Could You

How do you view your life?
Is your life exciting with new adventures coming to you each and every day? Are you so excited about your life that you can’t wait to rise in the morning to see what new things you will encounter?
Or is your life ho-hum. Same ole thing day-in and day-out? Are you just starting out, or are you merely ending up?
If you could tell me in one sentence about your life, what would you say?
When I was a little girl life was different. I’m not going to tell you all about it but after sixty-three years, I can tell you there have been major changes to my world.
Looking back, imagine how the world has changed in 80, 90, 100 years. Now think about 2000 years ago, and how it has changed.
It’s mind boggling.
From chariots with horses, to Maserati’s and F-22 Raptor’s, a really awesome plane…
From thank you, your welcome, and please, to, get out of face and ugly four letter words, to, well, you know what I’m talking about. Scroll down most threads on Facebook, watch the media, and you will see the moral decline in our society and the lack of respect towards people…it’s sad really. When faith in God is replaced with ‘self’ as god…it is the downfall of mankind.
If the Lord tarries, think what another ten, twenty, or a hundred years will look like….Now that, is mind boggling….It would be interesting to be around to see what the world will be like in a hundred years…
If you are a Child of Jesus, the King of Glory…and Jesus has returned and set up the New Jerusalem here on earth, you very well could be around then…just say’n…(I know there are many opinions regarding this.)
The thing is, what does your life look like right now?
I’ve been pondering about this lately…
Like peace…does anyone have true peace in their lives right now?
Do you have real love, real joy? Do you believe these are even possible anymore?
Is your life totally out of control? Do you think to yourself that there is no love, no peace, no joy, nothing to be happy about or look forward to…? Are you numb, comatose, and without a purpose…? Do you wear the play actor’s face…the smile that hides the hurt and pain, so that no one sees what your life is really like?
Yes even “Christians.”
You know? I’ve read history and I’ve read the Bible and it describes the early Christians as full of love, joy and peace. They helped one another, loved each other and prayed continuously…but you know what…on the outside their lives were far from peaceful…they were killed for their faith…flogged and tortured for preaching in public…but this did not stop them from living their lives in peace, it did not stop them from proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord. They loved their enemies and prayed for them.
They sang when imprisoned…they prayed when set on fire…they said, “Father forgive them,” when they were crucified and they rejoiced in persecutions…they walked for miles on dusty roads, just to share their faith with non-believers and tell them about Jesus and Him Crucified…let me ask you this, could we as “Modern American Christians” endure such hardships if we were arrested, beaten, thrown in jail for our faith, and convicted, then sentenced to death. Would our faith stand up in that kind of persecution? Or would we deny knowing Jesus. Would we look the other way and say, “that doesn’t concern me.”
You are probably thinking that couldn’t happen in America, right? Maybe, but history tells a different story. I’m not trying to scare anyone or talk gloom and doom…but let’s just say the Bible is true and what it says, has and will come to pass…have you read the book?
For those Christians who are simply card-carrying members, but don’t live their faith…those who show up in church on holidays and special events only as a duty…those who simply know God as a fair-weather-friend…let me tell you something…God loves you, he has never given up on you and he is calling you to come deeper…He’s calling you to get serious and to search your heart and give Him one hundred percent of your heart and mind, to love him as much as he loves you, that’s a lot…Because trials will come, persecutions are already here, He wants you to be ready, so that when those trials come, when those persecutions come, you will be able to stand and say with all your heart, I am a child of Jesus Christ.
You may think, why would anyone want to do that? I’ll tell you. Because the life you have with Jesus is real. There is a peace the world does not have and cannot give. His love goes beyond anything you could think or imagine. His joy lasts it is not fleeting. And it is not only in this life but when the body dies…the soul lives on with Him in that same condition. It’s a love that doesn’t grow stale, a love that gives without restraint. His love endures all things and hopes all things and it overcomes hate and death. It is a love to die for, to live for. Because He is Love, and His love satisfies! Praise the Lord Jesus Christ!
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. Luke 9:23-26
There is no greater love than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
~Marla Shaw O’Neill August 31, 2017
Let’s pray:
Lord Jesus save me give me your love, joy and peace. Let me walk in your grace and mercy. Let me be an example of you to everyone I meet. Let my life be lived to glorify you and if the world survives let my legacy live on to the future generations that in a hundred years from now there will be a trail of souls that said yes to you because I loved you and served you and passed you on to others that became thousands of souls, because I chose to love you now. Amen!
Marla
I love the Lord Jesus Christ and am passionate about writing. I hope you enjoy the blog and come to visit often. Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. “Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2: 2-4