Isaiah 33:2 ” O Lord, be gracious to us; we long for You. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.”

Lord,  You are the wind in my sail, the power and might behind my every move.  I am the weak,  appealing for mercy from the strong.  I will patiently wait and hope for You, even when I can not clearly see Your hand working.  My trust will be  in You and You alone… for You are my strength and my song, and I will continue to praise Your name forever.    Amen

Psalm 40:5 ” Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.”

I think when I get to Heaven, the Lord will show me a little slide show.  The theme will be – all the countless times He has intervened on my behalf,  saving me from  dangerous situations, and even sparing my life.  I don’t think our mind can even grasp how often God has rescued  us from ourselves and our dumb thinking.  When that slide show is over, I will then finally come to realize the enormity of His work in my life…how unaware I was about most of it…and I will love Him even more.

Psalm 119: 89 ” Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens…”

To paraphrase Isaiah 51:6…the heavens will vanish, and the earth will wear out – but My salvation will last forever, My righteousness will never fail.  The Lord is everlasting and forever…His authority supersedes all that we know and see.  His dominion will never end….His love for you will never cease.

Mark 10:15 ” I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

In a toddler’s mind,  all things are pretty simple…their priorities are food, sleep, and play.  They trust at face value… always looking for the good in things.  So as an adult,  why can’t we do the same thing when it comes to the Gospel Message?  Why can’t we readily accept and embrace the Kingdom of God and everything that goes with it? It’s sadly because the World has clouded and distorted our perception.  The Gospel Message doesn’t need to be over-thought…there’s no hidden agenda or bait and switch tactics involved.  You get what you see with God and His Word…for He is trustworthy and true, and His promises will never fail.

Psalm 38:15 ” I wait for You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God.”

If you’re praying but not expecting…why even bother?  If you’re simply mouthing words because it’s the thing to do, but  have no hope  that God will answer…why waste your breath.  If it’s only for show that you pray…why even go there if you don’t truly believe that your prayers are heard?  If you’re praying, but not expecting God to move…why bother.

Isaiah 25:9 ” Surely this is our God; we trusted in Him, and He saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in Him; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

Where and in whom does your hope lie today?  Do you trust only yourself and your sheer determination to make your dreams reality?  Or maybe you trust the world around you to give you everything you desire.  Unfortunately, there is no one or thing here on earth that has the ability to deliver you from damnation… for there is only one person that can give you victory over guilt and eternal punishment of your sins.  Jesus is that only person that can save your soul.

II Corinthians 6:2 ” For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

Isaiah echoes this verse in Chapter 49, verses 8 and 9, “This is what the Lord says: ‘In the time of My favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ ”  Today the Lord is extending His favor towards you…offering His grace and kindness in order to deliver your soul from the guilt and punishment of sin.  He’s uncovering and revealing to you the sin in your life…He’s shedding light upon your spiritual blindness and beckoning  you to come out of the darkness and be free.

Romans 10:9 ” That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Do you admit that you’ve been living a life far from God?  Do you accept the fact that you’ve made a mess of your life so far? Do you acknowledge that Jesus came into this fallen world to save your soul from eternal damnation and hell?  Do you recognize that saying yes to Jesus and turning from your old life isn’t the end but just the beginning of a brand new life…a life filled with peace rather than strife, and love where there was loneliness and fear.  Do you agree that you need a Savior today?

John 3: 16-18 ” For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Jesus Christ didn’t come into the world to judge us.  He came to offer us the gift of eternal life and spiritual salvation of our souls.  The only thing we must do to be saved is to have faith and trust in Him.  There is no one on the face of the earth that is too far from the reach of the Lord…too evil, vile or wicked that His love can’t win.  But ultimately, the decision is solely ours.  Don’t turn away from this invitation, don’t  squander your chance for joy and peace.  Say Yes today.

Revelation 3:20 ” Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with Me.”

The Lord is persistently beckoning at the entrance to your heart.  But He’s also a gentleman, and will never force Himself on you.  No, it’s entirely your decision to open that door…to invite Him into your life and experience true fellowship with Him.