Indian Trail, NC 28079, US
JULY 2024
The Decision is Yours
The Decision is Yours, “Accept God’s Gift” Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10
I’m not sure, however I doubt anyone knows of someone (other than God) who is constantly offering a totally free gift to anyone willing to receive. The gift of salvation is presented loud and clear, over and over, every minute of every day.
Romans 6:23 says “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (NLT).” Yes, there is a price to pay for living in a sinful state. Each of us, after Adam and Eve, came into the world in a sinful state at the time of our birth. No, it was not personally your fault or my fault. It was mankind’s fault as the result of disobedience to God. But God, being merciful and full of grace, has offered to reinstate the gift of eternal life through His One and Only Son - Jesus! But God’s gift of eternal life is not activated in your life until you actually accept the gift. Yes, you must Jesus Christ as your Savior and serve Him as your Lord. Both actions are required and the decision is y0urs and yours alone. No one, absolutely no one, can make the decision for you.
Ephesians 2:8-9 states ”God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (NLT). No, salvation (eternal life cannot be earned, purchased, or bargained for. Salvation is a gift from God and it is only acquired by believing and receiving.
Romans 10:9-10 tells us, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved (NLT). These verses answer the question and give direction in how to accept the gift. There is a definite and precise process. Each of us must individually believe God raised Jesus from the dead and then openly confess that Jesus is Lord. As your Lord,
He is the One you live to serve and to please through honor and obedience. So then, the process of salvation includes believing and receiving. Both are required and mandatory in accepting the gift.
The ball is in your court. The decision is yours. Accept the gift.
Dr. R. J. Lightsey
April 2024
Keep It Before Them
Think, Teach, Talk, Tie, Write!
“O Israel, listen: Jehovah is our God, Jehovah alone. 5You must love him with all your heart, soul, and might. 6And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. 7You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. 8Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, 9 and write them on the doorposts of your house! (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)
When I think about these words that Moses gave to the people of Israel while they were still going around in circles in the wilderness, it causes me to pause. Why? Considering the fact that we know how things end up with Israel, it gives me a new perspective about warnings. Not threats, but warnings. Warning is defined in the following ways: (a) a statement telling of an indication providing evidence of impending danger, difficulty, or misfortune; (b) advice to be cautious and (c) a cautionary or deterrent example.
Warnings were often used in scripture as a precautionary measure to stay away from or avoid a particular action. A warning is always accompanied by the result of that action. So, God lets us know ahead of time what the result will be if we ignore the warning (s).
Moses, as God’s instrument, issued several warnings to the people of Israel as a precaution to keep them in the flow of God’s blessings. Oftentimes, these warnings were positively phrased. In this scripture, Moses is appealing, and encouraging, and reiterating what he has previously taught the people. In this specific passage, Moses is informing the people of the generational blessing and prosperity that is available if they would follow the teachings that he’s given them. He’s encouraging a specific action from the people.
He begins by reminding them that their God is Jehovah, and Him alone. The action he wants from the people is to first love Him with all of their hearts, soul, and might. That means their entire being must be preoccupied with their God. Then he tells them the how. They must think constantly about God’s commandments. Then they must teach these commandments to their children. He goes further in the how. He tells them to talk about them at home, or out for a walk, at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. He even goes so far as to tell the people to even tie these commandments on their finger, or wear them on their foreheads, and write them on the doorposts of their houses.
Why? He wants the people to be consumed by their God. To be consumed by something means you have to continually be mindful of it. God must be constantly on our minds, in our hearts, in our talk. All the time.
Although these words were written thousands of years ago, they apply to us today. We are living in a time when our young people have no knowledge of who the Living God is. The powers of darkness have convinced many parents that they should not “force” a certain belief on their children. Their children should decide when they get older what they want to believe in.
This is very dangerous. This approach leads many children into destructive life choices because they have no foundation of what is right and what is wrong. They live their lives without hope or expectation because their parents have set aside God’s commandment that they should know what He expects from them, and how they should live their lives.
This approach of “let them decide for themselves” demonstrates a decline in holding the scriptures as sacred and receiving truth from the scriptures. By not keeping God’s commandments before our children, by not thinking about them, or teaching them, or talking about them, or tying them on our finger or posting them on the walls and doorposts of our homes, have led our children on a path to destruction.
We have the warning. But we have not only ignored the warning, but have set aside the commandments of God. We must turn and repent and bring us and our children back into receiving the blessings, promises, and favor of God. It is up to us. We are the ones who will ensure prosperity, protection, and safety for our children. It’s simple. Obey God by keeping His commandments before them. Think about them. Teach them. Talk about them.
It’s what God wants for his people. It's what makes us a holy people to our God.
Pastor Sharen K. Lightsey