WHO HAVE YOU INVITED INTO YOUR LIFE?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“To them God has chosen to make known among
the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
(Colossians 1:27)

MEDITATION:
When we assess the world we live in today, it is easy for us to
see that mankind has assumed living outside the boundaries
created by God without consequences is possible, and therefore
there is no need for God. Many are following their natural sinful
desires to please themselves, and some have even developed their
own ideologies, which exclude God.

God’s Word tells us that we can expect these things to happen as
the return of His Son, Jesus gets nearer.
    But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
    People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
    proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
    without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
    not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of
    pleasure rather than lovers of God.
    (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

God has been taken out of the schools and there are continual
efforts to remove Him from every venue and institution. The
truth is, removing the mention of God does not remove God.
Why not? Because He is God.

Removing any references to God is bad enough, but it’s even
worse – many are trying to redefine what God has ordained
and sadly, they are having success with influencing others to
agree with them.

God creates every human being in the womb, but man has
decided that it is okay to destroy what He has created, and
for what? For convenience! Man has redefined when life
begins, and has chosen to ignore the fact that God actually
is the Creator of every living person. That means He is the
One who determines when life begins, regardless of the
opinions of His creations.

Look at what the Lord said to Jeremiah:
    The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
    “Before I formed you in the womb I knew
    you, before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
    (Jeremiah 1:4-5)

It is not a topic of debate between individuals (which can lead
to arguing and loss of friendships), it is a difference in the belief
and interpretation of God’s Word and His commandments. Of
course when interpretation is involved, there will be varying
opinions, but God’s Word is truth and our opinions will never
change it.

God creates each of us for a purpose (His purpose). How amazing
it is that our Creator doesn’t create us just to exist, but He has a
specific purpose in mind for us, even before He even creates us.
That shows how He values all those who He ‘forms in the womb’.

One of the beautiful characteristics of God is, He loves us so
much that even when we make mistakes in our choices, He is
ready to forgive us if we will confess our sins (whatever they
might be) to Him, express a desire to avoid our sins in the
future, and commit to following His Son, Jesus.

God reads our heart, and He knows if we are sincere when we
confess our sins and express our desire to follow Jesus. When
He sees genuine remorse and our humbleness, He will help us
in purging unrighteousness in our lives (the things that displease
Him).
    If we confess our sins, he is faithful
    and just and will forgive us our sins
    and purify us from all unrighteousness.
    (1 John 1:9)

Who can compare with the kind of love God has for His
creations, and why would anyone ever want to eliminate
His presence in our world? It would have to be a result
of the influence from His adversary (Satan), right?

God created man and woman to be bonded in marriage,
however our world has decided that God’s definition of
marriage is incomplete. There is a growing mindset that
since God overlooked some marriage combinations, it is
the responsibility of mankind to ‘fill the gap’ of all of His
‘omissions’.

We can see various examples where some have decided
that God’s ways just don’t ‘fit’ the lifestyle they want,
so they ‘adjust’ what they consider to be His ‘mistakes’,
and find ways to justify the sin in their lives.

Even those who have received His salvation (Christians) can
be guilty of justifying their disobedience of God’s commands.
However, since we are followers of His Son, and since He has
a great love for us, when we disobey Him we are overwhelmed
with guilt, and it creates in us a desire to avoid our sins in the
future, as we seek to restore our fellowship with Him.

The world has determined that God should not be a part of
our life in any capacity. Social engineers have been busy in
their efforts to create a new society that is devoid of God.
However, each time they feel they have ‘corrected’ one area,
they discover another area that they feel needs to be addressed.

Whenever God is excluded, mankind will remain restless and
will continue its efforts to create a utopian environment. Even
though mankind can be convinced there is no need for God’s
help with economic or social issues, each person has a soul that
is crying out for God’s presence.

It is the same soul God gave us when He “formed us in the womb”.
However, there are many who have silenced their soul, so they can
fulfill their desire to be in total control, and live their own lifestyle,
without God, and without any accountability.

Talk to anyone who has NOT silenced the voice of his or her soul.
Ask them if they have become less restless and discovered a new
type of peace after inviting God into their life. Ask them if they
have a new positive outlook on life. Ask them if they are happier,
and worry less than they did prior to their decision. Ask them how
it feels to know God has a purpose for them and their lives.

ACTION:
God tells us that each of us can have Jesus living in us, and when we
choose to let Him live in us, our life will change dramatically. We are
given a new hope; a hope (aka faith) that we will live eternally with
our Creator (Heavenly Father) whom the world is trying to suppress
and eliminate.

It doesn’t make any difference who we are, how old we are, or how far
away from God we have been living, we all have the same opportunity
for inviting Christ to live in us.

Are you living a life of frustration? Are you consumed with worries
that seem to have no explanation or solution? Do you feel constantly
pressured by the world to ‘keep up’? Have you joined those who are
trying to eliminate the presence of God? Have you invited Jesus into
your heart? Do others know Jesus lives in you by what they observe
in your life?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the promise that
Christ can live in me. Forgive me if I have not invited
Him into my life, and if I have excluded Him from
certain facets of my life. I need the presence of Your
Spirit, because You can fill the emptiness and all the
longings of my soul. I invite You to not only come into
my life, but to also take control of my life. Help me to
show others (and myself) that I have submitted to You
completely by the way I live and the things I say and
do. The world may want to suppress and eliminate Your
presence, but that’s not my desire. I need You to bring
order into my life and rearrange my priorities. I know
that when Jesus lives in me, I will be blessed in ways
the world can never match. Thank You for loving me!
I love You Lord and I want to fellowship with You, my
Creator!”

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