God gave us the gift of free will. We choose who we trust and place our faith in. God never makes us choose, but He does show us the truth and let us decide who we serve.
John 3:18-20 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
Life is a gift from God, and He created everything to be good. But at the end of the day, it’s up to us to choose between good and evil. It’s our decision.
Isaiah 2:3
Many people shall come and say,
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
We’ll always have the freedom to choose between good and evil. Some people will try to become gods themselves, thinking they’re better than others and want to be on the same level or even above their Creator. We’re tested to show our loyalty and complete faith in God through the salvation of Jesus the Christ.
Jesus alone has the power to save to the uttermost those who trust in Him.
Hosea 5:15
I will return again to My place
Till they acknowledge their offense.
Then they will seek My face;
In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.”
In the resurrection Jesus went back to heaven and is now sitting at the Father’s right hand. Jesus will come back.
Hosea 6:1-2
Come, and let us return to the Lord;
For He has torn, but He will heal us;
He has stricken, but He will bind us up.
After two days He will revive us;
On the third day He will raise us up,
That we may live in His sight.
Israel will recognize and mourn Jesus, whom they rejected, as their only Son. After two days (a day in Scripture is like a thousand year) God brought them back to their land. On the third day, in 3000 years, He will bless them and raise them up.
Joel 3:2
I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations;
They have also divided up My land.
God will bring all nations together and judge them on their actions concerning Israel. Jesus will come back and reign and rule with peace and truth, establishing His Kingdom on earth.
Amos 9:14-15
I will bring back the captives of My people Israel;
They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them;
They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
I will plant them in their land,
And no longer shall they be pulled up
From the land I have given them,”
Says the Lord your God.
The Bible says it, and it’s true: Israel will rebuild their land and they have returned to their ancestral home.
Zechariah 14:8-9
And in that day it shall be—
That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem,
Half of them toward the eastern sea
And half of them toward the western sea;
In both summer and winter it shall occur.
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.
In that day it shall be
“The Lord is one,”
And His name one.
He will return and He will reign. Jesus of Nazareth will be King over all the earth!
John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
In His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke about the second death, where everyone will hear His voice. Those who accepted God’s gift of salvation through Him will enjoy eternal life. But those who chose to reject Him will face eternity without Him. Carla
At His first coming, Jesus came so that the world through Him might be saved. When Jesus comes again, He will come in judgment upon those who refused His offer of salvation. To believe is to receive life and avoid judgment. A person who does not believe not only misses life, but is condemned already. Condemnation refers to the reason for judgment. The light referred to here is Jesus, the light of the world.
People offer many excuses for not accepting Christ. Some cite the presence of hypocrites in the church. Others claim inability to believe some of the truths about Christ or the gospel. These are merely attempts to conceal a heart in rebellion against God. The ultimate reason people do not come to Christ is that they do not want to. The NKJ Study Bible
John prefers to refer to Jesus as the “Son” and God as the “Father. Jesus’ reflection and representation of the Father is complete. As one sent by God, Jesus fully represented Him on earth. Rejection of Jesus results in condemnation. The New Testament ultimately roots all salvation in faith in Christ. There is no other way to achieve right standing with God. The dualism between light and dark is a common theme in John’s Gospel and 1 John. In this context, “evil” refers to deeds that flow from unbelief. Anything done apart from faith in Christ is no better than the worst evil. Faithlife Study Bible
Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
Romans 3:29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
Acts 2:21
And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.’
Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
Acts 10:35–36 But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all—
I often think of the question a friend asks me, "What holds you?"
I recently read this quote, and find it to be a perfect response to the question: There are two places you need to go often. A place that heals you. And a place that inspires you.
I marvel at stories about people with fortitude or stamina. Those places of beauty, creativity, resilience, imagination, courage and humor. Those places of unrecognized beauty. Places of healing. And inspiration.
“There’s something deep inside, that helps us become what we can.” We are fueled by our inherent value. Remembering our endowment, by our Creator, with good.
Can we hear that today?
I hope so.
“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place.” Iain Thomas
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Fred Rogers
Sabbath Moments
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