Friday, November 25, 2016

Day of Praise

Sat, 11/26/16, "Day of Praise"

"No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD. "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." - Jeremiah 31:34

In today's verse, God foresees a day when all people will know the LORD. It is God's vision. It is what God is working towards. 

A major aspect of people knowing the LORD is that people will know that God "will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." It is God's vision that relationships will truly be healed in a way that only God can heal them. 

This knowing of God by all people and this knowing of God's forgiveness and healing is tied to the Word of God through Jesus in John 17:3, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."

In sum, the best life, eternal life, is directly tied to knowing God, to knowing the Son of God who is Jesus, and to knowing God's forgiveness of our sin through Jesus.

This is God's vision. It is God's goal. It is what God is working towards everyday by the person and power of the Holy Spirit because God wants everyone to have the best life, that is, eternal life. 

What about us? What are we working towards everyday? Maybe the weekend is our goal. Maybe a sales record is our goal. Maybe a bigger house. Maybe a new car. Maybe having a child. Or getting the children through college. 

Those things are a part of life in this world to be sure. But there is so much more. So much more.

God wants us to know Him, the LORD, the Master of the Universe, the Sovereign over all Creation, where scientists now think there are over 140 BILLION galaxies, each of which has over 100 BILLION stars. And GOD uses that creation as a footstool!!!

Big Amazing God has a goal, a vision, a desire that He works towards everyday. He wants us to know Him, His Son, His forgiveness, His healing, and the Best Life that He alone has to give. 

Jeremiah, the prophet, worked everyday, in everything he did, he worked with a burden for all people to know God and God's vision. Later St. Paul and many others did the same. Jesus died for the same.

Is there room in our day for God's vision? Is there room in our day for God? If the best life is knowing God and all His benefits, what is the life that barely thinks of Him? What is the life that rarely worships Him? What is the life that cares not to serve Him by sharing His vision with all people in the things we say and do to others everyday? 

God wants so much for us. God wants us to know Him and the best life, eternal life, and God works everyday to that end.

What do you want? What are you working for? Think about it. There's probably more waiting for you than what you're claiming. 

Praise God!


Pastor Chris 
"The gospel is the story of Jesus [what God's only Son has done for us that we can't do for ourselves], spoken as a promise." - Robert Jenson

No comments:

Post a Comment