Count It All Joy!
Bible Text: "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials" (James 1:2)
Have you ever heard someone quote the words of this verse to another person going through a rough time? What exactly does this verse mean? And how can we count a really and truly painful experience “all joy”? Is that even possible?
Yes, He does!
Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). God so much loved you and me that He gave the very best thing He had - His Son Jesus Christ. God sent Jesus to earth not to condemn us, even though we are sinners, but to bring us forgiveness, relationship with Himself, and eternal life in His presence. God wants to be in real, active, and loving relationship with you. As the Creator, He fully knows everything about you. He knows your guilt, your shame, and your unworthiness. He knows all about your problems, your fears and your anxieties. In truth, the greatest problem we have is our sins. God says in His word, the bible, that "...all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). Also, " As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one" (Romans 3:10). According to the scriptures, sin is unrighteousness, and sin is the breaking of God’s law. And we are all guilty of that. But sin has consequences both now and eternally. Yet, despite our sin and rebellion against God, because of His love, God did not give up on mankind.
God Made the First Move
God made the first and the greatest move toward humanity. Two thousand years ago, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to bear and pay the penalty of our sins by offering up His life through the death on the cross of Calvary. By believing on Him—trusting Him—we can obtain forgiveness of ALL our sins, and not have to face their eternal consequences. The Bible says, “the wages [consequences] of sin is death”—not just physical death, but an utter and everlasting separation from God in a terrible place called Hell, where all sinners experience the unmitigated, unending judgment of God—“but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The Truth
The truth is that God loves you and wants to forgive ALL your sins. He desires to have a living, active relationship with you, and instead of everlasting judgment, He deires to grant you everlasting life. All you need to do is to acknowledge that you are a sinner, embrace His love for you, and place your trust in Jesus and His sufficient payment for sin on your behalf. If you can believe these truths in your heart, then proceed to verbally invite Jesus into your heart. Ask Him to come in and be the Lord and Savior of your life. You can do it today, even right now! “For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).
Unwise to Reject God's Love
The most unwise decision is rejecting God’s love.. It is unwise to reject Jesus’ sacrificial payment to secure the forgiveness of your sin, or to simply deny your sins altogether. God cannot be mocked. As you read this article, the Lord Jesus is waiting and knocking at the door of your heart, with the gift of eternal life in His hand for you. Will you let Him in today? “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18). Jesus is waiting for you now; what are you waiting for?
Keep Jesus Waiting No Longer
If you no longer want to keep the loving Savior shut outside your heart, but would like to invite Him in, allow nothing to stop you. Do it now. Say a simple prayer to the Lord: tell Him that you acknowledge that you are a sinner; ask Him to forgive you of your sins; ask Him to come into your heart as your Lord and Savior; and ask Him for the strength to love Him and walk in His way. CONGRATULATIONS to you if you would take this most important step!
You are A Breath Away from Eternity
Did you know that with every second, every hour, and each day that passes by, you are getting closer to eternity? That means by the close of today, you have one less day to exist here on earth, and you are 1 day closer to eternity. The question is: are you prepared for eternity? Perhaps you have goals and plans for your life here for several years to come, but the fact is, you could very well be days, hours, or just minutes away from departing from planet earth. In reality, thousands of people leave the earth every second. That means, before you finish reading this article the journey called “life” would have ended for several people across the world, whether they are ready or not. So, if today were to be your last day on planet earth, are you eternity-ready right now?
The Journey to Eternity
When a person’s life ends here on earth, a never-ending, eternal existence begins immediately. While no one knows with certainty how much time he or she has left here on earth – it may be a few moments and it may be years -, one thing is certain: one day this physical reality of time and space will end, and the transition into the eternal state will immediatly take place. It is a journey of no return, of which everyone will partake. Eternity is a permanent destination. There are no second chances; no do-overs; no recourse; and no endpoint in the eternal state. The state in which you enter is the state in which you remain FOREVER! Consequently, the most important question you should ask yourself is: “which eternity are my getting close to - heaven or hell?” That is a question for which you should have a clear answer, considering that you are really just a breath away from that eternity (whichever one of those two destinations you are presently on ther way to). Imaging for a moment that you know you will be traveling somewhere. You have informed family and friends of your upcoming trip, and you have taken time off from work for your trip. But when asked, “where to?”, you don’t know your destination. Would you not feel embarrassed? Woundn't that be unsual, to say the least? But again, if you were to die today, where would be your eternal destination? Do you know with certainty?
