12/12/2018
Have you been working hard to perfect yourself, and to make yourself righteous and even holy? Well, there is only one way to overcome sin, to stand before God a righteous person, and to live eternally with The Father in heaven... a belief and faith in Jesus Christ. Only by our yielding to Him, and His abiding in us, can we be changed, and made acceptable. Only in this way can we conquer Satan, and restore life to dead eyes.
“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”
Revelation 12:11 ESV
It is easy for us to be proud of who we are, to love our lives and ourselves more than anything else in our lives. Rare are those things we might sacrifice ourselves for... maybe you argue against this because we love a child or someone deeply, but they are really extensions of us... we are one flesh with our spouse, and our children are flesh of our flesh. So loving God with your whole heart, mind, and soul, or your neighbor as yourself, becomes a challenge, and Satan uses this love we have for ourselves to ensnare us.
“Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their craftiness,"
and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.”
1 Corinthians 3:18-19, 23 ESV
We are tricked into feeling confident in our own ability to overcome Satan and death. We are lured into spending our days trying to accomplish this by our own devices; in a false hope and sense of security. In this way the trap is baited by Satan, and the scent of our self lures us to it where we are trapped into using up the days we have been allotted us, chasing after mist.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”
Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV
The human race is a reasoning lot, and amazing in its ability to solve problems and do many things in the world, but when it comes to the mysteries of The spirit and life, we are lost unless we turn to God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for understanding.
“O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called "knowledge," for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.”
1 Timothy 6:20-21 ESV
We seek immortality by conquering the things that might kill our bodies, but in fact, our body is merely the vessel that contains who we are... the spirit and soul.
I was in the emergency room of a hospital this week when the doors swung open and Emergency Technicians rushed in with a man who was not breathing and had no heartbeat... he had experienced a massive heart attack. As they rushed past me I looked into this man’s eyes, and they were open... staring blindly with the look of death. I then watched as an amazing group of doctors, nurses, and technicians worked feverishly to reclaim life for this lifeless body. They breathed for this man, and compressed his heart to pump blood for him until somewhere in the midst of their efforts came a pulse, and then a breath. This body was functioning again, but the question remained... had the life that once existed there been poured back into it in full measure, or would this man be a shadow of who he once was? Life had been poured back in, but now the question... how much had been spilled in the process?
We can do remarkable things, we can take a body that has died and if we get to it soon enough and the damage has not been too severe, we can cause it to breath and function again, but as for the self, the spirit, the soul, that once resided there, we are unable to repair that. We are unable to walk out onto the narrow bridge between physical life and spiritual being to reclaim what had already begun the journey across... only God can do this. Listen to His Word...
“"'See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.”
Deuteronomy 32:39 ESV
So I watched the vessel, that was this man’s body, begin to function again, but only God could return the life to those eyes I stared into minutes before; only He could restore life... real life... the essence of this man, back to this body.
“"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!”
Matthew 6:22-23 ESV
We can do many things. We are remarkable beings. We are amazing creations... but we are not the creator, and we cannot save our own souls. Only through Jesus Christ can we come forgiven before God, and only by God’s will can we abide in Him and He in us. So don’t let Satan deceive you and convince you that you are able; don’t let him lead you on a lifelong quest to become something you can never become... God.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the body, spirit, and soul, that are who I am. Thank you for your Son Jesus Christ who stands in intercession for us and ushers my life towards righteousness and prepares me to meet you. Thank you Holy Father for your Holy Spirit that calls to me, and gives me understanding. Help me Father to realize that my lame efforts to save and bring eternal life to myself are futile, for only you hold this power in your hand. Enlighten me Lord, and show me that I can’t save myself, and that I waste my time in this folly. Establish me in your Word Lord, and through my own crucifixion with Jesus let me find salvation. You are my God, and I rest in you. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who perfects me, and restores my soul. Wonderful is your name, and all glory abounds in you! Praised be your name always and forever!
Rich Forbes