Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Hold On To Jesus With All Your Heart!


Matthew 7:21-23
Hold On To Jesus With All Your Heart!

     “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophecy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Let us step into heaven for a moment...

     Imagine that you were taken up into heaven and into a grand hall where God was having a counsel meeting with some of His angels and you overhear their conversation and hear your name mentioned. This of course makes you listen closer to what they are saying. You hear the Lord say, “Tomorrow is the final day I’m keeping the door of salvation open for ______ (insert your name) and if he chooses his desires for the world which he has continued to hang onto ever since I began reaching out to him and sending people to both encourage him and instruct him, then I am going to give him what he actually wants and let him have the world. I’m going to remove what remains of his conscience and let him enjoy his remaining years on earth with no fear of the consequences. I’ve created him with intelligence and have promised him My help if he wants Me, but I will not override his decision. No one has to love Me, it is a free choice to do so. I will regret his choice, but I will not stand in the way of it. If he wants Me he will have to take hold of Me with both hands and make this a two way relationship. If he wants Me he has to begin being earnest and not passive towards Me. He must begin showing outwardly that he is beginning to love Me as much as I have loved him, and have demonstrated this outwardly through the death of My Son and from My continuous efforts to move in his life and wake him up.
     Can you imagine what this would do if you suddenly realized that your halfhearted attempts to be a Christian really weren’t pleasing the Lord or warming His heart? He loves you with a depth and passion that you can’t measure! Making a halfhearted effort toward Him might even hurt His heart more than no attempt at all. God desires a love for His Son that is real and full of our heart, mind, soul, and strength! God is not coming to collect a bunch of inactive blobs as a bride for His Son. He hasn’t gone through all the trouble of making a way for our salvation, then standing at our door to help us get out, only to find that many just feel like they should be carried into heaven with no effort on their part at all! In No Way does Jesus deserve a bride who is too lazy to even get out of their bed of earthly comforts and distractions to go to the door and let Him in. Tell me! How much more do we expect Him to do!? He has already paid a dear price for us and then worked tirelessly to get our attention! At what point do we begin to understand the gift God has given us in His Son Jesus and not take Him for granted by the casualness with which we treat His salvation? At some point if our hearts and our actions do not grab hold of Him with earnestness, He will turn away because we have hurt Him deeply, and what more is there for Him to do? He did everything right up to the point of carrying us to heaven but he won’t make our final decision for us. We have to love Him enough to go with Him of our own free will. He wants a friend and companion, not a forced slave or robot. He has done everything and will see us safely to heaven if we truly want Him. But if we truly, in our hearts, don’t want Him, He will not make us love Him.
     We need to take the gift of salvation seriously. We are so ignorant of the magnitude of the gift that we trade Him for the most worthless things of this world. The Devil fools us with garbage and like Esau, we trade our birthright for a bowl of lentils.
     
     1 Peter 1:13-16 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your behavior; because it is written, you shall be holy, for I am holy.
     
     2 Peter 2:20-22 For after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them then the first. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to it’s own vomit, and a sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
     
     What do you think playing with the world does to the heart of our Heavenly Father, when we say we belong to Him but continually choose this present world over Him? We are constantly choosing this world’s music, this world’s movies, this world’s video games, this world’s goals, this world’s pastimes, this world’s pursuits, this world’s friendship and approval over the things that please the Lord and are in obedience to His commandments. God is not fooled in regard to what we really desire and He really will give us what we want even though it breaks His heart to see our choice. If we really don’t wake up and realize what He is offering we will find we have traded Him for this present life.
     God desires a bride who appreciates the gift of His Son and will cling to Him with all their heart and never let go for any reason, and nothing can take them, or distract them out of His loving arms! They only want Him! Matt 13:44 “Like a treasure hidden in a field.” May we value our Savior for His real worth which is beyond compare and not as Judas did at 30 pieces of silver. This is not only a test for how real our own walk is with the Lord, but also a call and a challenge to reach out to all of our friends and neighbors who we have the chance to wake up and encourage on a daily basis. None of us know when the end will come in this life but one thing we know for sure, eternity is real and will be upon us before we know it!  God bless you all, and may we not take for granted the gift God has offered us in His Son!

     2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble.

