Did God Choose Some People to be Christians?

Romans 8:29-30 – “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn, with many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And he gave them right standing with himself, and he promised them his glory.” (NLT)

I grew up hearing people often ask this question: ‘Why did God choose some people to be Christians and heaven-bound and then chose the others to remain unsaved and hell-bound?’ It made God look like an unfair and unjust God who played favorites with some of His creation. It also made it look like those ‘chosen’ ones must have done something extraordinary to be chose, thereby underestimating the power of GRACE which we never deserve.

Some days ago, I came across Romans 8:29-30 and my heart could not contain the excitement about what I had found! Two verses changed my entire perspective. Guess what?????!!!

EVERYONE HAS BEEN/IS CHOSEN!!!!!

God has called everyone! Okay so lemme back up so we understand this together. The Bible says that God already knew His people in advance and He chose them so that they could become a part of God’s Family. Now vs 30 is the crux of the matter. “And having chosen them, he called them to come…” This is the call of salvation. God has chosen each and every person to be His sons/daughters but YOU must yourself accept His invitation. Once you accept His invitation and come to Him, He will give you a right standing with Himself. Before I go on, the call here is the same as His call in 1 John 1:12 saying that “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (KJV)

When I accept God’s salvation, He will show me His glory as well. God does not select those He wishes should enjoy salvation and sonship. NO. He has chosen everyone. What is left is your response to this call. God is a fair and just God, He does not desire that anyone perish and thus He chose everyone. The offer to enjoy salvation, sonship and God’s glory is open to all!

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What choice will you make? Will you answer to His call now?

Dear reader, if you know you have not answered the call to salvation and a Christ filled life, pray this prayer with me:

“Lord Jesus, thank You because you desire that everyone be saved. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I choose to answer Your call to salvation today. Come into my heart and dwell in me. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior today. I am committed to following You forever. Thank You for accepting me into Your family. I love You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD!

#selah

In Christ,

Shanpepe

Created For God's Glory

Dear Reader,

YOU have been created for God's glory. YOU have been created and equipped to bring glory to God. I hope this post blesses you.

Exodus 31:1-11 – “Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. 4 He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. 5 He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft! 6 “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:

7 the Tabernacle;[a]

the Ark of the Covenant;[b]

the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement;

all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;

8 the table and its utensils;

the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories;

the incense altar;

9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils;

the washbasin with its stand;

10 the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;

11 the anointing oil;

the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.

The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.”

This is one of those Old Testament passages we pass up on when reading our Bibles but which really carries some mind blowing truths in it. first off, we can see that when also equips such a man for a task. He chooses Him AND also equips such a person for the job, adequately. This also reminds me of the fact that I have been made to bring glory to God. Everything I do is to bring glory to the One who made me (1 Corinthians 10:31). The skills, talents and giftings which he has blessed me with are not for mere decoration oh. They are to be used by me to fulfill His purpose. In this passage, God had a desired list of things that He wants for the TABERNACLE (v. 6-11) and so He endowed some men with the necessary skill to get those things made according to His taste. Not that He was handicapped to make them oh. No. but God still chooses us to His work through mere men. Also, when God endows you with a skill or a gift, He gives you the ability of a master of such skill (vs 3). Just like the Bible says that His blessings maketh rich and adds no sorrw to them. God’s giftings are always complete. God is the Master Craftsman and so as a child of God, my artistic expressions are simply a reflection of my Father. 

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The question now is, have I discovered my God given skill and talents? If I have, what am I doing with them? It is important for me to discover how and where He wants me to utilize them so that they will not waste. When I use my skills and talents for the honor of God’s name, that is the best way I can truly be appreciative it. I am CREATED FOR GOD’S GLORY.

Let us pray:

Dear Jesus,

Help me to use my skills and talents to honor You. Thank You for them because I know that You have equipped me with them for a divine task. Help me not to miss that task in Jesus’ name. Amen. May I always remember that I am created for God’s Glory.

#selah

In Christ,

Shanpepe 

It Is Well!!!

