CHANGES TO LIFE'S PATH
Have you ever contemplated what experiences have changed YOUR life's path the most? Let's think about that here. There are a minimum of three things that once we experience them cause us to never be the same again. That is, if we are sincere about these things, our life will NEVER AGAIN BE THE SAME! These things are:
1) MARRIAGE: Marriage is the union of one man and one woman for a life-time! "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave father and mother and cling to his wife and they two shall be one flesh; so then they are no more two, but one flesh." (Mark 2:6-8) When God created Adam, He made for him One Wife Only! He did not create spare wives for Adam in case he decided he "didn't love" Eve anymore. This clearly shows God's intention for the Marriage Covenant was One Husband and One Wife For A Life-Time. So, when we seriously take a spouse in marriage, we can expect life to be uniquely and completely different. Plato, the ancient philosopher, may have had a thought about this. He said, "An individual is only half a person and spends his time looking for his missing half." When marriage is taken seriously, as God intended it to be taken, those who enter into that sacred relationship will never be the same. Why? Because now those two people, who have previously lived their lives doing what pleased themselves, are now living to love and please another.
When we give ourselves to another in marriage we are giving the ultimate human gift. A senior in high school said it very well. She said, "When we date, we start giving gifts, like flowers or candy. When a couple becomes engaged, they give special things - a diamond ring and very personal things. The most personal gift that I can ever give is myself. I have nothing more precious to give. When I marry, I want to give my husband the best that I have - my whole self as completely as I can for a lifetime." So, marriage is a LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE! From my own personal experience, I was honored to marry the love of my life, Karen! Neither of us are the same people as we were before that day in January 1966, and I would not exchange it for anything. Those who enter the marriage covenant seriously must truly realize their lives will NEVER be as it was before!
2) CHILDBIRTH: "A Baby Changes Everything" is the title of a song by Faith Hill and it is so true! When that tiny human being arrives and is taken home, that home will NEVER be the same! That's because now those two people who have lived to love and please only each other have a third person who immediately: A. Becomes the focus of attention,
B. Determines the family schedule, including when they are going to sleep and when they wake up,
C. Chooses when it is feeding time. . . and if he or she is hungry at three in the morning and wants to be fed, SO BE IT!
That helpless baby's needs are in full control of the house. Someone has described a baby as, "A digestive apparatus with a loud noise on one end and no responsibility at the other." My wife and I know how the needs of a baby dictate schedules from our personal experience as we welcomed our four children at their births. They each were a LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE that blessed and challenged us beyond measure! You can rest assured that when two people get married and later welcome a new-born baby, life is NEVER THE SAME! NEVER, NEVER! We never cease being a parent; roles, duties and responsibilities change, but once a parent, always a parent!
3) CONVERSION: The third LIFE-CHANGING experience I want to talk about is the biggest and most important of all! Based on genuine repentance and faith, conversion from self and sin to Christ is an eternal LIFE-CHANGING event! Once a person sincerely receives Jesus as Savior and Lord, that person is never again the same person! That person has the same name as before, may live at the same address, may work at the same job, eat out at the same places, etc. as before, but inside they are a different and changed person. The Bible declares, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (II Corinthians 5:17)
Perhaps someone says, "I know a person who claims to have received Jesus, but I don't see any difference in his life-style whatsoever. He's just the same as he has always been." We may all know some-body like this. People can claim anything they want to claim, but that does not mean their claim is true! Here is what the Lord said about some of the claims that people will make, even on Judgment Day. "Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name have we not cast out devils? And in your name have we not done many wonderful works?' And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; Depart from me, you that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:22-23) Notice these stunning words, "Many will say to me in that day. . . ." No doubt about it, the Lord was not exaggerating! Even churches have people in them who claim to be saved and followers of Jesus, but are really not!
The Bible clearly teaches that a supernatural transformation happens in the life of the person who truly repents and by faith receives Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord! What? People who are genuinely saved by God's grace are changed people from inside out? Indeed, YES! "They are a new creation!" That is, once a person is supernaturally transformed by the wonderful and free grace and mercy of God, that person begins a walk on a certain path - a Path of Righteousness! Let's examine at least THREE profound places where SALVATION LEADS US!
1) THE PATH OF SALVATION LEADS US TO HOLINESS! Those who are on this path have a transformation of DESIRE; they want to seek God earnestly and to seek Spiritual Holiness! It is baffling to me to hear some people talk about a spiritual relationship with God as they do. For just one example:
Frank Sinatra, a widely acclaimed and award winning singer and film star, was also known for his sinful life-style and value system. He had been so involved in the crime circut and had connections to Chicago Mob Boss Sam Guincana, that he was investigated by the U.S. Senate several times. But once he died, the message from the Hollywood crowd was that "heaven was going to sound much nicer now that Sinatra was there to lead the heavenly choir." Though many others could be mentioned in this same vein, suffice it to say this: We should be greatly bothered when we hear or read the false teaching that everyone goes to heaven when they die regardless of their personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, which results in a holy life-style. Let's note this: It is possible for a person to come to faith in Jesus in their dying moments.
