My Jesus, I love Thee, I know thou art mine;
For Thee all the follies of sin I resign.
My gracious Redeemer, my Saviour art Thou;
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
I love Thee because Thou has first loved me,
And purchased my pardon on Calvary’s tree.
I love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow;
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, ’tis now.
William R Featherston
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Oh, what a wonderful and precious Saviour. You are my life.
If you are reading this now, you exist. You’ve been brought up, you’ve eaten, you’ve drank, you’ve matured and grown… You have life! You did not ask for it. You could not ask for it. You did nothing to earn it or deserve it, you simply received it and here you are! Life was given to you freely. It’s not to be wasted or regarded lightly. It is precious and to be studied, explored and experienced!
But the bible says in John 3 that we must born again! Again??
John 3
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
So… There needs to be another birth. A new life. A birthing of a new spiritual being. A spiritual child. Completely newborn, helpless by it’s own account, fragile, weak, beautiful… The picture is very much what we can imagine. Exactly the same principals apply to this spiritual life as the physical. This child must be brought up, it must eat, drink, mature and grow… It has life! It did not ask for it. It could not ask for it. It did nothing to earn it or deserve it, it simply received it! Life was freely given to it. It’s not to be wasted or regarded lightly. It is precious and to be studied and experienced! Continue reading “From Death to Life.”
Exodus 21
5 And if the servant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free:
6 Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him for ever.
Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget thine agony,
Lest I forget thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.
It’s only through the cross that we have life. Only because Jesus lived and died for us! He gave His every breath, His every word and deed for us. His every step, His every thought, every miracle and teaching was for us! When he ate it was for us, when he drank it was for us! He does not live for possessions, He does not live for wealth, He does not live for health!!! He died for us!!! He rose for us!!! He lives for me!!! He lives for us!!! Everything Jesus Christ, the son of God, did was for us!!! EVERYTHING!!! What do we give?
He expects and deserves no less from us!!! He commands EVERY PART OF US!!!
Romans 12
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
It’s all or nothing. We either lose our lives for His sake, deny our earthly pleasures and live our lives to seek Him only, and in so doing find life abundant!! Glorious, all satisfying, joyous life!! or… We don’t, we enjoy this life here on earth, comfortable, achieving success, knowledge, acceptance… and miss the mark and die in our own self-righteousness.
Luke 9
23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luke 14
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
In short… Christ died to give life. We must die to receive it!
We breathe because of the grace of a loving creator God.
He wants every breath.
He wants every word.
He wants your shopping list, your social events, your spare time, your relationships, your ambition, your dreams….
Everything within you will rebel at what this really means. Your flesh is born in sin and hates truth. It will do anything to conceal it, to soften it, to make it palatable. Consider this…
Matthew 16
23 thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
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.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
There are many other scriptures and the theme is consistent from cover to cover in God’s word. He will not tolerate anything less than a heart seeking to know Him and obey His word. Understand that your desire to please yourself MUST DIE! The two greatest commandments. Listen to what the bible says…. The two greatest COMMANDMENTS! They are not optional!!!
1 – Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
2 – Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
With all!! That is every single part of your being should love His word, His presence and pleasing Him. Every part of your life…. sigh, Oh friends, why is it that Jesus Christ and His word is not the highlight of our conversation? Why is it that being righteous is not the pleasure of our day? Why is it that loving unconditionally is so alien to us? When we consider the gift of life, the work of redemption, the saving power of the blood of Jesus… HOW CAN THAT EVER SHAME US??!!
Oh may the Holy Spirit lead us to repentance, open our eyes to truth and lead us ever closer to Jesus. Only for His name to be glorified and for His testimony to be seen in our lives! Praise Jesus! Thank you Jesus. I have Salvation! Jesus loves me!! I have life!!!!!! I have a life of hope and peace and joy everlasting!!!! HALLELUJAH!!
Learning With Lovell 