Dear Friend,

     So I came across the story of the Shunammite woman some days ago during my quiet time and after studying it much more, came to see it in a new light. I hope you are able to come to the point she came to where she could say that ‘It is well’ even in a painful situation. The story can be found in 2 Kings 4:8-37 but my focus is on verse 26 (King James Version) which says, "Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well:". Here are some thoughts/lessons from this story.

    I admire the calmness of the Shunem woman from the moments of her son’s sickness to the moment he died. She didn’t panic. The Bible does not account for her beginning to doubt the promises of the Lord concerning her child. She remained calm. Even in the midst of chaos, her faith remained steady.

    It still baffles me that she kept saying “It is well”, “Everything is alright”, (NLT version) throughout the entire situation. I mean who does that?! This is a woman who had no child but then eventually became blessed with a miracle child as a result of her service to the man of God Elisha, only for her to lose this same child a few years later. Hmmm!

    I think her repeated affirmation that “It is well” was a sign of faith on her part. She was speaking by faith, believing that God who gave her that child would bring him back to life again. She did not bother sending news around that her son was dead. Instead, she immediately sought for the man of God. And it was only when she got to him that she finally opened up and exposed her true emotions. What do I do when faced with bad news? Do I run around crying to human or do I immediately run to my closet and pour out my heart in prayer?

    This woman was a relentless woman. She insisted that the prophet return with her even when he sent his servant ahead of him with his staff to lay on the child. Her relentless efforts were rewarded when her son was brought back to life by God’s mighty power.

    The writer of the famous hymn ‘It is Well’ Horatio G. Spafford, wrote that hymn after losing his four daughters to a sunken ship. What faith to still say it is well in such distress! You may read the full story here: 

https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-it-is-well-with-my-soul

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    How do I respond to chaotic situations around me? Am I calm and collected through it or am I busy complaining and doubting God’s Word? At such moments, I must put aside calling on any man to help me and run straight to God for help. Most importantly, I must hold on to my faith firmly during such situations. It is my faith that causes me to have the courage to say that “IT IS WELL”, even in the well. I must speak by faith the results I desire even in a chaotic situation because there is power in the tongue! God is the expert of turning chaotic situations into a testimony service. He is my unchangeable changer of humanly unchangeable situations. Halleluyah.

     I leave us with words of the hymn ‘It is Well’:

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well with my soul.
   • Refrain:
     It is well with my soul,
     It is well, it is well with my soul.
2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
3. My sin—oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!—
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
6. And Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.
7. http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/It_Is_Well_with_My_Soul/

#selah

In Christ,

Shanpepe. 

Can I Lose My Salvation?

John 10:27-30 = “My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them away from me. The Father and I are one.”

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Can I lose my salvation? This question has always plagued me, especially when I hear people comment about it and say that it is possible to lose one’s salvation; as if it is something that can be lost, just like that. Funny enough, let me state this from the onset, it is not so. I cannot lose my salvation if I was truly born again in the first place. When I am born again, there is a transformation in my identity from dog to sheep. Therefore, when it is argued using 2 Peter 2:22 that “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and a pig same, it is a wrong analogy. When I became born again, I became a new person; I became a sheep of Jesus’ fold. Yes, I will fail and fall, but I will not go back to my vomit or wallow in mud. Sin is like vomit and mud, which are contrary to the identity of a new creation (sheep) in Jesus Christ. A true believer is on the search for freedom from sin. As a new creation in fact, grace causes one to live above sin (Romans 6:14).

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                                     ----   ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED!    ----

Now in the verses above, we further see that one who is truly saved cannot lose his/her salvation. Typical of my style of study, we will consider the key words/phrases in the verses which stood out to me.

·       “sheep recognize my voice” – I consider this the point of salvation, when one receives Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. There is a change of identity from dog/pig to sheep which has recognized Jesus’ voice.

·       “know them, follow me” – This is the point where I become known by Jesus as His child and I become His follower, cultivation a relationship with Him. I cannot truly know a person if there is not existing relationship between us.

