God Will Avenge His People

God will avenge the death of His people, of which Jesus is foremost.

Luke 11:49-51 NKJV

Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’  that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,  from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.

Deuteronomy 32:39-43 NKJV

‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there  is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is  there  any who can deliver from My hand. For I raise My hand to heaven, And say, “ As I live forever, If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand takes hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to My enemies, And repay those who hate Me. I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the heads of the leaders of the enemy.” ’ “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; For He will avenge the blood of His servants, And render vengeance to His adversaries; He will provide atonement for His land and His people.”

Revelation 18:24 NKJV

"And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth.”

Revelation 6:9-11 NKJV

When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the  number  of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

What is a Christian?

I asked Hayden how he could tell who was a Christian the other day, but then I told him not to answer that. I said we should take it one step farther, and asked him what a Christian was. He gave the typical worldly textbook answer, no offense to him because he obviously just didn't know the truth yet, of a Christian being someone who follows Jesus example and strives to live like Him. Though innocent on my son's behalf, this is a sick and corrupt lie. Because I love my son, I told him the truth.

A Christian is a person that the living God has filled with His Holy Spirit. Period. No exceptions. Anything else is just a sugar coated facade.

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NKJV

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

John 1:12-13 NKJV

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

UNFAIR!

I was just thinking about how crazy it is to truly trust God. I feel like I am cheating the system, and that it shouldn't be so easy. Don't I have to be burdened by all of my past regrets, and bear the burden of making sure I am doing what I am supposed to be doing today to make my life what I want it to be? Those are rhetorical questions, but they are the reason why I feel like I am cheating the system. What about all of the weight, fear, and doubt?? Don't I have to have those things in my life??.

I was thinking how unfair it is that I can truly be free from all of that. You know how God answered me? "It is unfair. It is called unmerited favor Osa. I have loved you with an everlasting love, and I pour my grace over you like water just because it pleases me to do so. Rest in that. Find your peace in me, and quit striving."

Over all of my life I see God's divine providence. His hand there, and there, and there, over and over again. Not ever because I was doing anything necessarily "good". In fact, most of my life has been lived in complete rebellion, but He was always there none-the-less. When I needed correction and redirection, He was no less showing His love and mercy then too.

My life is not my own. However, I am not cheating the system by trusting God, for the punishment for all of the wrongs I have done is indeed due and God would be unjust to simply turn a blind eye. Another bore the judgment due me, and because of His sacrifice I have been put into a place of unfair grace and mercy. All of my sins have been forgiven and forgotten, FOREVER. I am justified, made right, ONLY because of my faith.

God has called me, and He has a plan for me that is beyond anything I can imagine. If He so freely gave His own Son to pay the ransom for my life and soul so that I could be free, why would He withhold any good thing from me? He wouldn't. In His love I rest. In His love I live. I am truly free and alive, and God will be glorified in me for that is His good pleasure. What an amazing gift God has given to us who put our trust in the name of Jesus. So simple, yet so beyond us.

GOD'S PURPOSE IN A BELIVER'S LIFE

I do not write to the world, but I write to those who are called unto God. The world cannot receive what I have to share. God created EVERYTHING for His glory. Period. There was no obligation. He simply did what He wanted to do. Each believer is brought to Christ, by God, through faith, ONLY of grace so that we will be sanctified into the image of Christ that God might be glorified in us. This is truth. This is why we are here.

Knowing this, and believing it, changes how we perceive things. Marriage is God's greatest gift to us, because it is thee most tangible illustration of the relationship between Jesus and the Church. Marriage is also God's greatest tool to sanctify a believer. Think about it.

Some of the characteristics of Jesus that will be evident in us as we become like Him are grace, mercy, unconditional love, forgiveness, truth, openness, meekness, humility, and unwavering commitment. How do you suppose God will bring such characteristics about in your life if you do not go through situations that refine and demand these qualities? It is only under the fire of testing that we can be molded into the likeness of the God we serve.

Let Him have His perfect work in you. God can change your marriage in a heart beat, but would that rob you of the refining of your character? Nothing is impossible for our God. NOTHING. See God's hand and providence in your life, in your marriage, and let God finish what He has started. God joined you to your spouse for a reason. Your character has to be able to bare the weight of your destiny, so don't you dare lose faith when God is preforming His Word. Praise Him, and know that He is doing a great thing!