20 comments:

  1. This one hits very close to what runs thru my mind quite often.Apologies for length.
    I do love MY LORD, JESUS, though when I pray to HIM, almost every night & morning, I DO mean who & what I pray for, including my PRAISE & THANKFULNESS I DO feel thruout my very heart & soul. But, I am guilty of still sinning, again & again, even though when praying, I DO truthfully ask for forgiveness & to assist me in ridding my life of Satan's presence, so then I pray ever harder to show me how to walk ever closer with HIM. I am so very afraid that JESUS will give up on me-( due to what I have written above) I have tried to walk closer with HIM, but I fall short each time. Some say "Once SAVED always SAVED. I was 'Saved'in 1998 & I KNOW when that pastor prayed over me,I felt all the 'holes' in my heart & soul close. It was the most scary, yet the most amazing,amazing feeling I have ever felt so far in my life. But I am unsure of the belief "Once Saved-always Saved". I only hope that I will soon stop falling 'short' , & be able to follow HIM closer & soon while praying for others,I hope I won't have to, feel the need to pray so fervently for HIS forgiveness for MY sins, because I finally will be able to stand & walk ever closer with MY LORD,JESUS.
    I give HIM all the GLORY,HONOR & PRAISE that all of my heart & soul can give. Though I do not know where HE will feel where the right place for me will be, as this week's passage speaks of I can only keep trying to move forward, continue praying & to try my hardest to follow the right path, & then hopefully I can earn a seat by HIM in HEAVEN.Laurie-3

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    1. Hi Laurie, I understand your concerns and I want to give you some encouragement. Anyone who is fighting to walk in a way that pleases our Heavenly Father and as it says in the Word, "Putting to death the deeds of the flesh" already can be assured that we are in Christ and that He will be faithful to complete the work He has begun in us. However those who just take for granted their salvation with no thought of actually pursuing Jesus with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, these are the ones who have to begin questioning who they are really serving even though they consider themselves saved. Do they serve their own desires for this present life or do they actually want our Savior. -Seth

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    2. Laurie- As you said at the end of your comment that you hope to earn a seat by Him in heaven, we are blessed that our place in heaven really is a gift from Him and not something we can earn however, it is a gift no child of God will ever take casually or for granted. And you can be sure that Peter and many others who died trying to give men the good news of eternity with Jesus would gladly come back and do it again if Jesus would let them, so that they might continue their work of rescuing people. So it is up to us to carry on where they left off in sharing the good news of the Gospel! Let us press on to earn the crown that we are allowed to earn which is the salvation of others and bringing many more into the kingdom of God! - God bless!

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  2. Seth, thank you so much for your replies. They came right after I was praying,about, among other things, what I had written & if I was right. And then my neighbor, Claudette came over telling me of your comments & when I read them, how they boosted my spirits & helped with my understanding of what the LORD is saying. So, thank you again for your truthful, informational &uplifting comments and how much they mean to me. I do believe that 1 day soon I will be in a much better position in my life & will be able to follow closer with the LORD,& I hope I can continue with this sky bible.This is better than a booklet that has daily short stories that explain what each psalm means &then there is a prayer at the end of each excerpt. 1 for each day. I am trying to find somewhere that might still sell this type of religious booklets of psalms for each day. I look forward to each week's topics. GOD BLESS YOU for all you write & your replies. Laurie-3

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  3. Hi LAURIE. I am going to do some researcher in my bible and concordance andtry to find scripture saying, once saved always saved. I know there are verses talking abouet being saved. But I am going to try to find verses showing how long we are saved for. Is it as long as we are on the path to heaven, following Jesus. Do we loose it when our whole heart, soul and mind is off Him. I will love going through the Word of God (the Bible) doing this.I want to find this answer as much as you. God bless.

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  4. Being a christian at a cross road right now this hits hard and really brings home the reality that I have a choice to make. It kina scares me it makes me think have I been good enough. Its enough to make you re-evaluate who you are and what you've spent your time doing.;

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  5. Just used claudets tablet for that last comment. Luis pina age 25. I wrote the last comment not claudet

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  6. We live in fast pace world, fast food; send e-mail across the country even around the world in minutes. I get inpatient if I have to wait more than 3minutes to check out. But the Lord never said once we accept him all our sinful nature will be gone. The Lord works in all of us but in different ways, He may take away the desire to watch x rated movies right away, or stop cursing the moment we accept him.
    Then there’s the deeper things in our nature that takes time, but he’s working on them slowing cutting out that part that He has chosen. We’re all sinners save by His Grace, he never asked us to be perfect before we accepted him, so why do we feel we need to be perfect after. Will He take back the gift He gave us when we were sinners, does he expect us to change all of a sudden. In John 10: 29; No man is able to pluck them out of my hand. If no man can take us away from our Lord, wouldn’t that include me? The Lord Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, no spots; of any kind He’s pure. He shed his blood for all our sins, past, present and future. John 1:9; if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, and cleans us from all unrighteousness. Our walk never stops as he never stops working within us till like Paul said I have run the good race.
    I get discourage and sometimes I wonder why, but when I look back from where He saved me till now I see a huge change outwardly but most import inwardly and not what I’ve done but what Christ has done in me. I can say truthfully I LOVE The Lord more today than when I first accepted Him in 1972.
    Trust The Lord He hasn’t given up on us.

