What eternal life will be like

Hi everyone,

This verse really impacted me recently:

Revelation 21:4

⁴ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

What an assurance is this. What a guarantee of hope.
We sometimes wonder what eternal life will be like. God has told us in His Word already. We already know what's coming! We have something to look forward to!
No more tears. No more fears. No more hunger. No more pain.
Just pure praise and worship. Adoration. Exaltation. Just glorying in our Saviour, Jesus Christ!

What a blessing.

We have so much to look forward to! This world is not our home. Our home is being with Jesus Christ. Life really begins when Jesus comes to take us to be with Him for eternity!

God bless you all!

A

3 October 2013

The Holiness of the Lord

Hi all,

The holiness of the Lord is to be feared and honoured. The chasm between man and God cannot be over-emphasised: we are sinners, He is sinless. We are dirty, He is white as snow. Our hearts naturally cling to wickedness, God's heart is love incarnate and purity divine.

Zechariah 14:20-21
"In that day, 'Holiness to the Lord shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
Yes every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts."

------
We were made clean by Jesus' blood. We were declared as righteous by the One who has the only right to be called righteous, holy and blameless.
Praise the Lord, for by His mercy can we call Him our Father. By His grace can we be called His children. What a privilege that is.

Lord Jesus, help us to be worthy of the calling that You have called us. Help us to be Your ambassadors, Your lights in a world full of darkness. Help others to see us and gravitate to Your light, seeing your perfect character as it truly is. We await the day when the world will bow down before Your feet declaring that You are God.
Let Your kingdom come Lord Jesus. Let Your kingdom come, we pray.


I pray that the Lord blesses every one of you who reads this message!

Blessings,

A

18 September 2013

The Cry of a Convicted Sinner

Hi all,

After an extended absence from blogger, I'm back.
The Lord continues to teach me and cause me to wonder in amazement at His forgiveness and lovingkindness.
I found this old, beautiful prayer recently:

The Cry of a Convicted Sinner (68)

Thou righteous and holy Sovereign,
In whos hand is my life and whose are all my ways,
Keep me from fluttering about religion;
fix me firm in it,
for I am irresolute;
my decisions are smoke and vapour,
and I do not glorify thee,
or behave according to thy will;
Cut me not off before my thoughts grow to responses,
and the budding of my sould into full flower,
for thou art forbearing and good,
patient and kind.

Save me from myself,
from the artifices and deceits of sin,
from the treachery of my perverse nature,
from denying thy charge against my offences,
from a life of continual rebellion against thee,
from wrong principles, views, and ends;
for I know that all my thoughts, affections,
desires and pursuits are alienated from Thee.
I have acted as if I hated thee, although Thou art love itself;
have contrived to tempt Thee to the uttermost,
to wear out Thy patience;
have lived evilly in word and action.
Had I been a prince
I would long ago have crushed such a rebel;
Had I been a father
I would long since rejected my child.
O, Thou Father of my spirit, thou King of my life,
cast me not into destruction,
drive me not from thy presence,
but wound my heart that it may be healed;
break it that thine own hand may make it whole.

---

May this be all of our prayer every day as we face the flaws of our human nature. May we continue to rely on the Lord for strength, on His love and on His forgiveness, living in holy trembling of His righteous wrath and in earnest longing for the eternal life that awaits those who trust Him and live in His divine service.

Blessings,

A

17 September 2013

Filthy to clean

Hi everyone,

Zechariah 3:4 recently really hit a chord within me and my personal life, reflecting how dirty and repulsive I am without Christ. My soul is cleansed by His blood alone - that is the only saving grace that I'll ever know.

"'Take away the filthy garments from him.'
  And to him He said, 'See, I have removed your iniquity from you,
  and I will clothe you with rich robes'."
  Zechariah 3:4

This little poem/story flowed from my pen after reading that verse.

***

Filthy to clean

One day I looked down
and saw my soiled clothes
Torn, tattered and dirty
I sat down and wept
for I could not enter God's palace.
The shining lights seemed to push me away,
Unworthy, unholy, impure
in the sight of the Holy One.

But then I looked up,
there was light all around me.
Night had turned to day,
darkness to light.
There stood Jesus,
the Saviour, the Redeemer

He smiled at me
He told His angels
to take off my filthy clothes.
They stripped me,
rag by rag,
sin by sin,
hidden guilt after hidden guilt,
until I stood there

stark naked

with light shining all around me

nothing left to hide

Shame crept into my heart
I began to look down again
I was not worthy to stand before Him
I couldn't look at Him in His eye

But then He spoke and said,
"See I have removed your iniquity from you,
  And I will clothe you with rich robes"

My jaw dropped in awe
I wanted to thank Him
but no words came.

