Eternal Perspective

Are you experiencing God's supernatural power in your life?  I am!  It's hard to explain and amazing to experience.  Today, our UPS guy asked me, "Why are you so chipper?"  In that moment, I thought it was because I was heading home.  But the real answer is that God was truly apart of everything I did today.  And because He was, I saw favor in every area.  And it only gets better. 

PRAYER: Father, I pray for healing in marriages and family relationships.  I pray that Your spirit moves the individual to think outside of themselves and look for ways to serve those that they love.  I rebuke the spirit of fear over those in my life LORD.  I pray that their trust in You precedes any stress, discouragement, and overwhelming states.  I pray for increased obedience LORD.  We know our salvation has nothing to do with rules but You do set a standard of quality for us to live by.  I pray that we each embrace this standard and live it uniquely to our individually characters but all in honor of You.  Thank You LORD for our past, present and future.  Thank You for choosing each one of us.  Thank You for creating us, and loving us even before we were formed.  You are phenomenal.  I love You.  In Jesus' name, amen.

MATTHEW 16: 21-28

JESUS PREDICTS HIS DEATH: part 4

(Emphasis v. 24-28) Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

When we don't know or honor Christ, we make choices as though there were no afterlife.  In reality, this life is just the introduction to eternity.  How we live this brief (though sometimes those days seems soooo long) span determines our eternal state.  What we accumulate on earth has no value in gaining eternal life.  Even the highest social or civic honors cannot earn us entrance into heaven.  Jesus has the authority to judge all the earth (Romans 14:9-11; Philippians 2:9-11).  Although His judgment is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgment when Christ returns (25:31-46) and every one's life will be reviewed and evaluated.  This will not be confined to unbelievers; those who are saved, too, will face judgment.  Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus ties in order to determine their heavenly rewards.  At the time of judgment, God will deliver the righteous and condemn the wicked. We should not judge others' salvation, that is God's work.

For most of you, I know a lot of this, even when explained still doesn't make any sense to you.  Don't worry, pray for understanding and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the only One who can reveal the true meaning of the Word.  I can type and talk my head off, and you may get some of it; but you wont get all of it until it is revealed by the Spirit.  So, be diligent in seeking the revelation of the Word.  Once the Word starts to take form and meaning in your life, your habits will begin to change.  I've been asking myself a lot lately, why does certain injustices irritate me so much?  Why do I care so much about certain things?  Why am I interested in certain areas?  To the human eye, we chalk it up to age.  But I know it's because my spirit is maturing and what was clouding my eyes before, God is clearing away so that I see what truly matters in this life.  It starts out confusing, because we're so worried about our exact purpose and the meaning of life.  But as I trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit, I see my life heading into a direction I never imagined but I know for sure is an exciting place, meant JUST for me.  God wants to take you on Your specific journey as well.

PONDER THIS:

WILL YOU ALLOW GOD TO TRANSFORM YOU?

ACTION:

EVALUATE YOUR LIFE-STYLE FROM AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE AND YOU WILL FIND YOUR VALUES AND DECISIONS CHANGING.

Jesus said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." Mark 16:15

Notes from Life Application Study Bible & NIV Women's Devotional Bible-Classic Edition.  Definitions from the New Oxford American Dictionary