Good morning Lord Jesus, I sit here quietly listening for your voice to guide me through my day.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever!” Hebrews 13:8.
As we prepare to leave 2023 and enter into 2024 this verse from Hebrews is one we need to meditate on. Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever. Jesus was the same in 2023. Even in the midst of all the Wars in Ukraine and Gaza,, racial tensions, inflation, Wokeness, and all the life changes with the fears and anxieties they caused, Jesus was always the same. Every morning in 2023 including this morning, as was true in all the years before, when I got up, poured myself a cup of coffee, opened my Bible. opened my heart up in prayer, and began reading God’s Word, Jesus, the Father and The Holy Spirit were present. None of the things in 2023 I mentioned above, nothing said on TV, Facebook, social media altered God’s Word. No actions by Governments, politicians, armies, or even peer pressure, or any actions of man ever restricted or hindered Jesus’ access or longing to be with me. Any morning I did not embrace Jesus and His Words, any changes in my in my consistency to pray, were because of a change in my priorities to seek out Jesus both intimately and collectively as be part of His Church, not a change in the priorities of Jesus. Jesus is not swayed by Governments or public opinions, and access to Him and His willingness to meet me is also the same yesterday today and forever.
Paul declares Jesus’ unchanging love for us, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39. There is however one thing that can separate myself from accessing the love of God, and being in His presence, and that is me I can spend time with Jesus in the morning or I can not. I can prioritize my faith and relationship with Him, or other things. I can actively “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness” (Matt 6:33) or I can seek first my kingdom and my desires.. Jesus gave me and you the free will to draw near to Him Him or distances ourselves from Him. And any morning I choose not to seek him, any day I do not open my Bible, any distancing or complacency I may find myself in with my faith, any shrinking commitment to His Church; I can’t blame it on wars, governments, social media, or actions of men. For as Paul states none of these can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. There is no one to blame but me. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
My family, I pray if you are not actively seeking first the kingdom of God, if you are not daily spending time with an open Bible in your lap and open heart in prayer, if you are not daily sharing your faith with another, if you are not living a life that reflects loving God with all you heart, your mind, your strength and your soul and loving your neighbor as yourself; you will as a last intentional act as you close this year be honest with yourself, quit blaming it on anything, anyone or any situation in 2023, take full responsibility and admit the blame is on you. And turn and prioritize following Jesus again, I pray this in Jesus’ name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!
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Partner with us Before the year ends!
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