DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT MONDAY - A HEART STARTER. #4.

You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death. It is easy to say you believe a rope to be strong as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? - C.S. Lewis.

Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life. - John 20:30-31. (CEV)

I have just had the most refreshing time in my life over the past four weeks. For those who don’t know, Australia closes down from Christmas Eve through to 23 January. So I have taken advantage over these holidays, to refresh and refire myself for the coming year.

Now that I am ready to go for the New Year, I thought that we would have a nice ‘Heart Starter’ today, and what else can get your heart beating faster than talking about Jesus, certainly not the 6 cups of coffee that you think you need! Hallelujah! Bless His mighty Name!

Advertising tells us through market research, that they are convinced people are seeking life. Every new product claims to be the source of a better life, and when we as Christians set out to find this life, we find ourselves clutching straws. Jesus tells us that seeking to save our own lives will cause us to lose it. This is a spiritual paradox that has a real explanation and it is found in our text…

THAT WE MAY BELIEVE
Believing is “faith”; without it we cannot please God… No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him. - Heb. 11:6.

We believe in many things without understanding…magnetism, electricity, cars, computers, etc; but BELIEF is a choice, based on evidence that is sufficient to change us. It is not imposed upon us by God, but freely given. (No condemnation, no manipulation, no fine print; i.e. Tele-evangelists etc; and it is not learned, it is accepted.

My husband, Ron, once taught a class of mentally impaired teenagers. Looking at his students' capabilities rather than their limitations, Ron got them to play chess, restore furniture and repair electrical appliances. Most important, he taught them to believe in themselves. Young Bobby soon proved how well he had learned that last lesson. One day he brought in a broken toaster to repair. He carried the toaster tucked under one arm, and a half-loaf of bread under the other. - Edna Butterfield.

THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH AND THE SON OF GOD
The object of Christian belief is Jesus, not the church, although that is important. Not just “Jesus” as an historic person, but Jesus as the Anointed One, “The Christ.” Knowing Jesus, as the Christ, is Eternal Life…

After Jesus had finished speaking to his disciples, he looked up toward heaven and prayed: Father, the time has come for you to bring glory to your Son, in order that he may bring glory to you. And you gave him power over all people, so that he would give eternal life to everyone you give him. Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent. John 17:1-3.

This is the source of eternal life; the knowledge of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, is in itself a source of unspeakable and eternal joy. Hallelujah, praise His wonderful Name!

WE WILL HAVE TRUE LIFE
The Source of this life is located in Jesus… The testimony is this: God has given us eternal life, and this life has its source in his Son. - 1 John 5:11.

LIFE comes by Him and through Him; He is its creator and its procurer; it is only in and through Him. No other plan of salvation can be effective; God has provided none other, and because of this truth, man’s search for anything other than Jesus, must bein vain.

Having the Son is having Life… Whoever has the Son has this life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I am writing this to you so that you may know that you have eternal life, you that believe in the Son of God. - 1 John 5:12-13.

The Life we have in Him, is life to the fullest… The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life, life in all its fullness. - John 10:10.

Because it is His Life, that He has given us, not an extension of ours! Operating as though God has spoken, and has told the truth is a choice of faith, the writer of Hebrews 1:1-2 tells us…

In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one through whom God created the universe, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end.

Are you experiencing all that God has for you? The Christian life is a marvelous adventure, an exciting journey. Many people-including Christians-seem to be content to float in a sea of mediocrity, settling for second best. Do you want the abundant life that Jesus promised? Do you want to live life to its fullest? Then aim higher. Don't set your sights too low. Determine to become all that God created you to be. Give yourself to Christ, follow Him completely, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in you and through you. You ain't seen nothin' yet! - Wayne Rice.

If we say we believe in God, then we need to act as though we believe God. He tells us we have Life in Jesus, He tells us as we confess with our mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in our heart God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved (have life). We need to believe that and live by it. His life is in us, and He is prepared to live through us…

LIFE IS IN JESUS! HALLELUJAH, WHAT AN AWESOME GOD WE SERVE!

Be encouraged!
GBYAY