The Bible says the devil comes And shouts things just aren’t fair Because believers are being blessed And kept under God’s care
He shouts He knows about our sins And demands to take control Because our failures and our faults Have sold to Him our soul
But while he tells all that we’ve done Thinking that He might win The Son of God lifts up His hands And shows the scars to Him
Reminding Him that from the Cross He cried Father forgive They do know not what they have done I’ll die so they might live
Then in defeat the evil one Slinks from the scene in shame As he sees the Savior in God’s book Begin to write our name! And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. Luke 23:34 ESV
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10a
Often we hear people say that this verse means that the beauties of Heaven are beyond our wildest imaginations. But if we read on, we see that the Apostle Paul is teaching that all of God’s promises are beyond our understanding, until He reveals them to us by faith. There are thousands of promises in the Bible, but today let’s just take a look at one
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30 NKJV
Whether we realize it or not we all face challenges today. Our friends, neighbors, coworkers and even family members all have expectations that we try hard to meet. “What have you done for me lately?” is too often the measure of their acceptance and the sad reality of how they value us. Now their expectations are not all bad. After all, we who are fathers, ought to provide for our families, as good neighbors we need to keep our lawn mowed, and coworkers have a right to expect that we do our job. But when we apply that kind of thinking to our relationship with God, everything falls apart, because none of us has the ability to please Him. The Bible tells us that all of us have sinned and missed the mark (God’s reasonable expectations). Our total failure at pleasing God is why the gospel of Jesus Christ is more than just good news, it is better than anything we have imagined even in our wildest dreams! And it is only at the cross that we, through repentance and by faith discover His amazing gift of grace. It is finished forever and in Jesus Christ, God has given us all we will ever need to be good enough for Him!
And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 1 Samuel 3:10 KJV
I once spent two years commuting two hours each way to my job. Since it was so far, I spent the week with friends in one state, while my wife and our two children lived in another. At first, I hardly noticed, but the pressure was taking its toll. Some mornings I would wake up, wondering where I was and spiritually, I was growing distant from God. Without God’s grace and my wife’s patience and prayers we would not have made it through. During that time, I often felt as if God was so far away that I could never get back to Him. Then one afternoon as I was driving home and listening to a message on Christian radio, my heart was so moved that unexpected tears began to flow down my cheeks. In that moment it felt as if Jesus had just opened the door of my pickup truck and slid into the passenger seat.
Though my situation was different than Samuel’s, it is interesting that, like me Samuel was outwardly fulfilling his duties, but the Bible tells us that in spite of all he was doing right, he still didn’t know the Lord. Yet despite him being the unlikeliest of candidates, God chose Samuel to be a prophet. Notice, it doesn’t say that “Samuel was praying.” Or that “Samuel had some burning desire to hear from God.” No, Samuel was sound asleep, and God just came! That should give us all hope, because no matter who we are or what our circumstances we are in, God can also come for us. When He does, like Samuel we need to answer and tell Him, “Lord we are listening. Thank you for remembering me!”
You must be logged in to post a comment.