Word for the Day May 23
By: Pastors John
and Cascille Hammack
"If anyone desires to come after Me,
let him take up his cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24
Jesus said, "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world , and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for
his soul?" Matthew 16:25,26 There is much emphasis on self today. The Lord has shown us the way to
Him and it is not through seeking your life, it is through seeking Him. He has made it simple for us. He told
us, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone
who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." Matthew 7:7,8 He wants us to be blessed, He wants
all of our needs met and He wants to give us life, but it is His life, the one true life He desires for us. Matthew
6:33 tells us, "But seek first the
kingdom of God
and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
It is not the formula of what we think is best for ourselves. He is faithful. If you seek Him and ask Him to come
into your heart, He will. His Word is true. But you cannot hold onto yourself and your ways and come to know Him
and His plan for you. You must first see your need for Him. You must first see how far short you are of having
any answers that work at all for yourself. You must first die and see your need for Him and repent of all you have done
to offend Him by violating Him and His law and be truly sorry. He is faithful to forgive our sin. You must
be done with sin.
It is God who gives life. "He has also set eternity into the hearts
of men..." Ec. 3:11 We are born with a void inside that only Jesus can fill. He gives us the choice to choose
Him to fill it. He did not make us to carry the burdens this life loads heavily upon our backs. He made us with
a need for Him. He is able to carry our burdens, we are not. Many seek to fill that void with many destructive
choices taking them further down on the road that leads to death. Dt. 30:5 says, "I set before you life and
good, death and evil." We have a choice. Jesus paid in full for our forgiveness and deliverance from
sin. Jesus said, "Most assuredly I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave to sin." John 8:34
The Lord gives us a choice if we will serve Him. The enemy does not give us a choice. If you let
him ride he will drive! But Jesus has won the complete victory over sin, hell and death! He paid it all.
His victory is so complete that He does not part-time deliver anyone. Speaking of Jesus Hebrews 7:25
says, "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to
make intercession for them." Surrender your life at His feet today, repent and receive His abundant love
and His forgiveness that He poured out for you for the penalty of your sin with His own blood. He reaches out
His hand to you in love today.
"He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself;
he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." 1 John 5:10,11
