“Put your affairs in order.” Words gripping the souls of husband and wife as the doctor pronounced that, although further palliative measures could be taken, this was a terminal illness. Disease was not a stranger to the couple as both had survived cancer and he had fought through several heart attacks, but those five words had a finality not experienced before. On a new level, they agreed with the words of Dr. Jill Ker Conway describing the inevitability that her generation-older husband would likely die before she did: “We all live on the brink of mortality,”

Put your affairs in order. Words that jolt us out of the false sense of security we possess—likely brought about by an equally false sense of control. Surely our dedication to exercise and healthy diet, our reliance on the best medical advice possible, our Invictus attitude (“I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul”), even our belief that God can miraculously intervene, all these somehow mask the reality that death comes to all.

But for followers of Jesus, it is not only possible but necessary to spend a lifetime putting our affairs in order. We consistently choose to believe that God is good and loving, just and merciful. We choose to base both small and large decisions on patterns observed in Jesus’ life. We make a practice of confession, repentance and holy living. We dig deep into the Bible to see God’s faithfulness through the ages as revealed in the lives of men and women just like ourselves. In the midst of recognizing the painful reality of death, we choose to believe that eternal life isn’t an existence that begins at the point of death, but—as Jesus affirmed—eternal life is knowing (understanding, acknowledging, experiencing). (John 17:3) “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Eternal life is one continuous experience of putting our affairs in order!

By Marilyn Ehle
Used by Permission

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We are told that there are things that accompany salvation (Hebrews 6:9). The things that accompany salvation are probably innumerable. Here are but a few.

Abundant life  –  John 10:10
Being sanctified – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Christ in us  –  Colossians 1:27
Deliverance from the power of darkness  – Colossians 1:13
Eternal life  – 1 John 5:11
Forgiveness  – 1 John 1:9
God being for us  –  Romans 8:31
Hope  – Acts 24:15
Illumination  –  Hebrews 8:1
Joy and peace  –  Romans 15:13
Knowing the things God has freely given –  1 Corinthians 2:12
Learning Christ  – Ephesians 4:20
Married to Christ  – Romans 7:4
No condemnation  – Romans 8:1
Our names written in Heaven  –  Luke 10:20; Hebrews 12:23
Peace with God  –  Romans 5:1
Qualified to partake of the saints’  inheritance  –  Colossians 1:11-12
Righteousness, peace, and joy –  Romans 14:17
Strength in the inner man  –  Ephesians 3:16; Romans 8:11
Taste of the Lord  –  1 Peter 2:3
Understanding eyes  –  Ephesians 1:18-19
Victory in overcoming the world  –  1 John 5:4-5
Whole armor of God  –  Ephesians 6:11-18
Extra ordinary miracles  –  Acts 19:11
Yearning heart of the Lord  –  Jeremiah 31:20
Zeal for the Lord  –  Roman 12:11

What a joy when our hope is in Christ!

My prayer for you this week

“Creator God, thank-you for making the unchanging nature of Your purpose very clear to us by confirming it with an oath. You did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for You to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Thank-you, in Jesus name, Amen.”  Hebrews 6:17-20

by Alec Niemi
Used by Permission

FURTHER READING

• • God’s Good Gifts – by Max Lucado
  • God’s Timeless Gift – by Allan Mitchell
  • Accepting God’s Gift of Love by Charles Stanley

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“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Romans 6:23

One night I was speaking to several hundred men gathered in a skid row mission for an evangelistic meeting. I had been invited to bring the address and as always my heart was deeply stirred when I realized that these men needed the Lord so very much. In the spiritual sense, though, their lot was no worse than the leaders of the city, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and the wages of sin is death whether one is rich or poor, old or young, sick or well. It makes no difference. The wages of sin is death.

In an effort to communicate to these men the love of God and His free gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord, I pulled a ten-dollar bill from my pocket and said, “The first person who comes to take this from my hand, can have it as a free gift.” This was my way of illustrating God’s gift of grace. Out of the hundreds of people seated before me, not a single person moved as I extended the bill, repeating several times, “The first one who will come and take this bill from my hand can have it.”

Finally, a middle-aged man, shabbily dressed like the rest, stood timidly to his feet and with an inquiring expression said, “Do you really mean it?” I said, “Sure, come and get it; it is yours.” He almost ran to grasp it and he thanked me. The rest of the crowd began mumbling, as if to say, “Why didn’t I have the faith to go and accept the gift?”

This gave me a marvelous opportunity to emphasize that we do not earn God’s love. He loves us unconditionally – not because of who we are, but because of who He is. God proved His love for us in that while we were all wretched sinners, He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us and give to all men who will receive Him the gift of eternal life. Oh, what an attractive gift. Who could refuse to accept such a wonderful gift?

Bible Reading: Romans 6:17-22

Today’s Action Point: I will trust the Lord to help me make His offer of this marvelous free gift, the gift of His only begotten Son who is eternal life, so attractive that no one can refuse to accept it.

By Dr. Bill Bright
used be permission

FURTHER READING

An Undeserved Gift 

A Christian Muslim in the Middle Eastt

Accepting God’s Gift of Love

The post Free Gift appeared first on Thoughts About God.

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 13-14

“Waiting” has been my buzz word for the past two years as my name has inched up a long list toward a surgery date. I recall a counseling appointment early in the process where I wrestled with feeling set on a shelf. Waiting felt passive, like a huge waste of time. While the specifics of what the counselor said are lost, the bigger message stuck – “Live your life.”

Over time, I am adopting this perspective more and more that my life is whatever is presently going on. It sounds simplistic but are we waiting for something to change or get better in order to start living? I appreciate one author’s idea that we must forgive the very circumstances of our lives and I would add to that, that we even need to embrace them. This is my life – today – right now – these moments. Whatever they are…or aren’t.

And yet I am called to wait for the hope of glory. Scripture clearly instructs us to fix our eyes on the prize, keep the finish line in view, to remember the goal of eternity. So I experience a tension in this earthly home, not waiting to live the one life God has given me here while waiting to live with Him eternally. At first it can seem contradictory when, in fact, it’s the very looking forward to eternity that needs to inform my priorities for today. I catch a glimpse of the big picture as I attempt to faithfully walk out the small picture.

Lord, please help me to keep my eyes focused on the end goal so that I will see You in this moment and what You have for me today. Help me to live each day fully for You. Amen.

Thoughts: Consider what you are waiting for and ask yourself if it is keeping you from living or motivating you toward eternity. How can you actively anticipate eternal life? What are you putting off?

By Shelaine Strom
Used by Permission

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