Tag: repentance

One Day

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Text Free Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

One day we shall rise
and meet Jesus in the sky,
put away this humanity
as we step into eternity.

Heaven, at last,
will be our home,
forever in Your presence
we will evermore roam.

No more clouds, sin,
or earthly dismay,
we will be caught up,
raptured away.

The days draw near,
with my heart, I look up,
anticipating fellowship
at the Lord’s dinner to sup.

Eternity is forever,
today is temporary,
through trials and toils,
look up, blessed honorary.

The King will come
to take us home,
His people, beloved,
as His very own.

If you’re not sure
of your future bright,
let not this day pass
without making it right.

Tomorrow’s not promised.
Today is at hand.
Repent and turn
while you still can.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” ~ 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” ~ Revelation 1:7

“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:52

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” ~ Titus 2:13

“And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.” ~ Mark 13:26, 27

“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” ~ Acts 2:38

“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” ~ Acts 3:19

The Redeemer Shall Come!

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“And the Redeemer shall come to Zion…”
Isaiah 59:20

Ready or not, was what we shouted when we were ready to open our eyes to find those who hid from us in the game of Hide-and-Seek. But today, we are past the times of games. There is no more time for playing.

The Redeemer shall come and those who are repentant, who turn from their transgressions and sins will meet Jesus face to face!

Oh, what a day that will be! The chains and the shackles of this world will be permanently loosed and true freedom will come once and for all. God’s people will rise to reign in victory because the Redeemer has come!

At Jesus’ first coming He was a babe in a manger who grew to become our Savior; our sacrifice on the cross. At His second coming, He’s coming with all the power of heaven to judge: “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works,” (Matthew 16:27).

For those who remain unrepentant, it will be a fearful time: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” (Matthew 24:30, emphasis added).

Luke 21:25-28 explains further that it is going to be a time for the “distress of nations, with perplexity” and also of “men’s hearts failing them for fear.” That the “powers of heaven shall be shaken,” then, they will see the “Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (v.27).

The end of verse 28 encourages us to, “Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh!” The Redeemer is coming, ready or not!

The Redeemer is coming for His people. God had long ago established a direct covenant with His people from the time of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15; 17:1-7).

But Jeremiah 31:31-33 foresees a new covenant that God will write on the hearts of mankind. The “new” that God was doing would not resemble the same as He established with their forefathers. “New” did not mean recycled or upcycled to God. New meant new. A new way of doing things. A new story to tell. A new deliverance to grant to a lost and dying world. New!

The idea behind the new covenant is for restored lives, regardless of ethnicity or background. This restoration will take place when people are made new spiritually. People are made new when they enter into a new relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus. When they do, God forgives their sins. It’s the message behind the Bible, it’s the message centered in the Gospels, and it is the message carried through to Jesus Christ on the cross, the testator of the New Testament, the new covenant (see Hebrews 9:14-22).

At the Lord’s Supper, Jesus declares, “For this is the blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins,” (Matthew 26:28). Jesus was and is the Source of the new covenant, the Redeemer that would take away the sins of the world to those who accept Him:

  • “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name,” (John 1:12, emphasis added).
  • “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:26, emphasis added).
  • “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God, (Ephesians 2:19, emphasis added).
  • “Ye are Christ’s!” He has secured membership for you and me. He has redeemed us and set us in place to be called His own. We are now “joint-heirs” with Him, we are connected with Him, (Romans 8:17, emphasis added).

The Bible tells us, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!” (Psalm 31:19, NKJV, emphasis added). God promised a Redeemer and our Redeemer is coming back! We who belong to Him have something to get excited about!

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth,” Job 19:25

Job knew where his trust lies, and we know today, that in Christ is our redemption: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins,” (Colossians 1:14).

Victory is ours. New life is ours. Our Redeemer is real and He saves, and He is coming back again! Get ready!

Text Free Image by giografiche from Pixabay

Rebuilding Ruins

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Image by Robert Alvarado from Pixabay 

“And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.

Then the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.” Ezekiel 36:35-36

Archaic and ancient, yet there is beauty within.  Rubbled and ruined, but potential peeks through with the willingness to start again, to be reborn with purpose once more.

I must say, I am drawn to history and design in this manner.  I love to learn about places of old.  I am drawn to those shows and documentaries that feature taking these older places and structures, revitalizing them, restoring their ancient beauty, and making them livable and valuable once more.

If you are inclined to watch such programming, you will see that meticulous care is taken in the restoration process.  And the older a place is, with more original features, the chances are the work that needs to be done cannot be done by just any rebuilder. Instead, those who are trained to deal with period pieces and materials are called in to work with their expertise on the structure to remake it to be as close to the original as possible.

God has always been in the rebuilding business.  From the time of the Fall, and the Flood, and many points in between and beyond, though His people went through adversity, it was done with the intent of a new and fresh start from their sins and mistakes.

In ancient captivity, the children of Israel lived in bondage to the Babylonians due to their own sins and wayward ways.  But God, in this chapter, looked forward to a time of restoration; a time of renewal for His people.  A time and a moving that will bring glory to His name and not the dishonor that had been promoted by His people’s unholy living (36:21).

God was going to gather His people from where they had been dispersed and bring them back home (36:24), and the great rebuilding process would begin.  Beginning with Cyrus (Ezra 1), followed by the help of other kings, God’s people would return home physically and spiritually, and the ruins would be rebuilt and lives would be restored in their relationship with God.

To accomplish this, God was going to give them a new heart and a new spirit (36:26-27).  God was not just satisfied with cities becoming occupied again, but He wanted inner transformation.  He wanted hearts that would make Him feel welcomed once more.  A heart that would be in love with the Father and His ways once more.  Those were the ruins God was most interested in rebuilding.  The outward buildings were nice, but the new inner man who was being transformed, this is the real beauty God wants to see.  To Him, this matters the most.

When David sought to be restored, he prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).  He wanted to be restored to the Father because his own sins caused a separation.  He wanted to be rebuilt from the inside out.

Today, our heavenly Father is still rebuilding ruins.  Much like David, when a heart turns to Him in true humility and repentance, they can be restored.  Jesus Christ became the way for this to happen: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17); “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  

When we come to Him and accept Him as Savior (Acts 2:38-39; John 3:5; Romans 6:4), He takes the old us and makes us something new: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17), and we are ruins no more.

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3) – this is where the rebuilding begins.

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Open Your Heart . . .

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Open your heart, dear Friend, open your heart.  There is a God in heaven and He is waiting for the doors to swing wide open that He may gain access.  “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

He is a gentleman.  He will not force Himself upon you.  But with love, He beckons you to let Him in.  “The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee” (Jeremiah 31:3).

Draw near, dear Friend, draw near.  Do not let this moment pass you by.  He’s waiting on you, but as with any opportunity, the days are fleeting and time continues to move ahead.  “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Will you welcome Him, dear Friend, will you welcome Him.  “Behold, I stand at the door,” He says, “and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

The Bible says that restoration is waiting for those who are truly repentant.  “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).  “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

Open your heart to God and let Him rain on you.  He will cause you to grow with new life.  “I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon” (Hosea 14:5).  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

The precious gift awaits.  Open your heart, and receive Him for yourself.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

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