♥ Your Treasures, are they on Earth or in Heaven!

A writer of the late 18th and early 19th century whose works are now mostly forgotten, told a story of a knight who spared no expense or time to furnish a magnificent castle.

One day a pilgrim came to the castle gate and asked for a night's lodging there. The knight turned down his request with the words: This castle is not a hotel!

The pilgrim's response was : Permit me toask you three questions,  then I will go on my way.
- Go ahead! answered the knight.

So the wanderer began:  Who lived in this castle before you?
- My father,  replied the knight.
And who lived before your father? ,  asked the pilgrim once again.
- My grandfather, answered the knight.
And who will dwell here after you? asked the pilgrim yet again.
- My son, GOD-willing,  said the knight softly, wondering what the pilgrim was getting at.

Well, continued the pilgrim,  if each one lives in this castle for a period only,  then makes way for another,  are you anything but guests here? This castle is indeed a hotel. So do not go to too much trouble and expense making it luxurious;  it will only house you for a while. Rather build for yourself a permanent dwelling in heaven. 

The story ends here. So we do not know if the knight made for himself a permanent dwelling place in heaven by accepting JESUS as his SAVIOUR or not.

The BIBLE says in Matthew 6: 19-21-- Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,  where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,  where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

But before I end this, let me ask each of you a very important question? Have you made arrangements to get for yourselves a permanent dwelling place. You can choose from two...Heaven or Hell...there is none other...

Heaven is assured to those and ONLY those who have accepted JESUS as their ONLY SAVIOUR. Heaven is for those who say, JESUS,  you are my only hope, and JESUS MOST HOLY BLOOD SHED FOR SINNERS  LIKE ME, the only way through which my sins can be cleansed so that I can stand purified and justified before my Heavenly FATHER's Throne. My heart purified as white as snow from its scarlet state and justified - Just as if I have never sinned, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF JESUS and my absolute mustard faith in JESUS. 

So permit me to ask you again, Are you so busy , giving all your time and energy making for yourself a beautiful earthly dwelling  which is indeed  fleeting and temporary. Don't be so occupied with the temporary,  that you forget the permanent. Let us pay heed to the warning given to us in the Bible in Matthew 6:19-21.

Before I close, let me leave with you this beautiful verse,
John 14:6-JESUS answered,  "I am THE WAY and THE TRUTH and THE LIFE.  No one comes to the FATHER except through ME. In short JESUS is saying I am THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY TRUTH AND THE ONLY LIFE SOURCE. And no one can ever get to heaven and The FATHER except through JESUS.

Just so you know a little about the other permanent dwelling called HELL. Luke 16:23 and Mark 9:48  says Hell is a place of eternal torment where the blazing fire never goes out, where the worms never die and you are in eternal agony, unlike heaven, where your joy and peace is unending and everlasting.

CHOOSE WISELY, FRIENDS,  BEFORE ITS TOO LATE AND START PREPARING FOR IT TOO.

♥ Abel's Religion or Cain's!

This particular article is taken from the daily devotional "The Good Seed".

By faith Abel offered to GOD a more excellent sacrifice than Cain -- Hebrews 11:4.

A student who was a believer once entered into a conversation with his professor. The latter asserted that the many varied religions in the world would only confuse him. Thereupon the young man replied,  'Basically there are only two religions. - Only two? Queried the professor,  And what are they?

One is the religion of Cain,  the student answered.  It declares that for GOD to accept me, I must bring something to HIM that is a result of my own labor. Cain's religion has permeated those of the whole world in various forms. It can also sadly be found among those calling themselves Christians. Whoever thinks himself deserving of GOD's acceptance on the basis of what he himself can do or give adheres to Cain's religion.

The student then continued,  Abel's religion, on the other hand, is more than just a religion. It means life. Abel offered a lamb, thereby confessing that he was a sinner and could obtain acceptance by GOD only on the ground of the death of an innocent victim. Abel knew that GOD had previously killed harmless animals to provide his parents with tunics of animal skin.  Abel's lamb was a pointer to the LORD JESUS CHRIST,  who once came to this earth and died on the cross, so that sinners everywhere might be saved. Now everyone can come to GOD, provided they wholeheartedly and humbly confess,  "I'm a sinner deserving death, FATHER GOD.  I have nothing to bring, but I rely on the blood of JESUS CHRIST that flowed even for me on the cross".

Which of these is your religion? GOD recognizes only one, Abel's.

♥ Joyful Noise!

Do you sing like an angel or bleat like a goat. It does not matter to The LORD as long as you make a joyful noise in total adoration to The ONE you sing to, and HE being The ONE who gave HIS all for you, our beloved JESUS CHRIST.

Psalm 100:1 -- Make a joyful noise to The LORD.

How many of us cannot carry a tune? Does that stop us from publicly singing.

This content is taken from the daily devotional " The Upper Room". This particular content is written by Jacob Schneider from Maryland.

The thought for the day is "Praise JESUS in all you do".