·       “give eternal life, never perish” -  Salvation comes with eternal life and so once I receive Jesus into my life and He now knows me, I have eternal life and the Bible says I will NEVER perish!

·        “No one will snatch, away from me” – This is the crux of it all! That once I am saved and in Jesus Christ’s grasp, NO ONE can snatch me from His hand. This reminds me of some lyrics in the song IN CHRIST ALONE that say, “No power of hell, no scheme of man, can ever pluck me from His hand…” NO ONE. Not even Satan. NOTHING, not even sin or hardship or failure or addictions, or struggles can snatch me from His hand. His salvation is everlasting and secure. How? Why?

·       “My Father has given them, he is more powerful” – This is they why and the how! How? Because God has given me to Jesus and why? Because He is the most powerful in all the universe! What He gives, no one can take.

·       “No one can take them away” – Here, the word is ‘take’ and not snatch. I see a little but great significance here. To snatch is done with force. To take requires some consent, or some agreement. Well, Jesus will never consent for me to be taken away from His hands of salvation.

·       “My Father and I are one” – There is unity between God the Father and the Son. This powerful force ensures my everlasting salvation and security.

So, can I lose my salvation? NEVER. It is once saved, always saved for a child of God. My sin and failures are not greater than the salvation that Jesus offers. Halleluyah!

#selah 

I hope that this post has blessed you and served as an assurance of your salvation in Christ Jesus.

In Christ,

Shanpepe.

Love = Obedience, Obedience = Love.

Dear Friend, 

Very recently the Holy Spirit hammered seriously on the issue of love and obedience in my life. I hope this post awakens your heart to matching your love for God with obedience to Him. God bless. 

http://yallneedjesus.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/love-is-spelled-obey.png

John 14:24, 31, 15, 21: 

vs 15 “If you love me, obey my commandments." 

vs 21 "Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

vs 24a "Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me." 

vs 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let’s be going.

http://worshipfulliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Obedience-is-Love.jpg

When something re-occurs in a particular chapter, it means it is indeed something that must not be played with. It is most definitely  a matter that means much to Jesus. In the above named verses in John 14, Jesus talks to His disciples about love and obedience. He is seen stressing the fact that the proof of one's love is obedience. 

Obedience is heavy proof of one's love for another. In this context however, Jesus speaks about our love for Him. He emphasizes that if we love Him, we would obey His commands (vs 15, 21, 24). When we do not obey Him, we automatically do not love Him (v 24). Now the issue is, why is this LOVE = OBEDIENCE thing so important? 

In vs 21, we see that the revelation of Jesus is attached our love and obedience relationship. Jesus said that when we prove our love for Him by our obedience, He will reveal Himself to us because of course, He cannot reveal Himself to someone who does not love Him and revealing Himself means exposing to me what is on His heart, what He intends to do, and giving me an experience of His fullness. I don't think that's something I want to pass up on.

Secondly, in vs 31, there is a relationship that ties vs 15, 21, and 24 all together with vs 31. How so? In this verse, Jesus talks again about His future death. He speaks of how this death is what His Father requires of Him because it is proof that He indeed loves the Father. OBEDIENCE = LOVE. Now this struck me. All I could say was, 'Jesus, the perfect example.' Yes! Jesus our perfect example. Jesus did not speak of something strange in vs 15, 21, and 24. He spoke of something He was familiar with. Something He understood. Love, Obedience. His coming to earth in human form to die on the cross for the sins of the world was an act of obedience to God the Father. And of course, the proof of His love for the Father was His obedience to Him. Jesus never distanced His life from His teachings. He set the pace for us to follow. The Bible says He was obedient even unto death, death on a cross. 

https://quotefancy.com/quote/1234262/Matthew-Henry-Love-is-the-root-obedience-is-the-fruit

HE IS OUR PERFECT EXAMPLE OF LOVE AND OBEDIENCE. 

