John 1:50-51 “Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

This verse is about Nathaniel, one of Jesus’ first followers.

John 1:45-49  

45 Philip found Nathaniel and told him,“We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote-Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathaniel asked. “Come and see,” said Philip. 47 When Jesus saw Nathaniel approaching, he said of him, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”48 “How do you know me?” Nathaniel asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you. 49 Then Nathaniel declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.

Nathaniel was not hiding from God; these verses show us that God sees us at all times. No matter where we are or what we are doing.  And they also show us that Jesus knew Nathaniel in a deep, inner being way. (verse 47) We may think that we can hide from God. Whether it is out of shame, anger, hurt, or whatever, we believe that we can slip away for a while and He won’t notice our absence or know where to find us. But God sees us no matter how far we go…if it is to the other side of the world, in a cave, another state; He sees us. We simply cannot hide from the all-knowing, all-consuming, all-seeing God.  Nathaniel was surprised that Jesus had known him beforehand, and he recognized that only God could possess such knowledge and power.  Because of this encounter with Jesus, Nathaniel believed and followed Jesus and was among those who received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. He helped to spread the gospel to the early church.

As we read through the passages into chapter two, we find where Jesus is in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, and while there, we read in John 2:23-25 these words: “Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. 24 But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25 He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in man.” Jesus, the Son of God, knows all about what is inside of man. He knows that a man’s heart is deceitful above all else. (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus had discernment, and he knew that the faith some professed was not a genuine faith; it was a superficial faith. Some who were professing their faith at this moment would later be the ones screaming, “CRUCIFY HIM!” 

God’s knowledge of us, the very depths of our hearts and souls, goes beyond human understanding. He who formed the universe and calls the stars by name knows us because he knit us together in our mother’s wombs. Our innermost parts are known to him. We read in Psalm 139:4, “You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely.” Wow, even our words are known before they pass over our lips…doesn’t that make you want to push “pause” before speaking?

Proverbs 15:3 says: “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching both the evil and the good.”

Nothing that happens in our own lives or on this earth escapes God’s gaze.  Let that sink in for a minute. Nothing….Nothing…. that means no matter where you are or what you are doing, He sees you! No hiding!

Here is another verse to support the “no hiding”. Psalm 139:15-16 “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in secret…your eyes saw  my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  So….even our unformed bodies were known by God,yet somehow people think they can hide?

It is both reassuring and scary to think that God sees us every second of our existence, even inside the womb. Can you think of things you wish he had not seen? Of course you can, I can. There are things I wish I could sweep “under the rug” and have hidden, yet God has seen every single second of my life: he has known my thoughts, he has known my words…before I speak them (some of which I would like to take back!) Yet, knowing all of this, he still says,”Come to me.” He still came into this world to save sinners like you and me. I am thankful God knows me; he knows even the content of my heart, things I cannot figure out, and He calls me His own. I could never gain access to heaven by being a good person; it is only through repentance and being born again into the kingdom of God that I have access to heaven and the Father.  And as I walk this earth, He is with me, He is watching me, and He hears me; I cannot escape even if or when I want to. My God is here, right now, as I type…even on my worst days and best days, even though I sin, even though I might stumble and fall as I go through this weary land…He is here; present in every single moment, be it good or bad. Let your soul sit with these thoughts, let knowing that the all-seeing God is actually seeing you…make your walk worthy. Let all we do please him. 

In closing, remember God sees you now, wherever you are, whatever you are doing. He knows what has passed and what will come. There is no place on this earth you can go hide yourself away….He sees you, He sees you! 

1 Peter 1:15-16 “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

We have the opportunity to make every day moments holy. How? By doing those things which we know that our father in heaven would do, with an attitude that is pleasing to him. The scripture says to be holy in all that we do. Doing is an action word. Our everyday lives can be holy, those things that seem insignificant at the moment, or those things that causes us to have to sacrifice what we would want to do for what we must do. Holiness is an attitude of the heart.

Whatever the Lord has called us to do whether in our work, helping someone, or giving up something; such as our time, our selfish desires, etc, are made holy when we wholeheartedly do them to please the Lord.

Holiness is being totally dedicated to God, and those things that he calls us to. We can find holy moments sitting in a bad situation in the hospital room, we can find holy moments sitting with friends and talking about Jesus, we can find holy moments in the attitude we have towards our families, and the sacrifices we make every day.

I want to please God, I want to be doing those things that he has called me to do with an attitude of joy. I don’t want to do anything begrudgingly.

As God is working in us, and working out of us those things that don’t need to be there and we become more like him, our lives should be full of “holy moments.” We are different because of God‘s qualities in our lives. When his desires become our desires.

I believe that every time we surrender a “yes” to the Lord when he calls us to the hard, or even the mundane we are made a little more holy, we become more like Jesus. And oh how I want to look like my Savior, oh how I want to act like my Lord!

