Naked I Came. Naked I Leave

 Job 1:21

And said, naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

We came into this world with no worldly possessions, and we will leave this world the same. Yes, we may be buried in a nice suit or dress, and be placed in a fancy coffin, but when we take our last breath, we leave naked. We have only one possession that lives on for eternity, and it is the soul that God gave us when He breathed the spirit of life in us. “For what does a man profit, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” The words of Christ force us to take inventory of our life. What really matters? We all enjoy the things of this world and God-given desires to enjoy what is good and wholesome, but in the end it is what we have done with our lives and the choices we have made that will determine our destiny when this life on earth is over. Blessed be the name of the Lord, for He is all that matters.

Wait For God

 Micah 7:7
Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.

When it seems like there is no one else to turn to, and everyone around you is oblivious to the valley you are walking in, there is one that will always have an ear turned toward you. Such was the blight of Micah as he cried out to the Lord. All the righteous that stood for truth were not to be found, those that he thought he could depend on were fighting against each other. Like Micah, we have a “go to”, a place of refuge, someone who hears our cries and understands our problems. Jesus, who knows our every weakness and promised never to leave or forsake us, extends His grace to us, for His grace is sufficient to take us through the valley and bring us through on the other side with victory. I will wait for the God of my salvation, Jesus cares and will hear my cry.

Go Into The World

 Matthew 28:20
 …lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

The promise of Jesus to go with us as we share the gospel with the world. Proclaiming Jesus' power to forgive sins and the power to live a righteous life. It is the great commission to spread the teachings of Christ. Foremost, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself. The Golden rule which guides each person to do what is right. Do the things I do demonstrate that I love Him with all my heart? Do I treat others with the same love and respect that I want to be treated? Preferring one another, forgiving, and showing kindness are trademarks of a holy character. He promised to be with us and give us what we need to do, what is needed, even when we don’t always feel like it.

Make a Joyful Noise

 Psalm 95:1
O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

Even if you can’t keep hold a tune when you sing, the ears of God only hear a joyful noise when you sing it unto the Lord. A joyful noise comes from the heart. The heart is lifted in song and through our voice is proclaimed in music. Music that touches the heart of God. Words that sing praise and thanksgiving to our Lord and Savior. He is worthy of our praise in song, and is pleased when we sing it from the house top. Let your voice be heard wherever you go. Let your singing bring joy and peace where you live. Sing unto the Lord, sing it often, sing it from the heart.

Nailed To The Cross

 Colossians 2:14
 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Our sin, our guilt has been nailed to the cross of Jesus. That is why He died for you and for me. It was to blot out our transgression, removing the guilt of sin from our lives. The cross is the emblem of our salvation, the nails put our sins to death and are forgiven, cast as far from the east as from the west. The life of the past is nailed to the cross, we have been born again, made a new creature in Christ. Sin keeps us from having perfect fellowship with God. It is the hindrance that separates us from having fellowship with a holy God. But sin no longer has dominion over us because it has been nailed to the cross. When Satan brings back the pass, point him to the cross and show him the nails. 

Began a Good Work

 Phil. 1:6
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

The work began in me on Feb 21st, 1974; a teenage boy raised in a home without a father for most of my life, but with a mother who put her life into providing her children with a place to call home. But, God who knows the story of my life, wrote my name in the book of life on the day I gave my heart to Him. The work of this new life in Christ began. No doubt, His hand was in my life before then, guiding, directing events in my life to bring me to the cross of Jesus. The journey continues, many struggles, battles, and victories along the way. No doubt there is still more to come. I don’t know when God will end this journey and close the book of my life, but I know that each day that I live, my greatest desire is to live closer to Him, and allow the fruit of righteousness to show forth His glory in my life. I’m confident that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him until that day.

In The Palm of His Hand

 John 10:28
 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

The promise of Christ is not to let us go. There are those who would use this scripture to support their doctrine that once you give your life to Christ, no matter what you do after that, you will always be a child of God and eternal life is secure. Such thinking is not consistent with other scripture “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?.. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity”. The parable of the ten virgins that did not have oil and were not allowed into heaven is another example of people who said they were followers of Christ, but their heart was not ready. It is comforting to know that God has us in the palm of His hand, and He will protect us from and keep us safe from the lion that seeks to devour us. We must be willing to stay in His hands and believe that He is able to do the impossible. It would seem impossible that we can live a sinless life, but God has promised us that if we walk in the light of His presence, that we will continue to have fellowship with Him. He will not leave us or forsake us. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come…Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”