May 2018 Words of Life (Week 1)

Our devotion below will be in The Connection newspaper on Tuesday.  

You are Not Too Far Gone!

          Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” We have all sinned in our lives.  No matter how gross you believe your sin to be, know that you are not too far gone to be saved.  Isaiah 1:18 says, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Do not let Satan tell you that you are not worthy to come to God because of your past.  Nehemiah 1:9 says, “If you return to Me, and keep My commandments and do them, though some of you were cast out to the farthest part of the heavens, yet I will gather them from there, and bring them to the place which I have chosen as a dwelling for My name.”  We are to bring heaven to earth according to Matthew 6:10. “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  So these verses in Nehemiah are talking about here on earth.  No matter what you have done, even if you are the farthest from God as you can possibly be, you are not too far gone!  You may ask, what about 1 Corinthians 6:9-10?  “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.”  Do these scriptures contradict each other?  Absolutely not.  1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  If you are guilty of the sins above, you will not inherit the kingdom of God.  However, if you have repented and turned from your evil ways you are cleansed and innocent.  God “will gather you from there, and bring you to the place which He has chosen as a dwelling for you.”  See also Deuteronomy 30:1-5.   

          If God will do this, should I continue to sin and repent later?  NO!  Say you were cast out to the farthest part of heaven due to your sin.  Picture it like the solar system; you have the sun, which I am representing as God followed by the planets.  Mercury (which I will call the Faithful One), the closest to the sun (God) receives the most light and warmth from the sun and can reach 869°F.  Neptune (which I will call the Unfaithful One), the farthest from the sun(God).  It is 2.8 billion miles from the sun.  Because of this, it is very dark on Neptune and temperatures can reach -350°F. 

Image result for solar system planets

          If you have been like Neptune, in sin and very distant from God, you are missing out on God’s blessings, provisions, leading, etc.  But there is hope.  You are not too far gone, if you turn to God, repent, and commit to doing God’s Word.  As long as you have breath in you there is opportunity to repent and obey the Word. However, once you take your last breath on earth, your chance is gone.  Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”  So, no matter where you are, walk with God and keep His Word.  Do not fall for Satan’s trap of you are not worthy.  God wants you to return to Him.  2 Peter 3:9 says, “[God is] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  However, God will not force Himself upon you.  This is a decision you must make.  You must choose to turn back to God and obey His Word. 

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