Saturday, November 27, 2010

EXAMINE YOURSELF

I began writing this blog for one reason and one reason only, to seek and save the lost of the world. I was on the brink of death and Hell I didn’t even know it, I was blind; God reached down from heaven and rescued me, saved me and healed me. My passion in life now is to help other lost sinners find healing from the Great Physician. You see I was like many walking the earth today, I thought I was saved but I was dead. I was not living for the Lord I was living for myself. It was when I realized I was a sinner and my sin wasn’t what I did to other people, it wasn’t the consequences of sin; I realized that my sinning was against God my creator. Have you ever come to that lowly place yourself? The best Biblical description I find of this and what happened to me is in the book of James. (Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. ~James 4:9-10) It was when I realized that my sins were against God that my heart was broken and I found myself in gloom and despair humbling myself before the Lord casting myself at His feet on the alter that He reached down from Heaven and lifted me up and healed me, He said follow me and I did. He said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” ~Matthew 11:28, and He did. There isn’t one thing you and I or anyone else can do to save ourselves “Salvation is of the Lord” ~Jonah 2:9. “For by Grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the Gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” ~Ephesians 2:8-9. It is out of this Grace that God begins to transform you and mold and make you a new creation for His workmanship.

Jesus said: “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” ~Matthew 16:24. But He makes a promise that what you give up in this life you will receive a hundredfold as much in the life to come and inherit eternal life. So I began following Jesus hanging on His every word living this life for him instead of myself. I found out that I had no idea how sinful I was until I began following the Lord. The Holy Spirit makes you aware of every temptation to give you a way out. Something happened to me that was totally unexpected and came out of nowhere. Jesus said “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of Men” ~Matthew 4:19. This wasn’t meant for certain followers but for all followers. I never asked to be a fisher of men, never wanted to be a fisher of men, but Jesus has made me a fisher of men. (Now then, we are ambassadors of Christ, as though God were speaking through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God ~2 Corinthians 5:20)

I ask you, have you been reconciled to God by the saving blood of Jesus Christ? I called myself Christian but until 7 ½ years ago I wasn’t following Jesus. Are you following Jesus? Have you realized that your sins are directly against God? A lot of Churches tell you that you shouldn’t question your faith but that isn’t what the Bible says. The Bible says: “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” ~2 Corinthians 13:5. So I implore you on Jesus Christ behalf, examine yourself, test yourself? Have your repented (denied yourself) and are you following Jesus? If after doing so you realize you are in the Faith then continue on and live for Jesus but if after examining yourself you realize you’re not in the faith then; humble yourself before the Lord, Repent and put your trust in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation and He will lift you up!