still am. But I came to the understanding that nothing I could do could save me. That there is only ONE Savior, ONE plan of salvation: that only God's plan of salvation (John 3:16-18) would be able to deliver me from all my unrighteousness. I needed to repent of my wickedness against God and believe that His only begotten Son Jesus Christ is Lord of All. He can only save the people who believe on His Name for their salvation. Unbelief will not save you.
THE LORD IS MINE
Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.
I am a whosoever.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is My Shepherd, I shall not want (lack).
Isaiah 40:11 He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
John 10:11 “I am The Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
I am His sheep because I am a whosoever. The Lord is Mine. Is He your Lord? Are you a whosoever? Do you want to be a whosoever?
It's really very simple.
A=Acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, that He was buried and then rose on the third day.
B=Believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. Read The Word every day and study it for yourself. Never take it for granted that what someone is telling you is in the Bible is really in the Bible: people lie to benefit themselves and to keep others from knowing the valuable Truth that is found in God's Word.
C=Confess our sins to God and ask His help to stop doing those things He says not to do and to do the things He wants us to do. This is called repentance. Continuing to trust God every day and being faithful in our daily walk is a process called The Holiness Way. For us to grow in Christ everyday we need God's Holy Spirit. We need to ask Him for guidance on how to live a righteous life now while we have breath that we may see God and live when we die.
This is the basic alphabet of salvation in Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 "Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
These are the verses we read and understand to know that we are sinners who need saving. Make no bones about it: we are ALL sinners. If someone says they have never sinned, they are a LIAR, for God's Word is Faithful and True and He tells us that we are ALL sinners, we ALL need Jesus to save us. Would you rather be a fool or a saint?
Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Romans 5:6 But God commendeth His love His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD.
Romans 10:9-10, 13 That if you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ~ For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved.
Isn't it time for you to be a whosoever?
THE LORD IS OBEDIENT
1 John 3:8
He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose The Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
From the manger to the cross to the grave to the heavenly place where He is seated at the right hand of God. He has fulfilled God's plan of salvation: Jesus has obeyed His Father and has been elevated to King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
THE OBEDIENT SERVANT
Titus 2:14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
1 Timothy 2:5,6/ Matthew 20:28/ Galatians 1:3,4/ Galatians 4:4,5/Philippians 2:8
FROM THE MANGER
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
TO THE CROSS
Luke 23:33 When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left.
Psalm 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.
Isaiah 53:1-8/ Romans 4:25/ Galatians 3:13
TO THE GRAVE
Isaiah 53:9-11/ Mark 15:46/ Luke 23:53/ John 19:38-42/Acts 2:32/Acts 3:15/2 Corinthians 5:21
Acts 2:24 But God raised Him from the dead, releasing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for Him to be held in its clutches.
Acts 10:40 God raised Him up on the third day and caused Him to be seen.
HIS STATUS ELEVATED
Isaiah 52:13 Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
Isaiah 53:12/ Philippians 2:9-11/Daniel 7:14/Ephesians 1:20, 21
TO THE HEAVENLY PLACE
Acts 1:9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
1 Timothy 3:16 By common confession, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in the flesh, was vindicated by The Spirit, was seen by angels, was proclaimed among the nations, was believed in throughout the world, was taken up in glory.
SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD
Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus The Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Psalm 110:1/Matthew 22:44/Matthew 26:64/Romans 8:34
THE SHIPPING LABEL
TO: The World
FROM: GOD
WEIGHT OF PACKAGE: Everything
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.
There's more to this life than just living it. We have been given the opportunity to live it (1) Eternally with God and His Christ; (2) Abundantly in Christ; (3) Fully in The Spirit of God.
Though death tarnishes life with its shadow, we need to remember that that is all death is to the believer: a shadow. Shadows have no power, they are merely a whisper of passage through which the Son shines. David wrote in Psalm 23, "Yes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." He knew that The LORD was with him at all times throughout his days because he made the decision to TRUST GOD.
We have been given a glorious gift (John 1:14) and it is our decision whether or not we open it and receive it or just leave it under the tree, the cross. For everyone will eventually make their way to the cross of Christ; some will see and believe, some will glance and walk away, some will mock the cross and what it stands for. It is the few who believe The Word of God and receive The Christ of God that will forever be changed by The Power of God.
There is no RTS (return to sender) on this package. The Word tells us that God's Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11): His Word accomplishes Its mission. This may seem like a hard thing to hear but its just as hard to write: not all seed will root. But The Word has gone forth and it is still in accomplish-mode. There is still time to come back to the cross and really see what God allowed His Son to go through. You woke up this morning and you managed to crawl out of bed. God gave you another day. Thank Him for that.
Thank You, Lord, for this new day which You have given me. Thank You for the opportunity to glorify You and bless You. Help me to accomplish Your purpose in me. Have Your Way in my life today. For I have given You my heart and my mind and my life. You are my everything and without You I know that I am nothing. As the song says, In You I live and move and have my being.
Thank You, Lord, for saving me. When I was lost and undone, You found me at just the right time. I was that lost sheep You went looking for and I'm so glad You picked me up and carried me back to where You knew I needed to be. Thank You for writing Your Word on my heart and filling me today with a new infusion of Your Holy Spirit. For without these I accomplish nothing on my own. I'm just a lump of clay waiting for the potter's hand to transform me.
I praise You. My soul blesses You. In You I live and love. Make me a blessing to You and for You today.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.
THE LORD IS NEAR TO THE BROKENHEARTED
Psalm 34:18
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.