Let’s say you don’t plan or desire to go to hell - the place of eternal punishment for sinners - so, have you secured a home in heaven? It's got to be one or the other! According to bible, there are only two eternal destinations - heaven and hell. By a simple logic, if you have not secured heaven - the indescribable glorious place of everlasting life in the very presence of God - automatically, you have secured that sorrowful, God-forsaken place of damnation and unimaginable pain and torment, called hell. But that’s why Jesus died on your behalf - so that you wouldn’t have to take everlasting residence in hell when you depart from this world. According to the bible, all have sinned: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). That “all” includes you. Also, according to the bible, “The wages (consequence) of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 6:23). This “death” is beyond the physical death of the body; it included eternal destruction of sinners in hell. Jesus Himself said, “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5)
Going to Eternal Hell Fire is a Choice
Because of what Jesus did for you, you don’t have to endure the eternal punishment in hell when you leave earth. It does not matter what sins you have committed, where you have been, or what your lifestyle has been until now, the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross has sufficiently paid for all your sins before God, and it has satisfied Him on your behalf. All that is left for you to do is to admit that you are a sinner, ask God to forgive you of all your sins, and invite Jesus Christ to come into your life as your Lord and Savior. Think about it – if you knew you had 1 more year to live, what would you do with that 1 year? Would you gamble with it and let the chips fall where they may? Probably not. Then what would be a good enough reason to gamble with eternity – where there are no do-overs?
Consider this: If someone had a terminal disease, but a miracle drug was discovered that could cure the disease without negative side effects, can you imagine the person rejecting the drug? Or take for example, an inmate serving a life sentence, and out of the blue, he were to be offered a free legal service from a renowned lawyer with the promise to get him released. Can you imagine any reason why the inmate would turn down such an offer? Jesus is man’s ticket out of eternal hell! Why would anyone chose the risk of facing God's everlasting wrath and judgment over the free forgiveness and salvation of Jesus Christ? Don’t let arrogance of heart or the short-lived pleasure of sin cause you to turn down Jesus’ unparalleled offer of eternal life! Don’t put God’s offer of forgiveness on hold. Do not decline God’s sacrificial love for you and head on to go spend eternity in hell. Nothing should be so enticing as to keep you from making up your mind to change course, and turn your life over to Jesus Christ. What you stand to gain is the forgiveness of your sins and eternal life after this earthly life. Going to hell is a choice; so, you have the option to reject it and choose life. You can and should change course today! Ask the Lord Jesus to come in and take over your life now.
Making a decision for Christ? Kindly contact us and let us know. Jesus loves you.
Whether you are aware of it or not, whether you believe in it or not, it doesn’t matter; you are still under the force of gravity. Likewise, whether or not you are aware of it or believe in it; it doesn't matter; as a human being, you are under the power of sin.
This truth is that in God's sight, you are a sinner. The simple definition of sin is "the violation of God’s laws." "Sinning" is missing the perfect mark of God. All men have violated God’s laws and missed God’s marks. "Sinfulness" is the situation of mankind before the Almighty and holy God.
Humans cannot exist without water. But according to NASA, 97% of earth’s water is in the ocean; 2% exists as glaciers and ice, and only 1% freshwater - underground, in lakes and rivers - is what man, animals, and plants live on. However, this 1% is only replenished by rain and snowfall. That means without God sending enough rain and snowfall, in spite of all our science and technologies, humans cannot survive on earth. In other words, man’s existence on earth literally depends on God sending both rain and snowfall, in order for us to have drinkable water.
Just as man depends on God to send rain and snowfall in order for us to survive, the solution to man’s sin problem depends on what God alone can do and has done. Apart from God, there is no way around our sin problem.
First of all, God is a just and righteous God. He judges sin because He’s just. According to His word in Ezekiel 18:4, “…the soul who sins shall die.” That means death is the consequence of sin. And according to God’s righteous standards, we deserve to die eternally for our sins (notice: “the soul,” not just the body). But because of God’s great love for us, He provided us a solution: He gave another Soul for our souls. He gave His Son, Jesus Christ as the perfect substitute for our sinful souls. Listen to what the bible says in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life.”
So instead of eternal death, God gave us His Son, that we might be forgiven our sins, and we may have everlasting life and not perish.
“Give,” in John 3:16 means that God offered up Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins through His brutal death on the cross of Calvary. At that time Jesus, the sinless Son of God, was condemned for our sins. He died, he was buried, but on the third day, He was resurrected by the great power of God.
Jesus is God’s solution for our sins.
God sent Him to the world, He lived and died for our sins, He was buried, and He resurrected from the grave that we also may live eternally. Apart from Jesus, there is no other solution to our sin problem.
In order for the physical life to exist, food is not a choice, it is a necessity. Without food, death is not avoidable.
Salvation is a necessity for man. Without becoming saved, eternal judgment and death are not avoidable. God says we must be saved through Jesus Christ His Son, if we are going to escape the eternal consequences of sin.
If you want to live physically, you must eat. In the same way, if you want to live eternally and avoid God’s righteous judgment for your sins, you must be saved!
We don’t live just by knowing that food is available; rather, we are sustained by actually taking and ingesting food into our body. Although food may be plentifully available, it is still man’s responsibility to feed in order to live.
God has made salvation possible and available to everyone, including you; but it is our obligation to personally repent of our sins and place our faith in Jesus Christ, and then invite Him into our lives as our Lord and Savior. In other words, forgiveness and salvation is available to us in Jesus, but we have a role to play in receiving them. You must personally repent of your sins, believe that Jesus is the Savior of mankind, and invite Jesus into your life as your own Lord and Savior.
