"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you..."
I Peter 1:3-4
I have really enjoyed making online reservations, I just find the deal I want, turn in my info and bingo I have a reserved room. They send me a confirmation number, directions and I am good to go! At the appointed day, I show up, wave my ID give them some money and off to the room I go. I have my own room, my own bathroom, coffee pot, and a nice cozy bed to sleep in, and a continental breakfast in the morning.
Have you made your reservation for Heaven...
If you are born again, then you have! You are all set! I don't know about you, but I am so excited to get there! As believers it is far better then a hotel reservation, it is a reservation with our Creator our Maker, with Jesus Himself!
The reservation is made by Grace through faith in Jesus, the confirmation is the Holy Spirit, and the directions are the Bible! The great thing about this reservation is that it is free because Christ paid for your sins already, He paid the debt of your sin and upon believing on Him with true saving faith you receive salvation and entrance into Heaven! (see also Eph. 2:8-9)
So rejoice and spend as much time as you can reading the directions, the Bible! As you read the Bible you will gain a greater understanding of how to live while you await Heaven and a greater understanding of Heaven itself!
Happy Reading!
all for Jesus,
mark
"These all continued with ONE ACCORD in prayer and supplication..." Acts 1:14
As we study the book of Acts we need to remember this truly is a great record of the genesis of the church, 'church firsts', if you will. The Lord ascended into Heaven and the Apostles and other disciples were left to there own! We have learned that there first step was obedience, the Lord Jesus had asked them to go back to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them, they did! They were obedient.
Not only were they obedient, but they were in 'ONE ACCORD,' they were in harmony in agreement, seeking the Lord! In order to be in agreement and harmony there had to be communication, they had to talk one with another, just like a regular household family, they had to work things out. Then they prayed together and supplicated before the Lord. They desperately cried out to the Lord for direction and His Presence and His Promise of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus had just left them and they saw the need to come together and seek the Lord, to wait upon the Lord!
As we learn this principle from the early church, we then realize that this principle is for us today! I love it when I hear that people are getting together outside of the church facility, doing lunch, having a BBQ. These are things that we ought to be doing as believers, getting together in ONE ACCORD!
So, I encourage you seek to be in ONE ACCORD like the first century church!
"... every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights..."
James 1:17a
GIFTS!
We all think about gifts this time of year. And our Lord has given us the greatest gift, the free gift of salvation! Once you jump up and grab this free gift, it keeps on giving! Jesus is the ultimate gift and Every good and perfect gift comes from above!
This holiday season be sure to be thankful for all the many blessings that the Lord pours over you on a daily basis!
We have been given the gift of life
We have been given the gift of love
We have been given the gift of His Spirit
We have been given the gift of grace
We have been given the gift of forgiveness
We have been given the gift of mercy
We have been given the gift of truth
and so on and so on...
send me your comments on the gifts the Lord has given you...
"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given..." Isaiah 9:6a (emphasis mine)
Thousands of years ago the Lord spoke through the Prophet Isaiah about the coming Messiah. A Child would be born, a Son would be given... to us!
Christmas is to be a celebration of Jesus the Christ, a time to remember this very prophecy and many other prophecies that foretold of the Messiah's coming! The Messiah was to come as a Child, He is the Son of God, equal with God.
As a child I always eagerly awaited Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was when we were allowed to pick one present and open it before we ran off to bed. For days I would scope out the few presents that had my name on it. It was also, always funny to see who the gift was from! The gift might be from my dog Ziggy, or my other dog Tunes, or maybe even from my pet guinea pig named Chucky. Regardless, I was always so excited for that Christmas eve to choose that one gift that had my name on it! Of course when the time came I tore the paper and immediately began to play with the new object of my obsession at the time, then ran to bed with it and tucked it away with me under the covers. And yes, I new it was not from Ziggy or Tunes or Chucky, I new ultimately the gift was from my Mom and ultimately my Dad!
So, "unto us," God our Father has given us a Child, the Son of God! Jesus is a gift unto you and He has your name, unwrap Jesus and tuck Him away in your heart, and thank your Father who is in Heaven for such a great free gift!
Always remember that Jesus is the reason for this season and evey season of your life!
He is the gift that grants you Eternal Life!
freedom
this is my freedom cry
deliverance
from the life called lie
freedom
this my freedom chant
deliver me
from the evil rant
freedom
this is my freedom song
set me free
for eternity long
Jesus
He is my freedom platform
delivered
from every storm
Jesus
He is my freedom scream
Deliverance
Heaven's not just a dream
Jesus
He is my freedom swing
relieved
He is my everything
No more death
that's my freedom right
free to be
new life is sight
No more death
that's my freedom cry
heavenbound
Jesus conquered the lie
