by David Brenneman
"Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." James 5:13-20.
When someone comes into your life...do you count it as accidental or something else?
We are to be aware enough in our walk with Jesus to see, know and understand that there's going to be Godinstances, not coincidences in life.
You who are in Christ are now in the mission field. You are Ambassadors for Jesus Christ while you breathe and live out your life until called home.
This is the chief reason that after coming to Christ your life goes in directions that you never imagined possible...and that's a fantastically good thing.
You get to do life with other Believers. You get to weep with them in ways the world cannot understand...because the world has no hope to look forward to in the afterlife. We rejoice with others in ways the world cannot understand because of our reasons for doing so. The world cannot understand the joys possible living in a life wholly dedicated to Jesus.
Paul wrote that the natural man cannot understand the things of God because they are spiritually discerned. They are foreign to them.
There's many many different things in this life that are foreign to me...and I am certainly okay with that. There's things that I have experienced that I wish were still foreign to me but aren't.
We who are in Christ, there's an expectation of conduct concerning us. We read that our lives should be lived in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven.
We read that in this world we will see persecutions. That those who wish to live Godly in Christ Jesus are going to be persecuted. Everything may be permitted by God in our lived that appears to be against us.
We read that we are to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. All these things are those things that we need to grow in Christ.
We are living out growing in Christ while pointing others to Jesus themselves to find His free gift of salvation. All the while our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.
The life of a shepherd is going to have difficulty. David recounted to King Saul of his experience against the lion and the bear. It's not at all just watching the sheep and harp playing. It's an active life.
Truth be told the only retirement program for Believers are when Jesus says its time to come home. Regardless of age, as long as you are breathing, there's something for you to be doing for Him. Just like the appropriate train of thought concerning "judging others" is that we are to be witnesses regardless of the individual. That as long as they are breathing there's still hope. We do not have the right to condemn someone to Hell. We do not sit in judgment to say that anyone has no right to come to Christ for salvation because of the life they have lived. That is to say the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross just wasn't meant for so-and-so. That Jesus didn't die for someone.
Scripture says that Jesus died once for all.
My Dear Reader, if indeed you've come to Christ for salvation, you have a higher calling in life now.
You are representing your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Dare to be an Andrew. Pointing people to Jesus Christ and the hope of salvation through Him.
Praying at all times. Let your light shine before men in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven. Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the human heart, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.
Yesterday while volunteering the subject of accountability for actions came up. We aren't excused in our interactions with others. We who are in Christ Jesus will give an account of our lives before Him. Our biases will not be an acceptable excuse.
Look at your life and see if indeed you're saved. If you are, are you living life in such a way that people see your good works and are glorifying your Father in Heaven?
If you aren't saved yet...my Dear Reader...it's not at all about what you will lose in coming to Christ for salvation. It's about everything you will gain. Sure you'll lose your sense of wandering aimlessly. Lose your sense of loneliness. Lose your lack of true family. Lose all that has been a boat anchor in your life keeping you from running.
What you gain is oh so much more.
Praying at all times isn't just stopping and folding your hands all day to talk to God. Nehemiah prayed wherever he was. Inside he just pointed his heart to God and talked to Him right where he was.
I do it a lot. No job is too small or too great for my Savior and Lord.
You must choose. You decide for yourself who you want to save you. Jesus or yourself. The only acceptable way to Heaven is through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross of calvary.
The only human beings in Hell are those who rejected Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
The only human beings in Heaven are those who accepted Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Jesus is the only Way the only Truth and the only Life.
Praying at all times is a privilege to those who love Jesus.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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