Thought for Today - July 26, 2023
Have A Good Forever
By: Robert A. Searles
Dear Reader:
A wise person is one who makes preparation for the future. Have you
thought about your future? You CAN have an abundant life and a “good
forever” if you WILL, it's all up to you. The right to choose has been
given to you by a loving heavenly Father who, being rich, became poor
that you might become rich. What will your future be like?
If
you knew that you had only a few more hours to live and at this time
tomorrow you would be somewhere in eternity, wouldn't you want to know
that you were “right” with God? Wouldn't you want to have truth and
justice on your side?
We all must die sooner or later. Some
will die today. It could be your time today. If you were to die today,
do you know for sure where you will spend eternity?
“And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews
9:27), where will you stand at the last judgment of God? “Boast not
thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”
(Proverbs 27: 1.
An important man in the eyes of the world once
asked, “What is truth?” Unfortunately, he did not wait for the answer.
God is true, and the Word of God is truth. We are surrounded by
darkness and uncertainties, but the light from heaven shines
forth the truth of God to give us light to dispel the darkness and bring us good news and hope.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. The same was in the beginniung with God All things were made
by him: and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him
was life: and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in
darkness and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1: 1-5)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, ( and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father),
full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
“He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew
him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 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: 10-12.
The
“Word made flesh” is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the only
begotten, divine son of God, who is one with the Father. He came into
the world to reveal to us the Father and to lay down his life for the
sins of all mankind. The Word of God says that all people are sinners
from birth, and are separated from God. If they remain in this
condition, they will be forever separated from God and will go to hell.
“As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: there is none
that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:
10,11)
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” ( Romans 3: 23.)
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6: 23)
The Word of God also tells us that whosoever will believe in his heart
that Jesus Christ is the divine son of God (virgin born), and that he
laid down his life on the cross and shed his blood to pay for the sins
of individuals; whosoever will believe that God hath raised him from
the dead and that he ever liveth to make intercession for us; whosoever
will call upon the Lord Jesus Christ from his heart, repent, and turn
away from sin and invite the Lord Jesus Christ to come live in his heart
shall be saved. He will be “born again” into the family of God and
will become a child of God.
Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ( John 3: 3.)
The Philippian jailer asked, “What must I do to be saved?” The answer:
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved, and thy
house.” (Acts 16: 30,31)
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever
shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:
21).“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts
4:12).
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the
name of the only begotten son of God.” (John 3: 18).
The one and
only thing that can determine your destiny for all eternity is what you
do with Jesus Christ, God's gift of love to you. The one and only thing
that can seal your doom in hell is your rejection of the only begotten
son of God. God is not willing for you to spend eternity in hell apart
from him. “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.” (John 3: 16).
What will you do with Jesus
Christ? He is the only one that has the power to save you and give you
eternal life. What would you do with him if you knew that this was your
very last day on earth? Salvation is by the grace of God alone, not by
good deeds, nor good morals, nor by good intentions.
“For by grace
are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8, 9).
How can you be sure that you are saved? Confess, and agree with God
that you are a sinner by birth, and by choice, and that you fall far
short of what God intended for you to be. Repent – be truly sorry for
this fact and have a genuine desire in your heart to change the
direction of your life and live for God. Ask God's forgiveness, pray
this simple prayer to God: - “God, be merciful to me a sinner, and save
me for Christ's sake.” Gratefully receive by faith God's pardon.
Appropriate to yourself the atoning power of the cross and the shed
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins. Trust God
to do the rest. What is the next step?
Tell someone that you
have trusted in the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ for your
salvation, it could be your wife, your husband, your children, your
parents, your friends, or anyone. Write to us and let us know. We will
rejoice with you. The Word of God says: “That if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto rigfhteousness: and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10: 9,10).
As a newborn child
of God, you ought to seek the fellowship of other born again children of
God, preferably in an independent ,fundamental, bible-teaching church,
for the purpose of worship, study, and service. Within the fellowship
of a local church, you ought to follow the Lord in believer's baptism,
by immersion, as a testimony of the death of the old person, and
resurrection to newness of life in Christ: going down into the water in
the likeness of Christ's death, and being raised up out of the water in
the likeness of his resurrection. You ought to attend services on a
regular basis In order to grow In grace and knowledge of the word of
God, and be a regular partaker of the Lord's supper or communion as a
memorial of what the Lord has done for you. You ought to obtain a copy
of a good translation of the word of God, the bible, (I recommend the
King James version), and read and study it daily and allow the Holy
Spirit to instruct you and cause you to grow in the things of the Lord.
May God Bless you in your new Christian life.
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Psalm 26:7
