Breakfast For Your Soul

Thursday, February 19, 2009

    “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Ephesus. This is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands:   “I know all the things you do.  I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance.  I know you don’t tolerate evil people.  You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not.  You have discovered they are liars.  You have patiently suffered for Me without quitting. “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to Me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lamp stand from its place among the churches.  But this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches.  To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.

[Revelation 2:1-7]

“First Love”

Good Afternoon Beloved,

There is a song from a few years back by Avant featuring Ketara Wyatt (I didn’t even know the person’s name, but I still remember the song) … “My First Love”.  The chorus really struck a chord with me:

Long as I live (my first love) you will be my first love.
And I choose you again.

The bible lets us know that before we even knew who He was, God loved us.  There are millions of people who still don’t know, and that is such a shame. 

    If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.  You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.  For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the Face of Jesus Christ.

(2nd Corinthians 4:3-6 New Living Translation) 

If people only knew the gift God is offering them, accepting Jesus would be a ‘no-brainer’.  Incomparable riches are bound in Him.  What we don’t always fully understand is that the richest person in our world today, no matter how many material items they possess, is a pauper in comparison to a God who owns the universe.  I read of a wealthy gentleman in India who told his family to bury him in his car when he died… and they did.  Now, it was his to do with as he wanted, but … wow.  A person who dies in Christ, no matter how much or how little they had on earth, will gain infinitely more than they could have ever imagined.  Remember:

Eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither has entered into the heart of humanity the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

… those who love Him.  It also stands to reason, that if we love God, we love those that He loves also.  You know … the world that can sometimes get on our nerves with their irreverence, arrogance and nastiness, as well as, our brothers and sisters in Christ who don’t always seem very ‘Christ-like’.  These are the very ones He died to save.  Notice, God affirmed His people for their hatred of wickedness … not the wicked.  We are not to tolerate the deeds of evildoers.  There are standards.  There is a time to speak out.  If we see someone heading down a road (in the natural), and we know that the bridge is gone, and they are about to end up in the sea or off a cliff, how cruel would it be for us to let them continue to drive…. and not say anything.  If we tell them, and they reject us, the consequences are theirs alone, but if we don’t tell them, then their blood is on our hands.  We can only do that in the strength, love and wisdom of our God.  When we discover (or rediscover) our “first Love” and we would say in the words of the song…

“and I choose You (Jesus) again”…

… and that Beloved of God is Good News!

U Blessed.

Have A Fabulous Day

Regina

“So Easy To Love YOU”, Israel & New Breed

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osn-cUuJwro

“I Will Run To You”, Hill Song

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s2wCVcmYOU

“How Deeply I Need You”, Shekinah Glory

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMq6670Llrw

“Lord You Are Awesome”, Pastor William Murphy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frYfNGC4ObU

Walk In The Light -1 John 1:7 50 of 111   The world around us is dark & scary & full of sin. But if we stay close to Jesus, we will be safe in His light.