Live in Light of Eternity; Love as Jesus Loved
We Say—
God use me, but then we cower and make excuses when He leads us to a new task.
We Say—
God use me, but then we pray, “Oh, NO, LORD!” when His Holy Spirit speaks to our soul.
We Say—
God use me, but then we disobey Holy God’s calling to go & to love people who sin differently than we do.
We Say—But Do We Really Mean What—We Say?
Go with me into the life of an older man named Abram, a man leaning closer to retirement years than he is to working years, but God does not look at the years we have lived; God looks at the life left in our years.
God also knows how many years of life we have left because it is God Himself who numbered our years, our days even before He created even our first day.
I am sure that when God spoke to Abram, he never fathomed that one day his name & his descendants would be listed in the “Hall of Faith,” for at the time when God called Abram, there was no such thing as the written Word of God, for the Bible had not yet been given from God to mankind.
Let us be reminded of the way God calls His children.
“And He took him outside and said [the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY walked Abram outside the tent where he lived],“Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.”
And He said to him,
“So shall your descendants be.”
Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
(Genesis 15: 5-6 NASB)
Don’t let us run past these verses today.
- Consider Abram’s calling.
- Consider his thoughts.
- Consider his questions.
- Consider his faith.
Finally, consider just exactly how Abram’s faith touched our opportunity to come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
“On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,
“To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates;
the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite
and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim
and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite.”
(Genesis 15: 18-21 NASB)
Don’t let us run past these verses today.
- Consider how Abram was called to leave his homeland Egypt.
- Consider how Abram was called to leave the land where he was born.
- Consider how Abram was called to go to a place where he did not even know a soul.
- Consider how Abram was called to go to a place where God promised to show him.
Finally, consider just exactly how Abram’s faith touched our opportunity to come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
Abram was given an overwhelming task, one given by God Himself.
- In all of Abram’s humanity, like us, he asked God: “How in the world can I accomplish this?”
- In all of God’s Authority, the Heavenly Father provided Abram an object lesson he could somewhat understand.
- In all of Abram’s days lived, he probably had never gazed on the stars in the night sky just like he did the night walked Abram with God outside his tent.
- In all of God’s Amazing Grace, the Son of God provided each of us the only way for mankind to come to know God—dying on the cross of Calvary & by resurrecting to new life, overcoming death so that we could receive Eternal Life with Him.
Only God defines God!
Oftentimes, when God speaks, all that we can do is place our hand over our mouths & bow in reverence to Him.
Without a doubt, when God speaks, all that we can do is say, “Wow!”
Sometimes, when God speaks and moves within the circumstances of our lives, we can only fall to our knees and weep tears of joy as we experience God’s amazing forgiveness.
Only God defines God!
Who are we?
What is God calling us to—today?
Where is God calling us to—today?
How will we allow God to position our hearts as we respond to God’s calling—today?
“By faith Abraham, [Abram’s new God-given name when He said, “YES, LORD”]
when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise,
as in a foreign land,
dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob,
fellow heirs of the same promise;
for he was looking for the city which has foundations,
whose architect and builder is God.”
(Hebrews 11: 8-10 NASB)
Live in Light of Eternity; Love as Jesus Loved
- Obey God, going wherever He leads.
- Obey God, even when we don’t know the “how” or “why.”
- Obey God & live in this foreign land called earth.
- Obey God & remember our citizenship is in heaven because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
- Obey God, dwelling within the “earthly tent” of a body, fully realizing that “This is not our permanent home or body.”
- Obey God, dwelling alongside other believers, encouraging one another along the path of life.
- Obey God, walking within the leading of His Holy Spirit.
Obey GOD, keeping our eyes upon God’s Promise!
Obey GOD, keeping on the lookout for Jesus’ return!
Obey God, remembering that our existence is ALL ABOUT GOD’S WILL and not our own!
- Obey God & Live in Light of Eternity.
- Obey God & Love Others just as Jesus Loved.
OBEY GOD—IT IS THE ONLY WAY TO LIVE!