All For Jesus

Beloved,

On this first Wednesday of March, we are blessed to be able to share in all that God has done for us. For us, God has been a cover, a keeper, a provider and a protector. You can tell your testimony of this better than anyone else.

In thinking of all of the blessings of God, Jesus laid out a plan, a game plan so to speak, of how we are supposed to get blessed by God. The game plan was laid out for us in Matthew 5:1-12 entitled "The Beatitudes", the initiation of the Sermon On The Mount.

In verses 3-10, Jesus craftily laid out the fact that those who go through something FOR GOD should expect to be blessed BY GOD for all that they went through. In a sense, the blessings were somewhat transactional. You put something into God's kingdom and you get something out of God's kingdom.

It is a bit different from how some approach their Christian walk, their soul salvation, their journey on this side of glory. Some act like they think they should get some type of spiritual merit badge like a heavenly boy scout or girl scout when they randomly show up for something related to the church. It does not work that way.

I encourage you to read "The Beatitudes" and when get to the end, verses 11-12, you will find, "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you ON MY ACCOUNT. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Beloved, of all of the verses, this one seems to really put it all on the line. We sing, "All to Jesus I surrender, all to thee I freely give...I surrender all." Do we really? Are we so sold out to Jesus that we do not compromise with what is convenient and popular in the world? Or, are we sell outs to the world and want God to compromise with us?

Being a Christian has never been easy but it has always been worth it.

Our grace, earned at the cross by Jesus, was undeserved favor and it was and is the most invaluable gift ever given. Have you actually received it?

Have you had people walk away from you because of your faith in Jesus?

Have you had people talk about you because of your faith in Jesus?

Have you had people exclude you because of your faith in Jesus?

Sounds kind of bad, doesn't it?

But, do understand, it simply means that you are in a world that you are no longer of and there is another side to the story.

Have you had people come to you because of your faith in Jesus?

Have you had people want to talk to you because of your faith in Jesus?

Have you had people include you because of your faith in Jesus?

Beloved, the key is that your faith in Jesus is supposed to separate you from some things, some people, and some places; but, it is also supposed to draw you to some things, some people and some places.

And, when the people of the world that is rejects you because of Jesus, those who are bound for the world to come will accept you because of the same Jesus. And, you should rejoice when the revelation comes because you are on your way to the great reward.

Jesus spoke these words so that you would know the difference, so that you would know that winning on this side of glory can look like losing on the other side of glory and losing on this side of glory can look miraculously and marvelously victorious on the other side of glory.

You have got to choose the right team, the right side, and the right game plan.

The winning team, the winning side, and the winning game plan for eternity is the one that is all for Jesus.

Beloved, today, we are going all for Jesus at Noonday Prayer, on the sermon broadcast at 3pm on The Light radio station, and at HOPE Wednesday at 6:30pm via Zoom in our study of Joseph.

If you want the blessings found in The Beatitudes, remember it is transactional. You get out of this Christian life what you put in. The wonderful thing about God is that God always gives you more than what you put in.

Why?

Remember, God loves you and I love you too.

Be blessed,

Rev. Cain