Word of the Day (7-18-11)

Good Morning Everyone

Today is Monday July 18, 2011

The word of the day comes from 1 John 1:9 (AMP) Amplified Bible

⁹If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

My Interpretation

Over this past weekend, I was found myself on YouTube just searching. I started with my cousin in Jamaica and watching his music video to seeing related post of other Jamaicans in NY. From there, I looked at videos that just hurt my heart. I saw the unfortunate incident that took place in Jamaica a few years back where a taxi driver was attacked by a man with a machete. I then saw footage in my hometown of Brooklyn, NY where violence is norm with the multitude of gang violence. From there I saw footage of Training Day and the gang life in Los Angeles, the gang capital of the US. I watched the debates on what rappers were from what hoods and if they ever remotely lived the gangster life they are so willing to portray. I watched the footage from real life gangsters flashing guns, shooting guns, showing drugs, money, etc (YouTube really allows just about anything on there I see). It just hurt my heart. I was telling Christen afterwards as we were getting ready for bed. It made me just begin to pray for our people.

I still know people (some friends) who are involved in that type of life and it hurts my heart. Watching that brought two points/questions to my mind that I heard from various people. In my barbershop I heard one of the barbers say that he has done too much in his life for him ever to get to heaven. I STRONLY doubt that. That is so wrong a misconception that the devil so easily has people fooled believing. We are not kept out of heaven because we have murdered somebody (Paul and Moses were murderers). We are not kept out of heaven because we sleep with lots of women or commit adultery (King Solomon & King David did that). We are not kept out of heaven because we stole money from people for our own personal gain (Matthew did that as a tax collector). Women are not kept out of heaven because when they were younger they made a few wrong decisions and slept with different men and built a reputation (Mary Magdalene did that). Notice that everyone I mentioned committed some of the worst sins we deem possible as humans and these are also some of the greatest names of people in the Bible who we study from. As my father in law would say/sing “There’s no telling what God can do if you believe…” What keeps us out of heaven is our unwillingness to accept Jesus Christ as God’s only begotten Son who shed His blood on Calvary’s cross for the sins of the world. That He was 100% God and man at the same time while on earth and that after being buried for 3 days rose from the grave and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. Your willingness to believe that determines whether you will enter into heaven or not.

I had the privilege and opportunity to speak with a murder not long ago. When I spoke with him, his heart was heavy with grief. He wanted to know if God could ever forgive him for taking someone else’s life. He wanted to know if he would spend eternity in hell for taking someone’s life. He told me that he was truly sorry for what he had done but realized sorry wouldn’t bring that person back nor bring peace to the family. As I let him talk, this scripture came to me. When he finished speaking, I simply told him this scripture and shared the love of God with me. I emphasized and emphasized not his seen or even the need for forgiveness as much as I did the great love that God had for him in his state. I wanted to hit home that God loved him unconditionally and that there was nothing that God would allow to separate him from Himself so that he shouldn’t let guilt separate them. After I spoke with him and emphasized God’s love, we prayed, he felt assured and I felt blessed to see the Holy Spirit minister the greatest gift of all…love.

That is what I think/believe gets lost is that we (people) really just don’t realize the level/depth/width/height/capacity/capability of God’s love. We think because we are (fill in the blank) that we can never be used by God. Heaven is filled with imperfect people who did a perfect work for a perfect God. Everyone in heaven is an X something. Everyone in heaven has done something they are not proud of and if others found out, would look at them differently. The only difference between them and us is that they were willing to put their trust in a God they believed would look past the person they were and see the person they would become. They believed in a God who was less concerned about how dirty our sin made us and more concerned with how clean Jesus’ blood could make us.

I don’t care what you did last week, last night, right before you read this that you believe is unforgivable, that you believe is too horrific for God to ever want to use you again… ⁹If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].

Be Encouraged!

Have a wonderful, blessed, productive, stress free day!