So God has provided forgiveness and salvation for you through Jesus Christ, but your responsibility is to repent of your sins and put your faith in Jesus in order to receive God's forgiveness and His salvation. Are you willing to take that most important step? Do it now; tomorrow may be eternally too late! Jesus loves you.
If you made that life-changing decision for salvation, please kindly contact us and let us know.
Sometime ago, a woman took her little girl to the hospital to get medical treatment after she started complaining of pain all over her body. When asked by the doctor what part of her body hurt, the child said, “Everywhere.” Mystified as to how everywhere could be hurting, the doctor asked her to touch the specific area of her body hurting. The girl touched her big toes and exclaimed, “Ouch! they hurt.” She touched her knees and groaned in pain. Next, she touched her chest, and then her face, the same thing - they all hurt. Baffled by the situation, the doctor decided to investigate further. Upon closer examination, the doctor discovered that the little girl actually had a broken finger, and that she had been using that finger to touch her body. No matter where she touched on her body, she felt the pain from her broken finger. However, she had naively attributed the pain to each body part she touched, leading her to believe that everywhere was hurting. Her broken finger was treated, and she was discharged.
Today in our society, many people hurt in different areas of their lives: emotionally, spiritually, relationally, financially, physically, etc. However, the truth is, like that little girl, the root cause of many people’s problems is a broken relationship with God. A broken relationship between man and God is a central spiritual problem that underlies and affects every single aspect of a person’s life. It manifests as emotional, relational, financial, physical, and socially problems. But instead of treating the heart of the matter, many people attempt to find solutions through various means -- science, philosophy, psychology, materialism, humanism, immorality, alcoholism, drug addiction, and the likes. However, employing any of these mechanisms is like putting a layer of veneer coating on a piece of rotten wood. It doesn’t solve the problem - the wood is still rotten underneath. To have real solutions to our hurts -no matter what type they may be- our broken relationship with God cannot be simply overlooked or overlaid with human contraptions and gimmicks. Rather, it must be acknowledged and repaired. Just like that broken finger, until it is addressed and treated, life will continue to hurt, no matter what or where you touch.
The greatest obstacle to repairing man’s broken relationship with God is pride. Pride puts man at the center of life, the one around whom everything revolves - instead of God. Pride makes us believe we can steer the ship of our own lives and prescribe our own moral standards. But the attempt to command and captain the ship of one’s life is nothing less than attempting to take God’s place and play God’s role. It is an impossible proposition!
Sin, which is the breaking of God’s spiritual and moral laws, is the main cause of the brokenness in the relationship between man and God, man and his fellow, and man and his environment. However, pride, which is the refusal to acknowledge God’s sovereignty and authority over us is the greatest of all sins. Instead of repenting and turning to God, many would rather continue to turn to man-made escape routes; all the while, they continue to hurt on every side. Artificial, man-devised mechanisms of dealing with pains and problems just don’t work. Consequently, suppressing pain with substance abuse, evading, dismissing, or denying truth through human philosophy and naturalistic rationalizations, or even blaming others for our woes, can never treat man’s underlying problem - broken relationship with God. The tricks and techniques are just prideful copouts. If you really want to experience peace and true solutions to life’s pestering pains, you need to abandon all the futile human techniques, and simply acknowledge truth – that you are a sinner, and you have a broken relationship with God your creator, and you want that relationship repaired.
The bible says, “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Everyone - and yes, that includes you- is a sinner. Secondly, you must be willing to repent from your sinful way of life, and to ask for forgiveness of your sins through Jesus Christ the Son of God. God has made Jesus the sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The bible says, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [sacrifice] for our sins” (1 John 4:10; 1 Pet 3:18).
Without repentance there can be no forgiveness and salvation. Jesus said, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3). Lastly, you must be ready to put God back where He belongs -- at the driver seat of your life. God’s very first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Jesus said, “You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him ONLY you shall serve” (Matt 4:10). This is what it takes to mend the broken relationship between God and man. It is after these decisive steps that the hurts in all other areas of your life can be healed. A honest and wise man would not paint over a rotten piece of wood without first repairing or replacing it. Likewise, a wise man would not deny or avoid repairing his broken relationship with God, especially if he truly desires a wholesome life.
Do you desire a restored relationship with God? Then take the above steps right away. Right where you are, pray and talk to God in prayer. Tell Him that you are sorry for keeping Him out of your life all this time, attempting to take His role in your life. Ask that He would forgive yours sins because His Son Jesus Christ died in for you. Ask Jesus to become your personal Lord and savior as from today, and tell Him that you are willing to follow Him sincerely with all your heart.
IF you prayed that prayer, the Lord has heard you because He’s a loving and faithful Father. Your sins are forgiven, and your relationship with God is restored just like that!
Your next step is to follow through this new life-changing decision. And that is where we coming. We are a local church in your community, used by God to supply this tract. We would like to know about your decision for the Lord as soon as possible, so that we can come alongside of you in your spiritual walk with God. We ask that you contact us through the information provided below. Please allow us to provide you with the tools, means, and support that you need to be successful in your spiritual walk. Contact us today.
Pastor Samuel Obadare
Abundant Life Center (CAC - WOSEM)