2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
In the course of this long “Who Is God?” series, Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there, has led us to examine many citations that not only reveal His marvelous attributes, but also reveal the difficulty He has had in getting mankind to respond to them with faithfulness. A God with human frailties would have given up on mankind a long time ago in disgust. But our God is perfect with none of the weaknesses that mankind has. Not only is He perfect, but He is always there for us as a powerful source of righteousness in our lives. He guides and encourages us toward faithfulness twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I’m writing this message as Easter approaches and am led to celebrate our risen Lord with Scriptural reminders to all of us of the blessings His grace extends to us. It is these messages which support my assertion that the entire Bible is God’s love letter to us. I am convinced that every time we have even the smallest victory over the work of the adversary in our lives, our Abba wants to stand up and cheer.
The promise of reconciliation, restoration, and the hope of the resurrection didn’t just begin with Christ’s incarnation and passion. EZK 37: 21-28 is a passage that reveals God’s love for His children and His eagerness to bless us. “Then tell them that I, the sovereign Lord, am going to take all My people out of the nations where they have gone, gather them together, and bring them back to their own land. I will unite them into one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. They will have one King to rule over them, and they will no longer be divided into two kingdoms. They will not defile themselves with disgusting idols anymore or corrupt themselves with sin. I will free them from all the way in which they sin and betray Me. I will purify them; they will be My people, and I will be their God. A King like My servant David will be their one Ruler and will obey My laws faithfully. They will live on the land I gave to My servant Jacob, the land where there ancestors lived. They will live there forever, and so will their children and all their descendants. A King like my servant David will rule them forever. I will make a covenant with them that guarantees their security forever. I will establish them and increase their population and will see to it that My Temple stands forever in their land. I will live there with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people. When I place My Temple there to be among them forever, then the nations will know that I, the Word, have chosen Israel to be My own people.” Dear Ones, this is a powerful and amazingly detailed description of God’s Kingdom that will be established after the final “separation of sheep and goats” [tribulation-MT 25: 32].
Yesterday, I shared citations that made it clear that the bodies of believers are “God’s Temple and that the Spirit lives in us” [1 COR 3: 16] and that Christ’s work on the cross which granted us salvation was followed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. What this means to us is a huge blessing outlined in COL 1: 27, “God’s plan is to make known His secret to His people, this rich and glorious secret which He has for all peoples. And, the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.” Think about what that means. Because we endure in our faith, God is able to gradually perfect us in the process of sanctification. When that day comes that Christ calls us to a meeting in the air [1 THESS 4: 16-17], we will be able to go to Him. We will be given “resurrection bodies” which are no longer decaying and mortal, but are immortal [1 COR 15: 42-44]. We will then attend the wedding feast of the Lamb [REV 19: 7-9], that momentous time when Christ and the church are eternally united. The Kingdom described above will then be our permanent home with all the others who believed throughout history.
We have the assurance given us in HE 13: 5, “He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you, no will I ever forsake you.’” We will know that I THESS 1: 10 has come true. “[We] wait for His Son Jesus, Whom He raised from death and Who rescues us from God’s coming wrath.” There will be the fulfillment of Christ’s marvelous words in JN 14: 2-3, “There are many mansions in My Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place, I will come back and take you Myself, so that you will be where I am.” Imagine being a permanent citizen of heaven where Jesus is and surrounded by all your fellow believers forever! Imagine being a joint-heir to that place, always encased in the warmth and love of the Father! I have known some magnificently obedient and faithful people who have already gone home to be with the Lord. My faith tells me that there will be a reunion with these loved ones in heaven that is so wonderful that words can’t describe it. I also believe that many of the questions that Jehovah Shammah has left up to faith for now will be answered. The hope of my heart is that we will all be there together to love each other and worship the Father together forever.
PRAYER: O Lord, we stand in awe at the consistency of Your messages to us in the Scriptures. You have demonstrated Your righteousness in Your perfect record of keeping Your promises. That is why we can be assured that when You think the time is right, You will establish Your Kingdom. Your love for us is also sealed in perfection. What other reason could there have been for You to sacrifice Your only Son on the cross and let us know of His resurrection? What other reason could there be for You to command Him to send us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, teach us, and guide us toward sanctification? You have given us the hope of the resurrection and have described the Kingdom You are preparing for us for an eternity with You. In providing prayer and the Scriptures for us, You have given us a way to understand Your will, be encouraged by You, and to know Your righteousness and Your love. In our times of sorrow, You offer us comfort not available from any other source. Today, we approach You in humility to offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and heartfelt thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
We have one more message in this “Who Is God?” series. It continues the theme of God’s blessings and deals with how they should impact us while we still await full consummation of them. Then, we will be on to other matters which Jehovah Shammah dictates. Our God is a very personal One. He is the Lord of our lives Who loves, blesses, interacts, teaches, encourages, and sometimes disciplines us. He is our God, and we are His people. Hallelujah! Peter and I send you our love too.
race Be With You Always,
Lynn