Every day of my life, I should look less like the world, have less of the worlds attitudes, my life should be a constant overflowing of the abundance of the Holy Spirit inside of me.

Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice, he did it willingly, and found joy in the journey, shouldn’t we?

In 1 Peter 2:5 says: “You also, like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus, Christ.”

We as the body of Christ are interdependent with other Christians. When God calls us to a task he has also calls others as well, their role may look different than your role, but it is just as important. They too will make sacrifices. We must unite in the great moments as well as the difficult ones.

Remember nothing you do for Christ is waisted, and when you do the hard, the ordinary, the seemingly mundane or the uncomfortable with joy it pleases our Father in heaven and we are made holy, just as He is holy.

Choose this day to have an attitude adjustment, find joy in daily tasks for family, in those hard moments, on those paths that God puts us on that are ultimately for our good, and make us look more like him. Yes, they can seem long and we may have those “why me” questions, but remember nothing is ever waisted in God’s kingdom and every moment is making us look more and more like Jesus!

Matthew 10:38 “Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Luke 9:23 “Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must die himself and take up his Cross daily and follow me.”

First, let’s answer the question, What is a cross?
it is a structure, consisting of an upright post with a cross beam, used as an instrument of death. Now let’s answer the question, why do we celebrate the cross? We celebrate the cross because that was the means by which atonement was made between God and humanity when Jesus died on the cross, and took our sins upon himself; He is to be our first love!

The Romans made people carry their cross beam as a way of showing their submission to Rome, their admission, or at least the perceived admission of their guilt, and that Rome had the right to put them to death.

Jesus was completely innocent of any wrongdoing, free from any sin, yet he took the cross beam and carried it after being beaten beyond recognition, for us. He took our punishment upon himself, our shame, and our humiliation. Because of the cross of Calvary, and the debt that was paid by Jesus, when we come to him in faith, repenting of our sins, and are born again, we can live confidently, without condemnation, knowing that we belong to him forever! We stand before him having been washed in the blood that flowed from the cross that day.

What does it mean for me to take up my Cross daily? It means we identify with him, we don’t hide it, we share it. It is knowing that we will face certain opposition, and possible suffering, because we stand in faith with Jesus.

It is a daily dying to our selfish desires and the sin that so easily besets us. We let go of selfish desires, to follow the path that the Lord has placed before us. It isn’t about gaining treasures on this earth, it’s about storing up treasure in heaven. We are called to live righteous lives, no matter what else is going on around us, no matter what the crowd is doing, if it’s not Christ honoring, then we should not be participating.
We are to look different than the world, act different, talk different.

1 Peter 2:9 “ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

We in the United States, do not face some of the horrible things that others do in other countries for standing up for their faith in Christ; many have been put to death because they refuse to denounce their faith, they refused to let go of Jesus. We must ask ourselves can we do the same? If the question is asked, “Do you believe in Jesus?” “Are you a born again believer?”… knowing it would mean your life, would you answer yes?

I pray that you will choose to look like Jesus today, to act like Jesus today, and to talk like Jesus today. And as we approach this time of year, where we celebrate the cross, we call it Easter… that you will truly embrace all that it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ, and the price that he paid on Calvary’s cross for you.

Hosea 13:14 “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction.”

Psalm 49:15 “But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.”

John 5:28-29 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out-those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.”

Jesus was raised from the dead; death could not hold him; He is alive forevermore, and because He lives, we who belong to him will live forever with him. 

Death is not a word we like. Even for those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, it can be scary and hard to process. It can sometimes seem unfair when someone is taken young in life; or what we deem is too soon. That person we have loved, laughed with, sat at meals with, held, and cared for is now gone. We want to keep those we love here on earth; we selfishly think that we know what is best, and to be honest, we just do not want to hurt that deeply; we do not want to feel that grief walking as our companion through this life because to some degree we will feel it each, and every day. 

But scripture is clear that those who die in Jesus, the born-again believer are merely sleeping. Awaiting that day when God returns and calls them to himself. Those sleeping in Christ will break out of those graves and they will meet him in the air. Spirit and body once again together. I cannot imagine what this will look like, my mind races with thoughts of what will happen. 

When we put that body into the ground, it seems cold and dark, lonely even. Our grief is palpable; yet for believers, there is still hope, yes even joy at work in us. Why? Because we know what God’s word promises. God has promised to take us to himself, that where He is we will be. 

What a glorious and exciting thought, knowing that for all eternity we will be with our Lord and Savior! Our faith instantly made sight! However, that is not true for those who die without Christ. They truly are dead and a second death will follow their earthly death. But those who belong to Jesus are immediately in heaven before the One who died for them, who took their sins upon himself, Jesus, our Redeemer.