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  7. Hi Laurie theres no where in the bible where it says once saved always saved. We need to know that it always goes back to the cross to reminds us that we have a Savior. He is our rescue and thats the reason why He died for us. So I hope that answers your questions. God Bless You

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    1. LAURIE and CARMELLA- I also could not find "once saved always saved". I did find a "stop" to being saved in Judges10:13. God is talking and says to the Isralites, "But you have foresaken Me and served other gods, So I will not longer save you." (Here, He STOPPED saving them for ungodly behavior) And Jesus says in Mark 13:13 , "All men will hate you because of Me, but he who STANDS FIRM TO THE END WILL BE SAVED." And if God is the same God He was in Old Testament....

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    2. First time,not the last... God Bless. G

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    3. I agree Claudette that God is the same in the old and the new and that Jesus is also the same They never change and we must decrease so that He increases in our lives. So that was the reason for the cross to change with the help of the Holy Sprit that dwells in us. God Bless to allho reads this.

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  8. There are a lot of references here to what God wants us to do in terms of the New Testament. What concerns me is the passages in the Old Testament. Should we also enslave others? - Griffin I. age 27

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    1. I have read the old testament throughly what i don't understand is how you came to the conclusion that the old testament enslaves people being a jewish believer i don't see that what i see is the reality of jesus in them which i can show you scripture showing this if you want more write back

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  9. HELLO
    IJUST WANT TO SAY THAT MY LOVE FOR GOD CAME BY NOT KNOWING WHAT I SHOULD CALL HIM BY NAME. I KNEW MY LORD JESUS. WHEN I BECAME CONFRONTABLE WITH JAHOVA,I LEARNED THAT I NEEDED TO START READING THE BIBLE. HERE I LEARNED THAT ALL THINGS COME IN PROPORTION OF FAITH. GOD BLESS,AND THE POWER
    OF PRAYER.IN CLOSEING I LIKE TO SHARE A SCRIPTURE . HOW MUCH MORE SERVERELY DO YOU THINK A MAN DESERVES TO BE PUNISHED WHO HAS TRAMPLED THE SON OF GOD UNHDERRFOOT, WHO HAS TREATED AS AN UNHOLY THING THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT THAT SANCTIFIED HIM, AND WHO HAS INSULTEDTHE SPIRIT OF GRACE? ....THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE...IT IS A DREADFUL THING TO FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE ONE LIVING GOD." HEBREWS 10:29-31.
    I LOVE YOU.GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. LYNN P.

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  10. Hi all. I have read these passages and agree. I will
    reread this later. Donna God Bless

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  11. I'm going to hold on to JESUS with all my heart, not let HIM go, just like the title to Seth's message says. And I'm not going to take Jesus for granted. I'm going to give HIM all the praise He deserves. (Thank you Jesus). And I'm holding on to HIM to get there. I see it as a guarantee. People who read the bible, would call it a promise from God. I'm going to hold on to Him ALWAYS. Where He goes, I'm going --------> HEAVEN.

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  12. llo all.I guess my questionof being saved for eternity interested quite a few people! I DID find passage where Jesus Himself said in JOHN verses 1-30 in both King James & New International versions.He speaks of saving us & as long as we believe & try & do follow HIM then "NO MAN CAN PLUCK THEE FROM MY HAND". So there it is. Each one can take these verses in a different context, believe me, I've read it in 2 Bibles, yet it is still hard for me to believe. I guess Christ is saying that as long as we always come back to HIM & at least try to stand & always have HIM in our heart, even while we are in doubt, then we will forever be saved.. GOD BLESS all & thank you all for your great comments. And thanks to Claudette Soden for bringing this site & computer to read & write my comments. She was the one that has never given up on bringing the Word closer to me, when she knew I first experienced my own miracle Christ performed. My little 2001 Cavilier got caught under rear wheels of 18 wheel trailer truck-you know the big long ones-tire went u-&almostover driver side where I was- something told me to lie down across front seat,I did, when 300ft later when truck finally stopped- door glass had totally popped out in tiny shards, yet, all glass sat in my lap as though it were all in a perfectly round basket & I did not have one, not ONE! scratch on me-think about it! It was like those movies where car gets rolled right over,specially short car like mine- I still to this day (it happened right after I moved to Naugy & it happened on I-95 near Westport-lots of traffic in 2010-October. I still won't drive on 84 or 95 though, but no need to-noone to go in those directions!Sorry for carrying on so much-just wanted you to know that this was when I REALLY began to believe & Claudette helped me. GOD BLESS u Claudette & again to everyone. Laurie-3

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  13. You have to live in the Word, not just call on the Lord when you feel like it.
    Even if the Lord loves you He will let your will be of this world. You need to be forth right and in His will not just call on Him when He is needed, but live under His Word. When we live half heart in this life, we hurt him.

    Nancy T

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