In Isaiah 55:11 God gives us a promise concerning HIS wonderful Word...you have probably heard it quoted often..."So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." If those words are too familiar to you, please allow the full weight of them to penetrate your heart and mind. God's will and purpose WILL be accomplished in HIS creation. We have pointed to HIS absolute sovereignty and providence many times throughout the past year...HIS will, will be done!
The question is where am I and where are you in relationship to HIS will? HIS Word tells us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:11)...praise God! Will you bow the knee and confess HIS as Lord before you die and spend eternity in HIS glorious presence or will you bow the knee and confess HIS as Lord after you die and spend eternity in hell? I am amazed every time I read of those in Revelation who refuse to repent and turn from their evil ways...we witness the wrath of God being poured out and still they refuse to repent!
Rev 9:20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;
Rev 9:21 and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.
Rev 16:9 Men were scorched with fierce heat; and they blasphemed the name of God who has the power over these plagues, and they did not repent so as to give Him glory.
Rev 16:11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.
So if you have never come to Jesus please hear the invitation of Revelation 22:17, The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. Hear the invitation of Isaiah 55:1 “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." For those that receive Jesus by faith, for those who are weary and come to Jesus, HE will give you rest and you will have access to the throne and to the water of life as we see in Revelation 22:1, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" This is a free gift of our Great God's grace, it cost HIM HIS own blood so that we could come without payment. Praise God for Revelation 21:6...And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.
For those of us who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good, but we have become lukewarm or we have not noticed that we have wandered away from the shepherd, the good shepherd...one moment we were by HIS side and the next thing we knew we had wandered away being enticed by greener pastures. Let's not be like the Israelites in Amos! You may remember in Amos that 5 times God lamented that HE had labored to get HIS people to return and 5 times HE states "yet you did not return to me."
Zech 1:3“Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the Lord of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.
Mal 3:7 “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
You may be wondering how to return...that is the awesome thing about God's Word...HE has given us everything we need for life and godliness. In John 14:21 Jesus teaches how vital it is that HIS followers walk in obedience to HIM, remember..."Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” If you long to be intimates with Jesus and behold more beauty than you can conceive obey what you know already and then HE will reveal more to you.
Secondly, remember how you loved HIM when you first came to faith in Christ, remember the joy, the excitement of the new found relationship with the Creator and sustainer of the universe...remember, repent and do the things you did at first! Revelation 2:4-5 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
'Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by his holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose', William Templed
Oh God, oh God...prone to wander LORD I feel it, prone to leave the God I love, take my heart LORD, take and seal it, seal if for thy courts above. Father, seal it for YOUR glory and for my JOY in YOU. Father enable me by the filling of YOUR precious Holy Spirit to walk, live, breath in a manner worthy of the gospel...this is impossible apart from YOU working this in me! Father ignite a white-hot fire in my heart and mind for YOU and YOU alone in 2009...enable my little light to burn bright for YOU...Matt 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Father, teach me what it means and enable me to meditate on YOUR Word day and night...please enable me to be the blessed man of Psalm 1...enable me to find ALL my delight, joy, satisfaction in YOU though YOUR Holy Word! Please accomplish this in a way that YOU get ALL the glory and I am filled with YOUR JOY...the Joy of my Master, Lord and Savior. Thank you for YOUR Word, thank you for the gift of salvation, thank you for my family.
Though we walked away from a successful business 11 years ago to follow you into ministry and by this worlds standards we have nothing...I know, I know that I am unbelievably rich...I am rich in relationships...first my relationship to YOU, secondly my wife and then children and the friends you have given us! I know enough to know that the glorious inheritance in heaven is that we get YOU! THANK YOU! LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!
love,
m