Daily Devotion (November 27, 2024)
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. -Matthew 5:17
We live in a world where people are living without God. But ever since the serpent came into the Garden people have been struggling to live between the will of God and that of Satan.
Jesus came to seek and save those who chose to follow the will of the serpent. He, Jesus came to seek and to save the lost. I came across a freshly dug grave. I knew who was laid in the grave. I spoke to this person many times, we talked about their salvation. Many say they were going to Heaven when they died.
Salvation is more than just making a verbal commitment to God. Salvation is giving one’s life to God. When a person dies it is more than just the heart no longer pumping blood. It is more than the lungs no longer breathing. The physical body may no longer function, but the spirit lives on for eternity.
Jesus preached “repentance.” Turning away from that which keeps us from God. Repentance is recognition and acknowledgement of our actions, thoughts, and attitude that are wrong and sinful. It is the feeling of regret and sorrow for the things that keep from God. It is making a commitment to turn away from the behavior that keeps us from God and intentionally staying away from them.
We must make a choice; do we live for God our Creator, or do we live for Satan the destroyer of everything that is of God.
We, as Christians, must stay away from the evil of Satan and live our lives for God. In the end Satan loses.
I walk through the cemetery and wonder, what was the first thought of the person lying there the moment they died.