Our Supreme Guard

Jud 1:24-25 To him who is able to guard you from falling, and to bring you into his glorious presence, blameless and rejoicing -- 25 to the one God, our Savior, be ascribed, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, glory, majesty, power, and dominion, as it was before time began, is now, and will be for all time to come. Amen.

What a salutation, the Apostle Paul is excitedly in praise mode. All of us remembering from this text join in with Paul in the excited expectation of what God our Father is doing for each one of us who call on the Name of Jesus, who declare Him our Lord and Savior.
Guarding us from falling? That is awesome! God has our back, He's there to keep us from falling, but not from intentional sin, choice trumps God's hand from helping. Grace however, is there when we repent from our sin.
God is bringing us into His Glorious presence, and we are rejoicing and praising our Wonderful God and Savior Jesus the Christ for all time.
How could anyone reject God? What part of our lives could possibly be of more benefit than to live with God?
Stop worshipping the world and come to Jesus before it is to late. You will even loose what you are holding on to that keeps you from the Creator of everything?
Turn from your rebellious sin today, come home to Jesus.

Not Abandoned

Psalm 94:14-15 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; 15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. #Bible

If your not right now, its probably not been too long since you were dealing with issues in your life that were knocking you down or turning your life upside down.
This is the idea here, the Lord is telling His people Israel, though suffering in captivity, He has not forgotten them, they are His inheritance. He will once again restore them to their land. He will restore justice, and righteousness to His people as He delivers them to freedom.
Like Israel, the Lord is saying to us that we are His people, His Family, not only adopted, but His children.
God has known us before time began, and He still knows us inside and out. God knows our sufferings, our worries and anxieties, our trials and our persecutions, and so on. God will not abandon us now or ever.
Sometimes we forget to turn to God when we are so caught up in what we are going through. Yet the first thing we should do is talk to our Lord, because Jesus is the Holy one with all the answers and solutions. As one of my many Pastors use to say, "Its finally come to that".
In everything go to God first, and make your life  Much simpler, and free.

Life or Death

2 Corinthians 4:11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. #Bible

 “God,” says Dean Alford, “exhibits death in the living that He may also exhibit life in the dying.”

Our lives as Christians is one that has the potential of persecution leading to death, as we see across the globe.
As a young man I remember considering this possibility, and making the decision that death in this world is nothing compared to eternal life with Jesus, and through my life I have reaffirmed this repeatedly.
None of us knows what the future holds in this world, but God has revealed glimpses of eternity with Him. I choose to be with God and my Family of God.
The Apostle Paul says he "knows" that God will raise all of us who believe in the name of Jesus to the New Life to the Praise and Glory of God.
No matter what happens in our death whether natural or by way of persecution. It is a testimony to the Life given by Jesus the Christ. The world, those who refuse to believe in Jesus, are left with death leading to death, and what better word to describe separation from the Creator God.

With God, Without God

Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake. . . . #Bible

Jesus saved us and brought us into the Family of God, into the Kingdom of God. We are no longer loyal to the world, but our loyalty is to God.
Naturally the world hates us because we don't act like them anymore, we act like Jesus.
We have become light to this world exposing their sinful actions, their sinful lifestyles.
The Righteousness of Christ is upon us and it causes the world to either convert to Christ or reject Him. They know that according to God's Word they are going to hell, they are the walking dead, and they attack, they persecute.
But God has empowered us with the Gospel, which enables us to suffer the hardships, as well as enjoy the blessings. Why? Simply to show the world their choice, heaven or hell, with God or separated from God. With God, without God.

Joh 3:16-18 For in this way God loved the world, so that he gave his one and only Son, in order that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world in order that he should judge the world, but in order that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in him is not judged, but the one who does not believe has already been judged, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.

Better

Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. #Bible

All of that malice, all of what is mentioned in verse 31 is what exists in the world, this has no place in the body of Christ, in the Kingdom or Family of God.
We who call ourselves Christians have died to that world and now live free of those chains of sin and its slavery.
For example, in the family of God anger, even a characteristic of God is expressed righteously. Anger becomes the energy that fuels determination to act pleasing to God, not selfishly satisfying the moment. The same is true with any other similarities the Kingdom of God has with the world because of our humanity.
In verse 32 are a list of righteous characteristics of we Christians. For example forgiveness, a purely awesome action that originates out the Love of God. Forgiveness is the best medicine you will ever find for the human psyche. Its our mental tuneup.  Out of it comes tenderheartedness, and all sorts of love for others, even kindness. What God is saying through the Apostle Paul is what you are capable of as a born again Christian is so much greater than acting like the world. You now posses the power of the Kingdom of God. And that is Love.

Believe

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. #Bible

Today we celebrate Jesus taking up His own life again, just as He said He would. Jesus is Risen!
What that means is a new covenant was instituted. For those who Believe, all of their sins for all time are forgiven and we have been adopted into the Family of God Almighty, Praise the Lord!
The Kingdom of God is no longer at hand, but is here, right here in the hearts of those who believe, and so much more. No longer are we bound as slaves to sin, we are free indeed.
God's wonderful Love has been poured out on all of humanity through the amazing sacrifice of our Savior Jesus the Christ and we who believe are wonderfully transformed into the Sons of the True Living God, Creator of all.
The Blood shed by Jesus on the cross has and is washing away all that is evil in this world and we believers have been clothed with the Righteousness given us by Jesus. Jesus now says:

John 20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not touch me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.' "

Wow,  he says My brothers, and our Father and our God, we are truly One Family! Praise the Lord! Jesus also did something amazing:

John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

We now have our wonderful Comforter the Holy Spirit who is with us always.

John 20:29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Please for your own eternal souls Believe!