It's easy to say I love God, but am I obeying Him? Genuine love equals obedience. Because Jesus chose to obey, we received salvation and the gift of eternal life. Because one man disobeyed in the garden of Eden as well, sin entered the world. Food for thought. My love for Jesus must carry weight. True love obeys. 

http://www.aroyaldaughter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Obedience-is-our-love-language-to-God.png

#selah

Dear Lord, 

Let my love for Your manifest in total obedience to Your commands. Thank You for setting the perfect example. Your obedience set me free. In Jesus' name, amen. 

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I hope you are blessed.

In Christ,

Shanpepe. 

Keep Me Burning!

Dear Reader,

I do hope that your sincere heart desire at the end of this post is to burn continually for Jesus.

Leviticus 24:2b & 4 – “…pure olive oil for the lampstand, so it can be kept burning continually. The lamps on the pure gold lampstand must be tended continually in the LORD’s presence.”

https://oncedelivered.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/lampstand.jpg

This verse struck me with so much truth. The words/phrases that stood out to me the most were ‘pure olive oil,’ ‘kept burning continually,’ ‘tended continually,’ and ‘in the LORD’s presence’. From verse 2, what stood out to me is the fact that I am the lamp and if I must keep burning constantly, I need the ‘pure olive oil’ of God which is His Spirit, His anointing, and His Word. I am called to shine as light in a dark and perverse generation. The enemy is going to try hard to snuff my light out but His efforts, temptations and tactics are not strong enough to suppress the Spirit of God in me. Therefore, in order for me to keep burning for God, I need to be filled with His Spirit.

https://symbolreader.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/diwali-oil-lamp-small.jpg

In verse 4, a question arose in my heart; ‘how do I get filled with this ‘pure olive oil’ of His Spirit? Verse 4 instructs the people of Israel to tend the lamps continually IN the LORD’s presence. This struck me as well. The implication of this in my life is that in order for me to be filled with the Holy Spirit’s power to burn continually, I must continually remain in God’s presence. The Bible speaks of the Word of God and prayer. When I immerse myself in God’s Word and in prayer, I will be filled with the Holy Spirit of God which will be the oil that will keep my lamp burning continually for God. If I must serve God’s purpose, then I must burn continually, not sometimes, not occasionally, not when I feel like it, but CONTINUALLY. When I remain in God’s presence, the enemy will not be able to put out my light. I will only burn brighter and brighter.

Father, help me to immerse myself in Your Word and in prayer, continually. I want to burn always and only for you. “Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, give me oil in my lamp I pray. Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning. Keep me burning till the break of day…” Amen.

#selah

In Christ,
Shanpepe

Journeying Through Ruth: Part 4

Dear Reader,

Today brings us to the end of our journey through the amazing book of Ruth! For me, the journey has been worthwhile every step of the way. I hope that the lessons from this journey take root in your life.

Chapter 4 is the chapter of Boaz’s marriage to Ruth after the encounter of the threshing floor.
This chapter showcases the events that took place after Boaz and Ruth’s meeting at the threshing floor. Boaz is seen to be a man of his word. He keeps his word to Ruth and indeed meets with his kinsman redeemer concerning her, in the presence of many witnesses. This shows Boaz to be an honorable and dignified man. He doesn’t cut corners to marry Ruth. Instead, he goes by due process and tradition.

In vs 13, it is said that the LORD enabled Ruth to become pregnant. Casting my mind back to chapter 1, Ruth had been married for 10 years but had no children. However, we see God’s miracle of childbirth here. God is the giver of children. He is the one who makes the barren fertile. Naomi is blessed by the gift of this baby and her bitterness is turned to joy. Ruth’s decision to follow the one true God was the beginning of His great work in her life. Ruth was a blessing to her mother-in-law.

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Vs 15 highlights the words of people to her concerning Ruth. Am I a blessing to those around me? Ruth chose the path of God and He honored her. She became the grandmother of King David, and an ancestor of Jesus! Boaz’s act of redeeming Ruth reminds me of Jesus’ work of redemption for me on the cross. By His grace I have been redeemed.
#selah!

In Christ, 

Ishanpepe.