Don't Be Left Behind--Seven Ways to Be with God Forever

1. Believe: God made each of us with a void only He can fill. For too many years my lust for life led me to fill the emptiness with other things. Nothing, however, satisfied my cravings—not until I believed what Jesus did on the cross was for me. I cried His name from a pit of despair, and He heard me. It was as if He put His arms around me, kissed me and said, “I’m here for you.” I never wanted to be without the warmth of His presence again so I began reading His word. Every verse seemed to speak directly to me.
2. Be Joyful: Life has its ups and downs, but Jesus promised He would never leave or forsake me. That is reason to be joyful. I began to live my life with purpose and found the joy of the Lord to be my strength (Nehemiah 8:10). My joy makes people wonder what’s happening, and I have a chance to tell them what God has done for me.
3. Be Watchful: Five wise virgins in Matthew 25 made sure they had oil for their lamps in case the bridegroom came in the middle of the night. We live in exciting times when world events point to the second coming of Jesus. I don’t want to be caught off guard like the five unwise virgins, so I  read God’s word to recognize the signs of the times and not be deceived by any false statements I hear.
4. Be Faithful: Two out of three tenants in Matthew 25 demonstrated faithfulness, not by thinking of themselves, but about how they could serve someone else. Like them, I want to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
5. Be Merciful: Jesus showed us mercy in the way He interacted with people. He healed the sick—made the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk and the mute talk. The Good Samaritan showed mercy when he cared for the beat-up man on the side of the road. I look for similar opportunities to show mercy, whether it’s giving a smile, a word of encouragement or a helping hand.
6. Be Generous: The widow in Luke 21 will be remembered in all generations because Jesus commended her generosity. Her gift meant more to Him because she trusted God with her life and gave out of her poverty. It has taken a lifetime for me to become debt-free, so I can be generous with God’s gifts. Acts 4:32 says the believers were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own. I want to learn to hold onto my things loosely, so I can model what this verse means.
7. Be Ready: I am setting my mind on things above. In my longing for our Lord’s appearing, I will follow the exhortation in 1 Peter 4:7-10, “Let us love each other deeply. Let us offer hospitality to each other without complaint and let us use whatever spiritual gifts we have to serve each other faithfully.” 

Our Blueprint for Living Holy unto God--The Ten Commndments

God wrote the Ten Commandments on stone to give us hearts of flesh. Do you know all of them? Have you obeyed them?

1. Do not have any other gods before me. I am the one True God.
2. Do not make or worship idols. Don't let anything become more important than God.
3. Do not misuse God's name. Only say His name with reverence.
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. God worked six days and rested one day. He wants rest for us too.
5. Honor your father and your mother. Show them respect and appreciation.
6. Do not murder. Do not kill another person out of anger or malice.
7. Do not commit adultery. Husbands and wives should not have close relationships with others of the opposite sex.
8. Do not steal. Do not take what is not yours. The cure for stealing is work. Work so you can give to others.
9. Do not lie. Do not say things that are not true.
10. Do not covet. Be content with what you have.

Can you keep all these? The truth is we cannot. Although we may think we haven't disobeyed God, He looks into our hearts and He has a different value system. Jesus said for a person to be angry at another person was the same as murder. He also said for a man to look with desire at another woman besides his wife is adultery. These are hard standards because they are God's ways. We may think that we are better than someone else, but the only person we should compare ourselves with is Jesus because HE is the only perfect one.

Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments to Two:

• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and
• Love your neighbor as yourself.

To be close to God, we cannot have sin in our lives. He knew we would choose our ways instead of His, so He made a way for us to have a relationship with Him. He loved us so much He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sin.  When we admit our need of Jesus in our lives, believe that He died to forgive us, and confess our sin and ask Him into our hearts, we will live with Him forever. He promises He will never leave us but will always be with us, through good times and bad.

When you follow Jesus' ABC plan, He will never leave you but always be with you, to encourage, inspire and comfort you. I hope if you haven't, you will. I'm praying for you.

• Admit
• Believe
• Confess

Lord Jesus, I am praying for the ones reading this post. Give them new hearts to love you. Amen.