salvation

Choosing God – Part 1

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter    Hebrews 11:24

In the midst of all the talk about predestination and sovereignty it is sometimes overlooked that not only does God choose us, but we must choose God.  As an example why not take a look at the life of Moses? Moses had at his fingertips access to nearly unlimited money, power and prestige. He could have gone anywhere and done anything he wished. But in Moses’ heart a battle was being waged and he was being tested as to whom he wanted to belong.

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Consider how at his birth Moses had been ordered abandoned to die by decree of Pharaoh. But God stepped in and chose Moses for a key role in God’s plans to deliver his people. It was through his family’s courage and faith that he was hidden and in the end, God’s plans, not  Pharaoh’s won the day!

Yet as an adult Moses came to a crossroads. The path he had followed as a child, in the luxury of the palace came face to face with the hardships and slavery of his own people. Moses knew that he was no Egyptian. Though God had chosen him, Moses also had to choose God, a choose the rejection that came with being known as one of God’s people.

Living faith is found at the intersection of God’s choice our ours. Who will you choose today?

 

Pearl of Greatest Price

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 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46 KJV

As a business man I have always been intrigued and drawn to this story. Though there are many different kinds of businesses all of us strive to make a profit. But Jesus isn’t talking about money and profit, He is saying that spiritually we have a lot from this merchant. This man had some values that Jesus wanted us to look at and follow.

First; he was looking for the most beautiful pearls. His customers were not interested in  the cheaper flawed pearls which he could easily find. So we need to ask ourselves: “Are we just looking for second best in spiritual things? Are we willing to settle for easy?”

The old saying, “You get what you pay for.” stands true also in spiritual matters. If we buy cheap we get flawed merchandise that will not last either in the here and now or in God’s kingdom. The difference between that story and our spiritual situation is that we do not have anything to pay the price necessary for eternal life. Only Jesus who is our pearl of greatest price can pay. So why settle for lesser things when Jesus is offering us God’s best. He is only asking that we invest all our hope and trust in Him. Then we will find that our Savior Jesus Christ; the true pearl of greatest price is our inheritance which is of infinite value in Heaven.

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A Pathway to Citizenship

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But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12 KJV

Acceptance is something all of us long to experience. Feeling hopeless because of war, poverty or violence many travel across borders without documents searching for a place to belong. There is plenty of debate today over the subject of illegal immigration but no matter which side of that issue you are on it may help you to picture how Jesus was treated. In the opening chapter of the Gospel of John it is noted that Jesus came into the world, but that the world did not accept Him. In fact just after His birth Herod ordered His soldiers to kill Jesus. During His public ministry His neighbors tried throwing Him over a cliff. (Aren’t you glad you don’t live in that neighborhood!). Later some of the most powerful religious leaders of His day plotted to have Him executed. Their biggest issue was He was a threat to their power and that He wasn’t one of them.

But some welcomed Jesus. They were folks whose identity was also not well received. These were societal outsiders, like a five time divorcee from Samaria, a blind beggar, a demon possessed man who lived in a graveyard and several rough fishermen. They were accustomed to being shunned by polite society and did not hold to popular notions of acceptability. To them, the power of  Jesus’ words and the love they felt in His presence could only be explained one way – He must have come from God. That simple faith granted them a very special right: -the right to be called God’s children and accepted into citizenship in Heaven!

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