I didn't need to stare down
I felt clean, white robes had encircled me
enveloping me in cleanliness, serenity and holiness

Now was I fit for Him
Now could I walk into His presence

My joy found now words
My face was glowing,
radiating the glory of the splendour that was before me

I was about to fall down
as I was overcome with hope

Jesus reached down
took my hand
and stood me up on my feet again.

He looked down at me
and I looked up at him
Then He picked me up in His arm.

I felt like a baby again

I was in the arms of perfection
I was in the arms of the divine
I was in the arms of my Saviour

and Heaven awaited me.

***

Hope that story blesses you as it blessed me. Our God is a great God, the great King above all other gods. Only He is to be worshipped. Only He deserves our praise. Only He could have stooped down from His holy majesty to pick us up and draw us close to Him, even though we are unworthy sinners.

As the words from Fanny Crosby's hymn go, we echo, 'Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus my blessed Redeemer!'

Blessings,

A

25 June 2013

Walk in His ways!

Hi everyone,

God's promises never come to nought... this one in particular really inspires me!

Zechariah 3:7

"Thus says the Lord of hosts:

     'If you will walk in My ways,

      And if you will keep My command,

      Then you shall also judge My house,

      And likewise have charge of My courts;

      I will give you places to walk 

      Among these who stand here.'"

Did I hear that right?? God will give us charge of His courts?

That's the promise! If we walk in His ways, and keep his commands, then we shall serve in his courtroom!

What a promise that is!

But I guess the qualifications for that highest of all jobs is as simple as God himself puts it: walk in His ways. If we do that, we are fit to serve God. 

Walking in His ways isn't just our own efforts though. Its every bit of God's grace and mercy coupled together with our willingness to be humble and submit under his perfect authority!

Only because of Jesus' death on that cross do we stand tall. Only because of saving grace do we live. Only because of His blood do we graciously receive gift after gift and blessing after blessing, even though we don't deserve it.

This is an opportunity to serve God. Our part is to walk in His ways.... if only it was that easy!!

Pray for each other brothers and sisters. We need prayer every moment to fulfil this holy calling!

Blessings in Jesus' name,

A

20 June 2013

My Personal Creed

Hi everyone,

This blog is just a record of my walk with God - my Christian Journey. I decided to begin this blog as I embark on a new chapter in my life. Hopefully I will be able to share my testimony at a later date!

I hope that as I follow Him and record the things He has done for me and His work in my life, His blessings upon me may bless you and encourage you in your Christian faith. This is the ultimate purpose of this blog: to share what God teaches me through His word and people around me, with you!

I was inspired as a child after reading the biographies of great Christian men and women, one of whom is still my hero, Abraham Lincoln. I was inspired after reading his personal creed regarding his belief in God to create my own:

My Personal Creed

-       I believe in God, the Almighty Ruler of Nations, our great, good and merciful Maker, our Father in Heaven, who notes the fall of a sparrow and numbers that hairs of our heads.

-        

-       I believe in His eternal truth and justice, I recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history that these nations are only blest where God is their Lord.

-        

-       I believe that the Bible is the best gift, together with Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, which God has ever given to men. All the good from the Saviour of the world is communicated to us through the Scriptures, God’s word.

-       I believe that the will of God has, will, and forever will prevail. Without Him, all human reliance is vain.

Without the assistance of that divine Being, I cannot succeed.

With that assurance and assistance, I cannot fail.

-       I believe that I must be a humble instrument in the hands of my Heavenly Father, desiring that all my work and acts may be according to His will. I give my trust in Jesus Christ and promise to continue seeking His everlasting help and forgiveness, whilst forever thanking Him, for I am a debtor to His mercy and love.

-       I believe that it is right to recognize and confess the presence of the Almighty Father equally in our triumphs and in those sorrows which we may justly fear are a punishment/challenge inflicted upon us for our presumptuous sins to the needful end of our reformation.

This is my solemn oath, registered in heaven, in God’s holy Book of Life, to finish the work I am in, in this world, in full responsibility to my God, with malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right as God gives me to see the right, all the while, being His worthy witness for God’s glory.

May God's grace be with you all!

A

19 June 2013