For those without Christ, they will be judged for those things they did in the flesh while on earth; they have not repented of their evil ways and therefore there is no longer any hope that remains for them; only judgment, condemnation, and the second death. But not a death where they no longer feel, hear, see, or experience pain and suffering, no this death is a death of ever being rescued. There is no longer any opportunity to be saved. Utter darkness void of any, and all hope is their eternity. I cannot imagine being in a place where ALL HOPE is gone, torment constantly with no way of escape. They were ushered immediately into hell when they took their final breath on this earth. 

Why am I writing about this now, Aren’t there more exciting things I could write about, the answer is yes, of course, there is. The Bible is full of the good news of the gospel, it is full of promises to the believers, it is full of knowledge and wisdom for our everyday lives; wisdom and power, and the list could go on and on because everything we need is found in those pages. But to be honest, I long for you to truly know Jesus, I long for you to be ready whenever your time comes to leave this world, and I long for those who stand over your grave to have the comfort and joy of knowing you are merely sleeping, and you will live forever with Christ Jesus. 

When a loved one or friend passes from this life to their life in Christ we as believers think about that “happy reunion day,” when we will join them around the throne worshipping and praising God, receiving our rewards from Him for those things done in His name, for His glory. It is a comfort to us when grief tries to overtake us. We see what will be…on that day.

Wake up people, today is the day of salvation! If you have not called on the name of the Lord, repented from your sins, and asked Jesus into your heart, you can, and by doing so you too will live forever, you too will immediately go to heaven upon your death, you too will have every sin erased from your record and will be washed in the blood of the lamb. Never to suffer any sickness, torment, sorrow, pain, disappointment, etc., ever again. 

Think about it… there is either life or death waiting on the other side, which do you choose? I pray today you will be saved, today you will say yes to Jesus! And for those who know Christ, who have loved ones waiting for you…that day is coming, hold on, walk in the comfort of knowing that you will see them again, and we will all worship the One who saved us for all eternity; our faith then made sight!

Colossians 3:1-8

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden in Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil, desires, and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, and the life you want lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”

How are we as Christians to behave? Certainly, not as the world does. When we come to Jesus, in repentance, and receive salvation, there should be a change in us, not just inwardly, but outwardly as well. We should not look like the world or act like it. We put on the new and take off the old. 

We are told to set our hearts on things above, not on the things below,(the world). We should be concentrating on the eternal, not on the temporary. 

We have died to our old ways, the old person, and we are alive in Christ. And since we have died to our old selves, then we should have little regard for the things of the world, the things we used to do in our sinful nature. We need to seek after those things that please God. As we view the world from God’s perspective, our thoughts and perspectives on the world should change, and those things that used to attract us no longer do.

What are the things that we are told that we should turn away from because they belong to our earthly sinful nature? Sexual immorality- (if you are living a promiscuous lifestyle, or even just being intimate with a boyfriend or girlfriend, it should stop immediately because it displeases the Lord). We must no longer allow ourselves to live impure and lustful lives, we also turn away from any evil, desires, and greed, which is idolatry; (we should not desire anyone or anything above God). All of these things are against God’s will. In addition to these listed above, we are to rid ourselves of anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from our lips. We are made new in Christ, we are given a new heart and new ways of looking at the world. When we seek to please the Lord and see things as he does, practicing any of these things should leave us feeling wretched, and we should run to the Lord asking for forgiveness and help to rid ourselves of our sinful nature. I dare say that if you practice any of these things, (they are a part of your daily life) and you do not regard them as sin that needs to be dug up from its roots in your heart and gotten rid of, you are probably not saved! 

It breaks my heart when I hear foul words coming out of supposedly saved people. How can you allow such filth to flow from the very tongue and mouth that you also use to praise Him? 

As Christians, we should live holy and set apart lives; looking and acting different than the world we live in. We are not to mirror the world and its ways. We Should be making daily decisions to remove anything that would feed or support these desires that are against God, and rely on the Holy Spirit daily in our walk with Christ; so that we can win the battles over our flesh. We are no longer our own, we have been bought with a price. Jesus gave his life on the cross of Calvary, took our shame, and sin upon himself, so that when we come to him repent and turn from our old life,( move away from, no longer do those things) and receive him, we can live new and set apart lives! 

This world is not our home, we look to that eternal and heavenly home with Jesus on high; we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus at all times.

We must read, pray, and fill ourselves with God’s true and eternal word daily. We must die to the sin that so really besets us; so that we can live. But we must remember that we cannot rid ourselves of these evils by simple willpower alone; it comes only through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. You may do good for a while, but eventually, your flesh will cry out for what it wants and will win! 

I pray you find yourselves leaving behind anything that hinders your walk with Christ, examining your attitudes and actions daily to see if they are in line with God’s Holy word; that you are submitting daily to His authority in your life, and walking in such a way, that you hear, “well done!”

