by David Brenneman
"The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, But the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:1-3.
"By lovingkindness and truth iniquity is atoned for, And by the fear of the Lord one keeps away from evil. When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him." Proverbs 16:6-7.
"The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9.
"He who gives attention to the word will find good, And blessed is he who trusts in the Lord. The wise in heart will be called understanding, And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness." Proverbs 16:20-21
"The heart of the wise instructs his mouth And adds persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death."
Proverbs 16:23-25.
A cliche of decades from a television commercial says "But wait...there's more...".
When you really look at your life...do you see there's room for more? More about Jesus would you know? There's a line in a hymn that says that.
Do you make it a priority to know Him more? You may have heard some people say that you can't out-give God. Did you know that applies to getting to know Him as well?
Your getting through life isn't about success as the world calls things success. Oblivion awaits nobody. Heaven or Hell awaits everybody.
For the unbelieving Jesus Himself spells out what awaits. Sadly it's not an overcrowded place. Billions more will be added to the number of people in Hell in the coming years. Read the book of Revelation and you will see the times when billions will die at the judgments of God. Many of these billions will have celebrated when those who left with Jesus at the Rapture had left. The Hell they denied now becoming their temporary home until the Final Judgment at the end of the age.
Not a very uplifting thing is it? For me and many others...another song might come to mind. This world is not my home...I'm just a passing through...
Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ made promises that still apply today. The wisdom He spoke to the Disciples applies today. As Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the people of His day...something greater than King Solomon was among them.
Are you looking for ways to understand the Word of God or have you relegated that to an optional thing? Are you a seeker to understand the things of God or have you allowed dust to accumulate on your Bible?
Do you know more about worthless statistics on things that have absolutely nothing to do with salvation, growing in Christ, or the character of Christ?
For a time in my life I was doing that. Science fiction was my favorite part of my life. Knowledge of how to do things and being good at them was important to me. My time in God's Word was rushed. Cram for youth group and set it aside til later. After the youth group years the bad habits kept up.
How about you? Really just what would your life be, if Jesus came to visit you for a spell? You would have no idea how long how long He would be there. Would you be ready? Would you be out of practice at living a life in Christ that meets His approval? Would you be stumbling over appearances? Would you even relate to what you would talk to Him about?
There's always more. What if He had arranged it to go wherever you go? To be there during all your conversations with people you know? Would it be an uneasy time? A comforting time?
A look in the mirror is a revealer of truth.
2025 is just getting started. There's troubles on the horizon that you know are there...are you going to try to face them alone or are you going to seek out Jesus now and bolster your relationship with Him to get through life?
We aren't here for ourselves. All mankind was created for a relationship with Jesus. We who are in Christ are supposed to be the first to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. We are the first to be those standing firm in the Lord. We are supposed to be part of the body of Christ that's supposed to be so powerful in the Lord that the gates of Hell would not withstand the onslaught of the Church of Jesus Christ.
If you aren't making growing in Christ your priority...what would you know about that?
To my shame I can still relate useless facts about science fiction characters. Millions out there can do the same. Billions can tell you countless sports statistics.
This revelation to me decades ago brought a realization that I was letting down the One who saved me. I was disappointing my Savior and Lord. What was important to Jesus wasn't important to me and that had to change. For most of my life I hadn't read through my Bible even once. The full realization that I will be standing before Him and wouldn't be able to say that I hadn't taken the time to read it even one time horrified me. Today...I have lost track of how many times I have read through my Bibles. Yes plural. Every single time I read something new is in the pages. There's always more. Always.
How are you going to face Jesus? The Believer knows they will be spending eternity with Him. How well they lived for Him remains to be seen until that day we all stand before Jesus.
The unbelieving will face the judgment of God. Eternal painful separation from God that will have no end. Something more, something worse is coming to those who have been in Hell all this time. Yes something worse than Hell is possible. Rejecting the free gift of salvation is what sends people to Hell...not Jesus. In the lives of all who breathe the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ alone is available. Some who have died might have thought their lives were Hell on Earth. Then they woke up in Hell to something worse.
My Dear Reader...know this day where you are going to spend eternity. Heaven or Hell is in your hands. The cross of Jesus Christ brought choice. Your decision.
For those who are claiming to be saved...how much true effort are you putting into living life for Jesus?
What eternally worthless things in your life are in the way of knowing Jesus more?
You can't outlive a life in Christ.
You can waste your time on this Earth. There's more you can be doing. Encouraging or embarrassing, what would Jesus arriving at your doorstep mean to you?
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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