“Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” (Psalms 90:1-2 ESV)
“For all our days pass away under your wrath;
we bring our years to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life are seventy,
or even by reason of strength eighty;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away.
Who considers the power of your anger,
and your wrath according to the fear of you?
“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O Lord! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalms 90:9-17 ESV)
None of us are guaranteed long lives. In fact, we are not guaranteed the next breath. The breath of life could be snatched from us in an instant without warning, and then our destiny will either be eternity in hell or in heaven. So it is critical that our lives are surrendered to Jesus Christ to do his will, and that we are following him in his will and purpose for our lives, and that we practice self-denial and dying to sin daily and following our Lord in obedience to his commands and in loving God and our fellow humans. For this is the will of God for the life of a true believer in Jesus Christ.
And if we are at all observant about what all is going on around us in this crazy world of ours, I believe we will see the signs of the times and that the end of all things is drawing close to an end and that prophecy of Scripture is being fulfilled before our very eyes, and soon things are going to get even worse than they are now. For all this craziness is building up to something, but I don’t believe it is something good, for we know what the Scriptures teach about these last days before the return of Christ. And things won’t get better until Jesus returns and he takes his bride to be with him forever.
“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.” (2 Timothy 3:1-9 ESV)
And this is the present state of affairs in the world, and sadly in much of what is called “church,” too, at least here in the USA. So many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are so worldly that it is barely distinguishable between the church and the world these days, although there are exceptions to that statement. And so the Lord is calling out to the people of the world and to those who profess his name but who are not presently living for him in walks of surrender, obedience, denial of self, and dying to sin daily. And he is calling them to repent of their sins and to now follow him in obedience.
For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him that he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life with God. And he said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. So please take these words to heart (See Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).
So, let’s pray with the psalmist that the Lord would teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. For so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ today are lacking in the wisdom of God for they are following the wisdom of man and of the world, instead. And this should not be! So let us pray to God that he would show us where we are lacking in faith and in obedience to his will and to his commands and where we need to change course so that we are walking in obedience to him in holy living, and so that we are not living for sin and/or for self instead of for God and his will.
[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 2 Tim 1:8-9; 1 Pet 1:5; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 9:28; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-29; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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