DO YOU HAVE ASSURANCE THAT YOU WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

** This devotional is a little longer than most, but it’s an important topic **

BIBLE PASSAGE:
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
(1 John 5:13)

MEDITATION:
It’s difficult, isn’t it? You may be asking, “What is difficult?”
It’s difficult to imagine that someone you didn’t even know
at the time, would give His life for you, isn’t it?

Why would He do that? He did it because He is so full of love that He
was willing to do anything to make it possible for you and everyone
else to avoid an eternity of suffering. He could have called thousands
of angels to prevent Him from going to the cross, but instead He chose
to voluntarily allow Himself to be crucified (which is one of many
agonizing ways to die).

By tasting death for every human being, Jesus took the penalty that we
deserve and erased our guilt of sin before God. Salvation involves two
parts. As unimaginable as it is, Jesus completed His part out of heart
full of love for us, and in obedience to the Father.

However, the second part requires a choice by every individual. The
scriptures tell us that we must believe in the Son of God. We might
intellectually do that, but so much more is required. Our belief in
Jesus means we want to invite Him into our lives.

It means we want Him to be Lord of our lives.
It means we want to develop the same characteristics of Jesus.
It means we love Him so much that we want to worship and praise Him
for what He did for us as our Savior.
It means we have a desire to serve Him in some capacity.
    What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if
    someone claims to have faith but has no
    deeds? Can such faith save them?
    (James 2:14)

It means we are willing to make sacrifices for Him.
It means we want His love to flow through us so it can spill over to
those around us.
It means we want others to believe in Him and invite Him into their
lives too.
It means we want to know Him, and for Him to know us.
    “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will
      enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one
      who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.
      Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did
      we not prophesy in Your Name and in Your Name
      drive out demons and in Your Name perform many
      miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never
      knew you. Away from Me, you evildoers!’
      (Matthew 7:21-23)

In summary, it means we are totally committed to the Lord and His
mission of encouraging others to believe in Him. We are told in the
scriptures that when we have this kind of faith, we will know that
we will have eternal life.

ACTION:
Questions to consider:
    – Do you believe in Jesus Christ?
    – Do you have an intellectual or a historical belief,
       or do you fully believe in Him?
    – Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for you;
       how have you shown your thankfulness to Him?
    – Have you shown love for the Lord with your money, time, or possessions?

We should remember that God commands us to tithe, not as a sacrifice,
but as an act of obedience and love.

Spending time in prayer, reading His Word, tithing, and worshipping Him
with other believers should never be considered sacrifices. All of those are
acts of love and appreciation. “Sacrifice” means we feel it is an obligation,
rather than an act of love and obedience.

When we have love, we don’t dedicate time only when it is convenient and
‘fits’ into our own plans; and we don’t give our tithes after we have bought
the things we want for ourselves. God wants us to give to Him before we
satisfy our ‘wants’, instead of giving from whatever we have left after we’ve
satisfied our cravings.

Let’s be honest, when we choose to tithe, it might feel kind of strange to be
giving money and not receiving anything in return. But we find out through
tithing, that we do receive blessings that money can’t buy. God blesses our
obedience in ways we could have never imagined.

Most people tithe in phases. First, they choose to give some amount to God,
which is usually not even close to the ten percent He commands us to give.
Secondly, they decide to give a tithe which is ten percent of their net pay
(after taxes have been paid). Next, they make a choice to give ten percent
of their gross earnings (before taxes are paid), And finally, out of a heart
of love and thankfulness, they give more than ten percent to the Lord.

We may have heard some say. “We can’t ‘outgive’ God” and have had some
skepticism about that statement. It’s only natural, isn’t it? I had those kind
of thoughts until my wife and I decided we were violating God’s command
to tithe.

However, I can say from experience that the statement above is true. We
were guilty of the four phases of tithing, and were overwhelmed when we
began the last phase (tithing more than ten percent of our gross income).

The first year we gave more than ten percent, we found out that we were
giving approximately 10% of my new salary for the next year. We ‘upped’
our tithe for the next year and the same thing happened. And it happened
again the third year. Three years in a row!

We could sense that Satan was trying to plant the idea in our mind that we
could determine the amount of my salary for the next year, by the amount
we tithed this year. That’s the way he works, isn’t it? It sounds like a good
plan, but it’s a violation of God’s purpose for tithing.

When it didn’t happen in the fourth year, it was decision time for us. Should
we continue giving a tithe above my gross salary, or not? We chose to continue
tithing above my salary and a few years later, we were blessed by God in an
astounding way. In less than twelve months my salary was increased by eleven
percent, then by fifteen percent, and finally by another ten percent.

If you do the math, it adds up to an increase of thirty-six percent. However,
since the increases were on a higher salary each time, it was actually a total
of over 40%! We were overwhelmed by the amount, but more importantly,
we were thankful for how the Lord transformed us into giving out of heart
of love, and not from a feeling of obligation.

Does that mean tithing will result in financial gain? It might, but that
should not be our motivation. If that is our purpose for tithing, then
we will most likely be disappointed. Why? Because we are obeying God
for the wrong reason. When our attitude toward tithing is right, we will
receive blessings that are much more valuable than money.

God may choose to bless us with peace and happiness like we have never
felt before. He may bless us with good health, a comfortable home, a good
job (or a new joy and appreciation for our current job), healthy families,  
or a special area of service for Him where we can use the spiritual gift we
received when He blessed us with salvation.

It’s important for us to know that when we obey His commands, we
will receive His blessings in some way. His blessing may not arrive
on our timetable, but on His. Our responsibility is to obey all His
commands.

Sacrifice of time means we are willing to do what God wants of us.
When God’s purpose for us conflicts with our plans, we will choose
to obey Him (even if we have something else we planned to do).
    And we know that in all things God works for the good
    of those who love Him, who have been called according
    to His purpose.
    (Romans 8:28)

    He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because
    of anything we have done but because of His own purpose
    and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before
    the beginning of time
    (1 Timothy 1:9)

    In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according
    to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with
    the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to put
    our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you
    also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth,
    the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked
    in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit
    guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those
    who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.
    (Ephesians 1:11-14)

Sacrifice of money means that out of our love and appreciation for what
He did for us, we want to give the Lord what He commands, and we are
happy with what He allows us to keep.
    “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob Me.
    “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing You?’
    “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse,
      -your whole nation- because you are robbing Me.
      Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there
      may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the
      Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the
      floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing
      that there will not be room enough to store it. I will
      prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the
      vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before
      it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.
      (Malachi 3:9-11)

    Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap
    sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap
    generously. Each of you should give what you have decided
    in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
    for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you
    abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that
    you need, you will abound in every good work.
    (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of eternal life
to those who believe in Your Son. Although I may not understand
it all completely, I thank You for Your assurance of my salvation
through Jesus Christ. Forgive me if I have taken for granted the
sacrifice Jesus made for me, and if I have failed to have a heart
for giving to You and others. Show me where I have failed and
teach me how to develop a ‘giving heart’. Help me to make a new
commitment to You, and start participating in the acts of love
that I have overlooked (either consciously or subconsciously)
for too many years. I want to enjoy my fellowship with You more,
to obey You more, and to serve You in whatever capacity You have
chosen for me. I really want to know You as my Lord and Savior,
and for You to know me.”

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