Romans 12:1-3

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you’ll be able to test and approve what God’s will is-His good, pleasing, and perfect will. 3 For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” 

In the Old Testament, they sacrificed animals. The priest would kill and cut up the animal and burn it on an altar. A sacrifice was important, but even then God told them that the attitude of the heart, and obedience to God was more important than sacrifice. We are to offer ourselves daily as living sacrifices, totally surrendered to God’s will, and living in obedience to his word.

We are not to look like the world. We are not to conform to its evil ways. We are not to call what is evil good, but we are to hate those things that God hates. When people see us there should be a difference that they notice immediately. We should bear the image of Christ in all that we do and say. We must lay aside our fleshly selves daily. 

God has good, pleasing, and perfect, and wonderful plans for his children. 

He wants us to have renewed minds, and renewed hearts so that we can follow where he leads. We need renewed minds to hear him when he speaks. His word as our compass. 

Jesus‘ ultimate sacrifice, made a way for us to be made new; when we repent and turn from our sins, ask him into our hearts, and allow him to be Lord of our lives. It is not found in religion or man-made rules. It is not found in denominations. 

We find our identity in Christ, He alone, tells us who we are. It is good to have healthy self-esteem, and not good to think less than ourselves than what we are, what we need to do is to look to the word to find out who we are. To be able to honestly evaluate ourselves, we need to know the basis of our self-worth. Our true identity as believers is in Christ. Apart from him, we cannot do eternal work, it is by coming to him, and the changes he makes in our hearts and our minds that enable us to do the kingdom work of God. We instantly are made sons and daughters of the Most High God!

So, if you are looking at yourself from a worldly standard, what you’ve accomplished, those things that you’ve done in your flesh and you think that you have reached this awesome pinnacle, I dare say that it means nothing if you do not know the Lord. Nothing on earth other than being born-again will get you into heaven. You may be wealthy by the world standards, and sorely lacking by God’s. 

I pray that if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, as your Lord and Savior; this new year will be the year that you bow your knee, repent of your sins, and turn to him; and in doing so you will truly find who you are, a beloved child of God, bound for heaven, made new, Holy, Righteous and Accepted, in Christ Jesus! Able to do those things He calls you to do. 

You will spend eternity somewhere, either heaven or hell. Think about it! 

Blessings my friends! 

2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

John 3:6 “In reply, Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

1 Peter 1:22-23″Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but to imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”

Where does true change in us come from? Some would say it is simply an act of one’s will to do or be better. We can think positively, and our actions will change. Most of the time, it does not last. Some manage long-term changes in behavior, but for the most part, a person will eventually fall back into their old ways. I think people call this. “The Power of Positive Thinking.” Many assume by just being good they will automatically gain access to heaven and the Kingdom of God. Sorry to be the one to burst your bubble and tell you this, but that is a lie from the enemy of your soul; Satan is speaking lies into you making you think you are okay, that God is not serious about the way to heaven.

The word of God however tells us exactly how we can achieve true change, and access to the Kingdom of God. We must be born again, we must repent of our sins, (turn away from, go a different direction), and we must ask the Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts and allow him to be the Lord of our lives. There is NO OTHER WAY! And the power to change does not come from within us, it comes from the fountain of God’s own glory and goodness, as we read in the passage above (2 Peter 1:3).

We do not have the resources to be truly Godly, but God allows us to “participate in His divine nature.” Participating in His divine nature can keep us from sin and help us live for him in a world that says otherwise and is constantly trying to pull us away. God by His Spirit empowers us with His own goodness. Did you hear that? God imparts to us “His Goodness” and He is truly good in all ways and at all times!

In John 3:6 Jesus clearly stated that “No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” So, there is no “positive thinking, no self-change, no self-improvement” that can get you into heaven. Our best efforts fall eternally short outside of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin for us. Jesus took our penalty on the cross, bled, and died for us, so that when we come to him in repentance, ask him into our hearts, and are born again, then and only then do we “become the righteousness of God.”

1 Peter 1:22-23 tells us that once we have purified ourselves by obeying the truth we are free to have sincere love for others a love that comes from a heart made pure by the power of God. The Holy Spirit changes us and grows us daily. True change occurs from within when we are born again.

Don’t allow Satan to trick you into thinking you can be good enough on your own. You cannot. Romans 7:18 “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” Without Christ’s help, sin is stronger than we are. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in us to stand against the attacks of the enemy and the sin that so easily besets us.

I pray today that as you come into this New Year, your hearts will be made new by the power of God. That you who do not yet know Christ as Savior and Lord will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, and surrender your will to His. And for those of us who do may you lean ever closer into the Lord and allow him to use you to be a light in a dark world, to truly love others, deny yourself, and take up your cross daily for the cause of Christ. Let us each desire to live more fully for the Lord!

May the world see Jesus in us in all we do and say!