They say that the new year brings new hope. But I beg to disagree. Because there is hope every day. I pray that everyone does not lose hope. But that will only happen when your hope is in Jesus Christ.
The new year also brings new chances. Second chances, third chances, fourth chances. How many chances do we need? How many chances do you actually deserve?
What do you think? They say that once you are in Christ, you ate a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come. But why do we need so many chances in life?
Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
What does that mean? The verse says God’s grace brought salvation to mankind. And because of that grace, we should live our lives in accordance to His will. We should live godly lives while we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Breaking this down further, it says,…
God’s grace brings salvation. Do you know why? John 1:14,16-17 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” It says Jesus came from the Father, full of grace. Who is the reason for iur salvation no other than Jesus Christ. Jesus is the embodiment of grace. He is grace personified. And we all know Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Therefore, because Jesus is grace, He brings salvation and is unending. This means that grace has an ongoing supply. It is continuous and never ending. It’s like receiving a free gift, a helping hand, a second chance, forgiveness you didn’t ask for or unconditional love. Have you experienced that? Eating in a restaurant and having your bill paid by someone else. Being forgiven without saying you’re sorry? Being loved inspute of you being unlovable? Max Lucado once said, “It is grace (Jesus ) that calls us to change and it is also grace ( Jesus) that gives us the power to pull it off.” Have you ever thought of changing? Can you actually change yourself? No. All things and everything is done through Jesus only. Cling to Him.
Live godly lives. Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Everybody should offer their bodies as a living sacrifice. Everybody should live a godly life. What exatly is that? Billy Graham said, “Make it your goal to become more like Christ by refusing to let sin have its way, and pursuing instead that which is pure and good in the sight of God.” We all know what is right and wrong. But why do we choose what is wrong still? It is really difficult to live godly lives. That is why we need Jesus.
We should look forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:11-12 says, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” The Bible says Jesus will not come back until all the ends of the earth have heard His good news.” Jesus is coming very soon. Are you excited? If you are excited, then you should be ready. Lest you be left behind on earth. Change needs to be seen
We are not living for this world. Is anybody living for this world? Everybody who received Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior should be living for heaven. If heaven is your goal, what should you do?
Embrace grace. - How? Accept that it is freely given and freely received too. It is not something that you can earn. If that is so, you should extend the same grace to others. Ephesians 1:7-8 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.” When you embrace the grace that the Lord has given to you, it will overflow and you can share it to others. How can we embrace grace? It is simple. Let us not over-complicate it. The simplest things that we have a difficult time doing is the answer. Read your bible, pray, worship, share the gospel, forgive. Simmple right?
Live with a purpose. - Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” What is your purpose? D you know why you are on this earth? If you do not know what your purpose is, ask God. If you do not hear Him, then maybe you lack intimacy with Him. You need to know Him to hear Him. Read His word.
Be ready for Christ’s return. How do you prepare for Christ’s return? Mathhew 22:42-44 says, “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Let your lamp keep burning and always have extra oil. Live godly lives.
God does not give us second chances for nothing. He does not give us third, fourth or unlimited chances for nothing. He does that because He wants to make sure that everybody ands up in heaven at the end. He has been preparing heaven for us since the beginning of time and He wants us to enjoy it with Him.
We have to be sure of where we are going . If we are sure of where we are going, we also have to make sure of where the people around us are going too. We have to make sure that we are standing on a firm foundation. We have to make sure that we are all going to heaven. No matter what we have done and no matter what we have gone through, we should know that we are going to heaven at the end of our life here on earth.
Comments