We had a great Worship service today. I walked out of my Sunday school class with no paper, and doubted if I had a pen in my bag either. We had SO many visitors I almost felt out of place in my own church, but I was thrilled to meet them!
With next week being Christmas, it's ridiculously easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas; totally forgetting that Jesus is the REASON for the season. He's the whole reason we celebrate Christmas, and yet our thoughts center instead around what presents we must buy, which ones we have wrapped and hidden beneath the tree ...
And thus, the topic of this morning's message was centered around The Pricey Gift; God sending his Son down to us in the form of a precious little baby to become our Saviour. Sometimes, my mind wanders in that single hour and today was no exception. We looked at John 3:16 how God had loved the WORLD so much that he gave us {the world} His only Son.
A handful of notes in my Bible caught my eye ~ God loved ME before I loved Him! This has always humbled and amazed me. Because I am nothing, nothing at all and yet the Creator of the whole world loves me | gives me the very breath to breath | He loves me! * smiles *
It was the WORLD in that verse that struck me suddenly, and I thought of all those people who believe Salvation is denied to everyone. I hadn't thought of this verse particularly before, but isn't that limiting God when HE himself has offered something so great? How can you tell the Gift-Giver who he can and cannot offer salvation to? No, God gave man the choice. The opportunity to come to that point in your life when you realize you are an unworthy sinner and come to God on your knees, desiring Him in your heart and in your life.
To say that God has chosen/elected you by his Sovereign Grace is truly pride in the deepest sense. How can it not be when one believes God has chosen them over another because he can use them for greater purposes than another? Is it not pride to say God's purpose behind your "conditional salvation" is only because you had greater potential?
If that were the case, why are Calvinists not known to have impeccable character and a greater Christ-like testimony? I read several articles recently on the Calvinist's view of Salvation, and what a humbling knowledge it is that God chose to save them.
And all I could think about was, How one could limit salvation to so few? How could you, a simple sinful human, look at God's word and say that by World God meant only a few? To me, it's so very sad to think that people really believe this way.
There are countless things I love about being a Christian. I love that I can talk to God anywhere | anytime | for any reason! This among all those wonderful things is my favorite, and when my heart breaks to know people's opinions and ideals can seemingly change overnight, I go to God and pour my heart to Him. He always brings me a great peace, and a concrete answer. * smiles *
With next week being Christmas, it's ridiculously easy to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of Christmas; totally forgetting that Jesus is the REASON for the season. He's the whole reason we celebrate Christmas, and yet our thoughts center instead around what presents we must buy, which ones we have wrapped and hidden beneath the tree ...
And thus, the topic of this morning's message was centered around The Pricey Gift; God sending his Son down to us in the form of a precious little baby to become our Saviour. Sometimes, my mind wanders in that single hour and today was no exception. We looked at John 3:16 how God had loved the WORLD so much that he gave us {the world} His only Son.
A handful of notes in my Bible caught my eye ~ God loved ME before I loved Him! This has always humbled and amazed me. Because I am nothing, nothing at all and yet the Creator of the whole world loves me | gives me the very breath to breath | He loves me! * smiles *
It was the WORLD in that verse that struck me suddenly, and I thought of all those people who believe Salvation is denied to everyone. I hadn't thought of this verse particularly before, but isn't that limiting God when HE himself has offered something so great? How can you tell the Gift-Giver who he can and cannot offer salvation to? No, God gave man the choice. The opportunity to come to that point in your life when you realize you are an unworthy sinner and come to God on your knees, desiring Him in your heart and in your life.
To say that God has chosen/elected you by his Sovereign Grace is truly pride in the deepest sense. How can it not be when one believes God has chosen them over another because he can use them for greater purposes than another? Is it not pride to say God's purpose behind your "conditional salvation" is only because you had greater potential?
If that were the case, why are Calvinists not known to have impeccable character and a greater Christ-like testimony? I read several articles recently on the Calvinist's view of Salvation, and what a humbling knowledge it is that God chose to save them.
And all I could think about was, How one could limit salvation to so few? How could you, a simple sinful human, look at God's word and say that by World God meant only a few? To me, it's so very sad to think that people really believe this way.
There are countless things I love about being a Christian. I love that I can talk to God anywhere | anytime | for any reason! This among all those wonderful things is my favorite, and when my heart breaks to know people's opinions and ideals can seemingly change overnight, I go to God and pour my heart to Him. He always brings me a great peace, and a concrete answer. * smiles *
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