Fire Within Today

And He was saying to everyone, "If someone wants to come after Me, he must now deny himself and he must take his cross at once, and day by day he must consistently follow me. For whoever would want to save his life will lose it: but whoever would lose his life because of me will save it. For what does a man benefit if he has gained the whole world, but then lost or forfeited himself?

Luke 9:25-26 (Power New Testament, A Translation of the 1993 4th edition United Bible Society Greek Text)

It's like the Spirit of God has placed a fire within me this morning; a strong burden for people who I have known in my past who are living apart from the Lord today. I am so burdened for them, the ones I grew up with, whom I went to school with, whom I went to college with, whom I have worked with...

This verse is for you today, my old friend wherever you are. If you ever knew me or know me now, I want you to know that first of all God loves you. He does not want you to perish. But, you are living apart from Him, in the sin and fallenness of this world. Sin has you bound, and you cannot break free on your own. The only way you can be free is to surrender to Jesus, the Messiah of this world, and let Him set you free. There is no other way, and you have no other hope.

Think about it now. Where can you find lasting hope in this life? Is it in your friends? Is your spouse going to save you and be your all in all? Are your children where you have placed all of your hope? They will inevitably disappoint and fail you. Are possessions and money where you have placed your security? These will all burn and be eaten by moths. No material possession will last. You cannot take them with you to your grave? Do you feel like a good, nice person who thinks that you deserve to go to heaven, if there is one? This is a false sense of security and self-righteousness. It ultimately crumbles when we get into the presence of a holy and perfect God.

We must humble ourselves, my friends, before it is too late. The Son of God is heartbroken over you. He longs to gather you in His arms and to give you hope and future. His love can overwhelm and change your life. But, we cannot love this world. It is at enmity, at odds with God. Surrender today, I pray. Don't wait another minute. Don't put off God because of your pride or arrogance. That is a killer of the worst magnitude. Seek God while He may be found. Draw close to Him while He is near.

You may have known me before, and you may think I have become a "religious" fanatic. But that is not true. I have become and will always be a Jesus fanatic, because I have experienced Him, because I know Him, because I live and breath in Him. It's not religion that I have. It is a relationship with the living Son of God. And He desires that you for you as well, my friend. He is no respecter of persons. I am nothing special more than you. But, He has chosen me, just as He is waiting for you to accept His invitation to be one of the chosen ones as well.

I want to say to you that you do not know Him if you said a prayer when you were a child and now you live your life in continual rebellion and sin. You do not have the assurance of salvation without a living, day to day relationship with Him. Accepting Him one time is not your ticket or your pass to heaven. It is a daily surrender, a love relationship with Him, seeking Him and yearnig to obey His commands, even though we fail. God's grace is there for us at all times, but not as a license to sin.

Please don't let unbelief rob you of eternal life. Ask the Lord to help you believe in Him. Ask Him in prayer to give you eyes to see and ears to hear. The Lord Jesus is offering you the most precious gift you can ever have in this life... a chance to know Him and to spend eternity with Him. I beg you to come to Him. With love I pray that today is your day of salvation.