“Our Daily Bread”   

http://odb.org/2012/11/09/a-fragrance/

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie                                  

http://www.harvest.org/devotional/daily-devotions/home.ht

2 Corinthians 5:1… For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  (NKJV)

A few scripture verses before this opening scripture, has the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Corinth, urging them not to lose heart… He speaks about how all of us are perishing day by day, as we get closer to our destiny with death… And yet, the Apostle Paul was comforted in the fact that his years of life, even if they are filled with life’s trials…would be like a moment in time, when compared to the eternal glory he (and us as believers) will be blessed with, when we meet Christ face to face in heaven…

In the opening scripture, the Apostle Paul speaks about “a building from God”, that believers will be headed for when they die…  Do you have a guaranteed reservation in God’s mansion ?? (John 14:2)

I know that when my wife and I getaway for a weekend; we have found it best to have a reserved motel room ahead of time… We once went away; and without reservations, we were turned away from the motels in the area because they were all booked up…

Jesus warns those around him, in His “Sermon on the Mount” preaching…that there will be people knocking on the gates of heaven when they die; and they will be turned away because of their false beliefs… Jesus was speaking of people who had done many wonderful works in the Lord’s name…  And yet, these people (who thought they were Christians), were told that the Lord did not know them as His children; and they would be sent away, to be condemned to hell for an eternity…

There is teaching by many of today’s’ churches, that all of the self-righteous works like going to church every week…along with all the other works that are done in the name of the Lord…must be strictly followed, to have sins forgiven by God…  The Bible is very clear with Jesus’ warning, that this just isn’t the case… Here is this important scripture warning, spoken by Jesus Himself, in…

Matthew 7:21-23…  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ ”

Jesus tells us what God requires for a sinner to be forgiven of their sins, when He warns those who will be turned away, that it is “he who does the will of My Father in heaven”, who will be allowed into heaven when they die…  God’s “will” for sins to be forgiven, requires a personal relationship with Jesus Christ; as the sinner seeks Jesus Christ to become their personal Lord, their Master, and their Savior… This is known as obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; and is purely a gift of God’s grace through saving faith alone in Jesus Christ… Scripture is clear, that it is not works that are done in the name of the Lord, but God’s pure grace, to have sins forgiven by Him…   See…Ephesians 2:8-9…

I spent a day (10/20/12) explaining what God reveals to us through His errant Word, the Bible…about this need to obey the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to become a Christian in God’s eyes… It was titled… “God’s Grace through Obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ”… Here is the link for anyone who is urged to open and read it…  It just might be God trying to get your attention to this important necessity… https://godsmanforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/20/gods-group-thoughts-for-10202012-gods-grace-through-obedience-to-the-gospel-of-christ/

Heavenly Father, I pray that You would un-blind sinners, who falsely believe they are Christians, to the truth of Your Word seen in today’s writing… I pray Lord, that You would draw these sinners to Yourself (John 6:44), and that their unredeemed hearts and lives would be filled with the love of Christ by You, as repentant sinners are graced by You with the free gift of salvation… And Lord…I ask a special blessing on all of Your obedient children who live according to Your will for their lives… I pray for all of us, in Jesus’ most precious name and for His sake…Amen…

written by bruce r mills