Tag: Kingdom of Heaven

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At the End of the Day

DECEMBER 4

MATTHEW 7:23_ye that work iniquity.

The word iniquity can be translated as lawlessness.

We could study all six hundred plus laws—eventually they fit into one set.

 Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV), “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Galatians 5:13-14 (KJV) “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  

When it’s all said and done, at the end of the day, life boils down to whether we loved God and His people. If we lived life contrary to that we are workers of iniquity. Jesus not only will not know us, but ask us to leave His presence.

When we stand before the Day of Judgment we want to rejoice in God’s incomparable mercy. We want to remain in His presence, to live in the kingdom of heaven, and continue to love God and His people.

We want to praise our friend, Jesus, who made the way.

PRAYER

Good Shepherd, Praise You that I can live with You forever! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.             

Christ made the way to live forever in Heaven—I will!

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Beneath the Sheep Clothing

DECEMBER 1

MATTHEW 7:22_and in thy name done many wonderful works.

The devil has power. He uses it for evil.  As we have learned, he can also disguise himself as an angel of light to use his powers in ways which appear to be good. 

The word, wonderful, in this verse can be translated powers. The devil empowers those he enslaves. His goal is to destroy as many Christians as he can before he comes to the time of his doom.

Revelation 20 (KJV),“1And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. ‘10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

The devil knows his end is coming. He blames Jesus and any who are Jesus’ disciples. In the meantime, he enslaves any who do not recognize him beneath the sheep clothing.

He even deceives them into believing they will enter the kingdom of heaven.  

PRAYER

Powerful God, I know Your power overpowers the devil and his demons. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                                             

Christ empowers me – The devil will not enslave me!

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Rulers in the Darkness

NOVEMBER 30

MATTHEW 7:22_and in Thy name cast out devils…

Ephesians 6:12 (KJV), “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

This verse says there are rulers in the darkness and they have powers. It is good to have a healthy fear of these powers. It helps you live in the reality that the devil is powerful and you are no match for him.

That’s as far as your fear needs to go. When you chose to accept Jesus as your Savior you defeated the devil. He knows he no longer has power over your eternity. Beware that he will come after you in this life with his deception and lies about your unworthiness. 

Colossians 1:12-14 (KJV), “Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet [worthy] to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear son:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.”

That’s why the devil is defeated.

Be knowledgeable about the spirits of darkness, but do not pursue experiencing first hand any kind of occult practices. Don’t go there, even if you think you are learning something for the good of helping a friend.

Grow strong in Jesus and know your Bible—that’s how you help friends!

PRAYER

Jesus Savior, Praise You for defeating the devil for me! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen. 

Christ has defeated the devil and his demons—For me!

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Can They Persuade Jesus?

NOVEMBER 28

MATTHEW 7:22_have we not prophesied in Thy name…

Jesus refers to people who profess to be Christian. These people believe they have the right to call upon the Lord when He sits on the judgment throne. Do they  believe they are clever enough to persuade Jesus to accept them on their terms, not His?

2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 (KJV), “And for this cause God shall send them [the unrighteous] strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Good grief! This is more of that stuff I’d just as soon the Bible would leave out! Because the unrighteous will not believe the truth, then it is only natural they enjoy being unrighteous. God does not stand in the way of them believing lies. Perhaps one of the lies they believe is their good works will allow them to enter the kingdom of heaven.

These people did not get into this kind of shape because God did not care enough to pursue them: 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV), “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 

Unfortunately, not everyone will repent.

Some of the unrepentant may go around prophesying in God’s name.                   

PRAYER

Everlasting Father, I do not want to find joy in unrighteousness, but in You. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.                                                                                                                    

Christ knows all the hearts that repent—He sees mine!

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Many

NOVEMBER 27

MATTHEW 7:22_Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord…

Jesus begins this verse with the word many. I already feel bad that not everyone will go to heaven, but now I feel worse that the not everyones are many. 

This reminds me of the narrow path, when Jesus says few will find it. It also causes me to think about how He said many will go in at the broad gate.

From this Sermon on the Mount Jesus has taught me who comprises the many:

Those whose righteousness does not exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees (chapter 5:20),

Those who cause others to believe they are empty-headed idiots (chapter 5:22),

Those who profit from the bondage of human trafficking (chapter 5:29-30),

Those who do not forgive (chapter 6:15),

Those who choose the broad path to destruction (chapter 7:13),

Those who are ravening wolves and bring evil into the world (chapter 7:17).

None of these actions exclude anyone from heaven by the action alone. The exclusivity comes from the heart. The heart which excludes Jesus.

The actions can all be forgiven and erased when the heart opens to include Jesus.

The actions reveal the heart.                    

PRAYER

God of All, You have taught me to include You in my heart. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.             

Christ desires to be included in my life—I will let Him!