Later Jesus said to them again, "I am
going away. You will search for me but will die in your sin. You cannot come
where I am going." The people asked, "Is he planning to commit
suicide? What does he mean, 'You cannot come where I am going'?" Jesus
continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world;
I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you
believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins." "Who
are you?" they demanded. Jesus replied, "The one I have always
claimed to be. I have much to say about you and much to condemn, but I won't.
For I say only what I have heard from the one who sent me, and he is completely
truthful." But they still didn't understand that he was talking about his
Father. So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man on the
cross, then you will understand that I AM he. I do nothing on my own but say
only what the Father taught me. And the one who sent me is with me--he has not deserted
me. For I always do what pleases him." Then many who heard him say these
things believed in him. John 8:21-30
Jesus had been speaking to people at the
Temple in a section known as the Treasury (John 8:20) and then He spoke to
these unbelievers again. Imagine how they must have felt when He said you will die in your sin. No one really
likes to be called a sinner…but we all are. Jesus was telling them pretty
bluntly “I AM”—the great I AM that
spoke to Moses from the burning bush. See Exodus 3:1-15. Did those people not
know their scripture? But wait, Verse 30 says that…many who heard him say these things believed in him. They did
believe. Would you have? Do you believe in Him now? Seek Him while there is still time.
Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call
on him now while he is near. Isaiah 55:6
Seek—look diligently—keep on searching for
the Lord until you find Him. The time is now to do this searching because that
verse says…while you can find him...while
he is near. There may come a time…and it might be soon…when He won’t be
near and you won’t be able to find Him.
 |
| Is Christ Jesus in your heart? |
Where have you looked for the Lord? In a
famous pastor or preacher? In a movie…like The
Passion? In some book, like The
Purpose Driven Life? By walking in nature…hiking Mt. Rainier, fishing in a big
lake, or looking at the starry sky at night? He might be there in all of those…but
you’ll most likely meet Him and get to know Him best in the Bible. Start with
the book of John in the New Testament, if you aren’t familiar with the Bible.
Actually He is in every book of the Bible, except maybe the book of Esther.
Pray that He will reveal Himself to you before you read and then search for Him
with all your heart. Write down verses that speak to you. Pray to Jesus about
knowing Him more deeply…and look within your own heart. Is he there? Did you
invite Him to be there?
Prayer
~ Jesus, one of your disciples asked…"Lord, why are you going to reveal
yourself only to us and not to the world at large?" You replied, "All
who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and
make our home with each of them. ...I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind
and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be
troubled or afraid." John 14:22-23, 27. Thank You, Lord, for the peace
that You give to us now…especially with this COVID-19 virus attacking our
nation and the world. Please be merciful to us…keep us safe as we isolate
ourselves and help the doctors and hospital staff as they fight this virus.
Protect us as only You can.
If you don’t know Jesus as your Savior,
seek Him while there is still time. Consider the ABC’s of salvation.
A – Acknowledge or Admit that you are a
sinner.
No one is righteous—not even one. Romans
3:10
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short
of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
B – Believe in your heart that Jesus is the
Son of God
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is
Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10
C – Call on the Name of the Lord
Everyone
who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. Romans 10:13
Don’t wait…make your decision to believe in
Jesus…in God… today. Life is short…we don’t know when our time will be up…or
when the Lord will return for His church.
This is the last day of March...one fourth of the 2020 year has gone past. What will you do with the days ahead...spiritually?
©
2020 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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