“Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O Lord my God, Your wonderous deeds and Your thoughts toward us; none can compare with You! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told.” (Psalm 40:4-5 ESV)
We’re often reminded to turn our thoughts to God, because isn’t that essentially what prayer involves; turning our attention and focus on the Lord? We can’t really speak to someone, especially not the Lord, with any sense of authenticity or attentiveness if we aren’t even giving them a thought. It’s like trying to keep track of the stats on an important sports event while trying to balance your checkbook. Prayer, as life, involves and demands focus and attention to detail.
Have you ever stopped to consider God’s agenda? What He’s got on HIS proverbial plate? Think of all of His creation, the billions of universes, the limitless numbers of others of His creation, not to mention the billions of people on the planet, each of whom He knows by name, even the number of hairs on their head! Have you ever thought about where you fit into all of that?
The weight of Scripture declares that if there’d only been one person who has ever lived who needed a Savior, Jesus would have still died just for them (for YOU!) – that’s how much He loves us and desires for us to know and love Him in return. Max Lucado speaks to this idea when he writes: “If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.” Think of the many things that crowd your frig, especially when your kids are small. They are tokens of remembrance to express our love for and joy in our children and them for us.
The thought of God’s love for us is even further compounded when we consider what happens when we yield our life and allegiance to Him by faith in His completed work on the Cross. Richard L. Pratt, Jr. writes: “The Holy Spirit takes up residence in believers, making their bodies a holy place for the dwelling of God’s special presence.”
That’s beyond our ability to fully comprehend! Why almighty God, limitless in every way and dimension, would allow His holy presence to be housed in our mortal bodies boggles my mind! Yet, the Bible is clear that that is exactly what happens. Paul explains it this way in Ephesians 1:13: “In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”
So, how do we respond to such a great salvation? Do we continue to neglect it as the writer of the Hebrew letter suggests when he writes: “So what makes us think we can escape if we ignore this great salvation that was first announced by the Lord Jesus Himself and then delivered to us by those who heard Him speak?” Should not the Lord’s intimate and eternal love for us mean everything? Does His payment for our sin and invitation, not only to be in heaven with Him, but to escape the torment of Hell, mean nothing?
Dear friend, if you’re ignoring Jesus and His vital invitation to life as you’ve never imagined it, please tap anewstory.com and let Ron Hutchcraft walk you through a brief explanation why you need Jesus before your eyes close in death. He’s offering you a love for which you’ve longed but have likely never imagined was available. It is and it’s yours for the asking! Just tap the link above.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 