The Bible clearly teaches that "whosoever believes in Jesus has eternal life (John 3:16) and that is the exact opposite of saying "everyone dies and goes to heaven." True salvation leads to holiness of character, purpose and life-style! "Follow peace with all men, AND HOLINESS WITHOUT WHICH NO ONE SHALL SEE THE LORD." (Hebrews 12:14) This is the emphatic declaration of Scripture! We may dismiss it, dislike it, disparage it, and disobey it, but God says it is True! And who will we believe about this? God or Man? So, IF we claim to be saved by the grace of God and are truly supernaturally transformed, our lives WILL show that transformation as we live in holiness of life! Holiness leaves no room for hypocrisy or pretending. Anyone who believes or acts like we can profess to be saved and still live a life of habitual sin is not saved; he is deceived! "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. . . ." (I Corinthians 6:9-10) The Apostle Paul warned the Galatians that those who live a life of continual sin "will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-20) So, are we on the Path of Salvation, leading to Holiness? I was appalled just yesterday to read the results of a study done by George Barna, a Christian researcher. He found by surveying professing Christians that 75% of males and 40% of females admit to regularly viewing pornographic materials. How can this be? "Be holy, for I am holy" said God as recorded in First Peter 1:16. This command in Scripture must impact our lives as believers in Christ right now; how we all need this life-style!
2) THE PATH OF SALVATION LEADS TO A LIFE OF TRUE DISCIPLESHIP! True discipleship involves a life-style of maintaining the disciplines that cultivate our life of faith, growth in grace and practice of godliness!
Here is a list of some of these important disciplines:
a) Reading and meditating daily on the Word of God - The Bible
b) Consistent, daily prayer in communion with God
c) Obedience to the teachings and commands of the Bible
d) Attendance and participation in the Church - The Bride of Christ as the Scripture teaches
e) Exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23
f) Living and walking daily in the Holy Spirit - Galatians 5:25
g) Manifesting the love of God to those in Christ and to unbelievers
h) Sharing the Gospel of Christ with those who have yet to believe in Jesus. "But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be MY witnesses both in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and in Samaria and TO THE END OF THE EARTH!" (Acts 1:8) Remember this very important principle: We can only share what we ourselves possess. We need to know God personally before we can effectively talk of Him to others. Otherwise, our testimony is empty!
3) THE PATH OF SALVATION LEADS TO HEAVEN! We've heard the song, "Give Me That Old Time Religion" and know of the one verse that says, "It will take us all to heaven." Some people have planted their feet on the highest mountain peaks, in exotic places on earth, in elegant churches and cathedrals around the world, in the majestic halls of government, and a very few have even actually stood on the surface of the moon. Those who've done these things could be referred to as "special people."
But one glorious day, and perhaps not too far away in time, the Lord Jesus Christ is going to return with a shout, the voice of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet to receive dead and living followers of Jesus unto Himself and take us all to heaven to be with Him for eternity! (Dead believers will be resurrected first and given immortal bodies, and those still living at His coming will have their mortal bodies changed to immortal bodies in the "twinkling of an eye.) (I Thessalonians 4:16-17) I believe that event will declare that we who love and serve Jesus will be the "Most Special People" who have ever existed! Are you in agreement? We've been given only some description of heaven; here is a partial list:
A magnificent city called the New Jerusalem, descending from God
Streets of gold in that city
Gates of pearl in the city
Walls of the city made of precious gems
A River of Life flowing through that city
The city illuminated by the glory of God
The place of perfect peace and joy with no sorrow, pain, tears or death and no separations
The place where the eternal presence of God dwells and He is worshiped all the time.
"You have made known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fulness of joy; at your right hand there are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11)
We probably do not have more information about heaven because if we had it, we could not comprehend it with our finite mind and experience. We do know that in heaven, there will not be one active liar, not one thief, not one gossip, not one murderer, not one deceiver, not one who practices the works of the flesh or the darkness of sin (See Galatians 5:19-21), no one who is proud, envious, unloving, or unforgiving. Only those who have entered into "the Path of Salvation" through placing their faith in "the only begotton Son of God" . . . . and those "whose name is written in the Lamb's Book Of Life!" will be in heaven. (Revelation 21:27)
Do we know this hymn, written by Mary Kidder and Frank Davis in 1876, "Is My Name Written There"?
"Lord, I care not for riches, Neither silver or gold; I would make sure of Heaven, I would enter the fold.
In the book of Thy kingdom, With its pages so fair, Tell me Jesus, my Savior, Is my name written there?
Oh! that beautiful city, With its mansions of light, With its glorified beings, in pure garments of white;
Where no evil thing cometh to despoil what is fair; Where the angels are watching, Yes, my name is
written there!"
Another old hymn tells us how to be on the path to heaven, led there through personal salvation!
"My faith looks up to Thee, Thou Lamb of Calvary, Savior Divine; Now hear me while I pray; Take all my
guilt away; Oh, let me from this day, Be wholly Thine!"
ARE WE ON THE PATH OF SALVATION?
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