Wednesday, August 4, 2021

He is Faithful and Just

Meditate.

Sing a new song to the LORD! Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! ... Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor. Let all the earth tremble before him. Tell all the nations, "The LORD reigns!" The world stands firm and cannot be shaken. He will judge all peoples fairly. Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice! Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst out with joy! Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the LORD, for he is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth. Psalm 96:1, 9-13

Jesus is faithful and just. He will be judging the world…everyone from all times and places. He is faithful…faithful to God the Father. God told Him what to do…in creation and even when Jesus came to earth as a man, He obediently and faithfully did what was asked of Him. He created the heavens, the earth and man…and He went to the cross to die for the sins of the very men He created. Faithful. When He comes to judge the world will He find You faithful?

Jesus taught His followers how to live, how to treat others and to be lovingly obedient to Him and His Father. In stories and parables, He described taking care of others, like we would care for Jesus Himself. One teaching session on faithfulness ends with these verses below. The faithful ones were the ones who helped others. Jesus expects us to love others…as we would ourselves. How can we not care for those in need?

"Then they will reply, 'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?' And he will answer, 'I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.' And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life." Matthew 25:44-46

Sometimes, I will admit, it is hard to even consider some of the homeless when they are begging for money and reportedly are making a good income at it. But if it were Jesus, would you or I be more willing to give and take care of them? Many of the homeless are that way by choice or they have mental issues that are certainly beyond our care. Other than giving to a food bank or homeless shelter, prayer may be the best we can do. 

Where are you today in your relationship with the Lord? Are you faithfully growing closer to Him?

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, You are faithful…faithful to death and faithful to life. Life everlasting. I look forward to standing before You in judgment one day and know that You will find me faithful—because You took my sin to the cross. Thank You. I worship You in song and in spirit—joyfully praising Your name.

Verse of Salvation ~ Sing to the LORD; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves. Psalm 96:2

Do you know the ABCs of Salvation?

A - Admit

Admit what you have done wrong and ask forgiveness.
-    Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

-    Romans 6:23 The wages of sin is death.

-    1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

B - Believe

Believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again as a payment for your sins.

-  John 3:16  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

-  1 Corinthians 15:3-4  Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

-  Romans 5:8  But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

C - Confess and Choose

Confess and choose to allow God to the be in charge of your life.

-    Matthew 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

-    Romans 10:9  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

-    Romans 10:13  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 © 2021 Text, photos and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
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