Sunday, December 3, 2017

December 4, 2017

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever should believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16

You know you can believe God loves you because He proved His love by sending His Son, Jesus!

Jesus proved His love for God AND for you by leaving Heaven, coming to earth, living an obedient life, dying for your sins and then arising from the dead to conquer death.

John 3:16 reveals God’s Perfect Plan For Helping Imperfect People Get Into A Perfect Place For Eternity!

It is only because of this perfect plan for imperfect people that any of us have hope of spending eternity with Him!

God loves us!

Jesus proved it by coming to be our Savior!

So what is your part in this perfect plan for imperfect people?

BELIEVE!

What does it mean to truly believe?

BE PERFECT IN YOUR DESIRE

“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’” This is the first and greatest commandment.” Matthew 22:37-38

If an imperfect person like you, wants to get to God’s perfect place for eternity, you must desire God more than you desire anything else!

You must realize that life is supposed to be about Him NOT about you!

God will cannot be your God if you desire anything more than you desire Him. Whatever you desire more than God – that is your god!

You must desire God more than you desire that next cigarette or that next drink or the next high. You must desire Him more than money, more than possessions, more than power, or popularity or position. You must desire God more than any other relationship.

If you say you believe in God but you don’t desire Him more than anything – you don’t believe.

That is what it means to believe! It means to choose God as your chief desire EVERY TIME!

Does that describe you? Do you desire Him more than anything?

If you don’t desire Him more than anything else, you don’t believe like He wants you to believe.

That’s what it takes for imperfect people to get into His perfect place!

BE PERFECT IN YOUR DEVOTION

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” Matthew 6:24

Being devoted to God means you give yourself, your life to obeying Him, obeying His Word (The Bible) and pleasing Him above your own pleasure.

Perfect devotion means every time you your desires come into conflict with His desires you choose His desires.

That is what Jesus did! He was devoted to God, His Father, and God wanted to redeem the world from sin. For that to happen, Jesus would have to leave Heaven, come to earth and humble Himself into a human being. Then, as a human being He devoted Himself to obeying God.

Do you think He WANTED to be beaten and spat upon? Do you think He REALLY wanted to suffer on a cross? He endured those things because He was devoted to God.

A believer must devote himself to obeying God and doing God’s will.

That is how imperfect people are able to get to a perfect place for eternity!

Does that describe how you believe?

BE PERFECT IN YOUR DECISIONS

This is where belief really becomes practical as well as powerful.

For imperfect people to get to a perfect place forever you must make every decision based upon His desires and His will.

Believing in God means you make all your decisions according to what pleases God.

Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Joshua said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”

Decisions result in actions and attitudes and have consequences in your life and family

Believers ask before making decisions ask, “What does the Bible say?” Or, “What would Jesus do in this situation?”

Does that describe your faith? Is that how you express your belief?

Christmas demonstrates that a Perfect God has a perfect plan for imperfect people to get into a perfect place for eternity! But it requires imperfect people to believe and believing means – "Be Perfect In Your Desires, Be Perfect In Your Devotion and Be Perfect In Your Decisions".

God loved!

Jesus came!

You MUST believe!


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