It is quite revealing to compare how much time, effort and money we spend on our outward appearance versus our heart (inward appearance). Think of how much is spent each day on preparing clothes, hair, skin, diet and physique. So much time, so much effort, so much money spent just to look good enough for those around us. How does it compare to the time and effort spent in preparing our hearts for God?
Love is neither theoretical nor abstract. The lover pays a price to love the loved. Jesus gave His life and thereby proved His love for us. He didn’t, and indeed couldn’t, just stay in Heaven and wish us into salvation; a price had to be paid. We too must be willing to pay any price to love our brethren…
If we, by faith, accept the God described in the Bible, then we know that nothing can stop God’s overarching will for and in this world. Therefore, every circumstance of life must work together to execute God’s plans. Even the evil that men choose to do cannot escape His inexorable (unstoppable) will from being accomplished. It is only with this understanding that we can have hope rather than despair in the various tragedies, big and small, that beset our lives.
We are never too poor to give… We are never too impoverished to help someone else.
No matter how much we deny, distort or disguise the evidence of sin, we can never change the fact of sin… Only God can remove the stain and penalty of sin. The longer we hide from Him the longer we have to live with the cancer of sin eating away at our lives… Nobody forces us to sin and God does not put us in a situation where we must sin. We are NOT powerless. We CAN choose to resist the influence of others. We CAN rise above our circumstances.
It is the combination of God’s mercy, as He patiently works with us, and His Word, as it transforms our mindset, which ultimately breaks the power of sin over our lives…If God has started the transformation process in us, He won’t stop working (even if He has to use with trials to get it done). God won’t quit on you… so don’t quit on yourself!!!
The images on currency (money, coins) tell us who owns it. The titles on the currency tell the value assigned by the owner. Likewise, our ownership and value are determined by whose image and title is on us. Sin removes God’s image and title from us and replaces it with the world’s title and valuation. But Salvation through Jesus Christ re-imprints God’s image on our lives and we are re-titled as Sons.
To experience God’s Redemption we must relinquish our worldview/value-system and accept God’s instead.
Salvation is NOT gained by works.. But works testify that salvation HAS taken place… “Faith without works is dead”.
We are never too poor to give… We are never too impoverished to help someone else.
Reflections in The WORD 