Jacob Schneider says, 'The LORD did not bless my father with a pleasant singing voice. Quite the opposite: Dad couldn't carry a tune even if it had handles on it. Standing next to him in church made singing hymns difficult. My mother sang in the choir.  My sister and I often shared a hymnal with Grandma, leaving Dad to howl in solitude at the other end of the pew. This never seemed to bother him. Each worship service found him enthusiastically adding his dissonant voice to the great hymns of faith. He truly did make a "joyful noise" - every Sunday.

The quality of  our vocal efforts is not important to GOD. GOD doesn't care if we sing like angels or bleat like goats. GOD, who created us and our vocal chords knows our abilities. The act of praise from those who love GOD, pleases GOD the most. When we sing in worship,  we aren't performing for the approval of the people around us. We're lifting up our voices just to please GOD, who loves us, cares for us and died for us.

Prayer:
Dear LORD,  may our songs, words, thoughts and deeds always praise YOU, as JESUS taught us in the Bible. We specifically pray for those who are reluctant to sing, fearing they do not have a nightingale's  voice. 

★ The Queen of Sheba!

Of this queen we know very little. In the gospels The LORD designates her as a queen of the south who came to Jerusalem from tge ends of the earth. In view of the travelling conditions at the time it was, at any rate, a very very long journey. Yet the distance did not prevent the news of Solomon's fame from reaching her. She testified herself that the news was so overwhelming tgat she simply could not believe it. Nor could she ignore what she had heard. Could Solomon possibly have the answer to the problems of her heart. Her hope that he might be able to answer her burning questions led her to leave no stone unturned to put her questions personally to the monarch himself. She needed to discover whether what she had heard was really true or not. On pthe contrary, after having met him she had to acknowledge that not even half had been told.Solomon's fame exceeded all reports.

The splendor of JESUS far exceeds Solomon. Every one of our readers have surely heard of The LORD JESUS, one probably more than another. We ought not to be cold. But have you come to HIM personally to discover who HE really is? If you get to know HIM, you will confirm the queen of Sheba's statement: "The half of the greatness of YOUR wisdom and compassion and love was not told to me". What others tell of HIM will fade into the background when we compare it with our own experience of HIM.  Find out for yourself by turning to HIM.

Like the queen of Sheba, let us also leave no stone unturned to know and experience and taste GOD's love for us, HIS precious children, proven to us through JESUS and the cross.

We can see clearly how impressed, indeed overwhelmed the queen of Sheba was when she came to King Solomon and witnessed personally the outward glory and splendor and also the extent of his wisdom. Such an experience could not fail to affect her. She simply had to give vent to the feelings in her heart and was filled with a sincere desire to express her wonder and estimation of HIS person. If we compare the list of all that she brought with her with what she actually gave him, we ascertain that she retained nothing for herself. What an example for us!

Referring to HIMSELF in Luke 11:31, The LORD JESUS said,  Indeed one greater than Solomonis here. Let us then repeat again, "it is not sufficient merely to hear about The LORD JESUS, we must go to HIM ourselves. Then HE will show us HIS glory and reveal what is in HIS heart. Our hearts will start to burn for HIM. We will want to speak only of HIM.  We will find the things of this world getting strangely dim. It will be our wish to exalt and worship HIM. With wonder, esteem and gratitude we shall honor HIM for what HE is and what HE has done for us. May these things be a wonderful reality for us from now on!

★ Suffering Love!

Love takes no account of the evil done to it, pays no attention to a suffered wrong. 1 Cor 13:5 Amplified Bible.

The LORD’s Table is a vivid reminder of the fact that we are a community of people called to live, by and under the cross. The bread and wine portray and symbolize not just out togetherness in CHRIST, but that our lives are to be governed and regulated by the cross.

Some prefer to think of themselves as the community of the resurrection, rather than the community of the cross. And although the former is true, it should be recognised that The Table instituted by JESUS has upon it, not the symbols of the resurrection, but the symbols of the cross. The resurrection as we saw, is part of it – a glorious and integral part – but the main focus is on the cross.

Now we have to ask ourselves this sharp and personal question, are our relationships with one another governed and regulated by the cross? When we eat and drink together at our LORD’s Table, are we together physically but poles apart spiritually? Each Christian we relate to has within him or her, the possibility of giving us joy or pain. If we relate well together, then the result is joy; if we relate badly, then the result is pain.

It is at this point, however, that a cross becomes inevitable. For what is a cross? It is the point at which love crimsons into suffering. JESUS loved us so much that HE was willing to suffer for us. In a similar sense, that is what we must do for each other, for Calvary’s love is suffering love. It holds on to relationships, no matter how difficult they may be, and suffers when necessary, the pain that is sometimes inevitable when people of a different upbringing or a different background meet together.

O FATHER, YOU know that sometimes it is not easy to relate to some brothers and sisters in the Church, or even to relate with family and relatives, but when pain comes in my relationships, help me to demonstrate the quality of suffering love. In JESUS’ Name, we pray, Amen. 

This particular article is taken from Dr Selwyn Hughes’s daily devotionals, Everyday with JESUS.

An excellent in depth devotionals which will make us only grow in our love for our precious LORD. It is a devotional that every Christian must read and study everyday.