Your Final Journey! Have you made your reservations?

Years ago, my husband and I decided to take a quick week-end “get away trip” to Niagara Falls.  Relatives volunteered to take care of our baby girl.  We were sure one of the many hotels would have a room for us.  Upon our arrival, we discovered that all of the rooms were booked!  It was a 4th of July week-end.  Our choices were to sit in a hotel lobby near the check-in desk in case someone with a reservation was a “no show”, a cancellation was called in, or we could sleep in our car in the parking lot.  We chose the lobby and several hours later they had a cancellation.  We then decided to reserve that room for two nights.  A “no brainer” or a lesson learned?

 

Many people today are heading for eternity with no reservations, thinking that their good works will get them into heaven. But to have eternal life you must believe in, trust in, rely on and cling to Jesus Christ.

 

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”    

This verse also implies that whoever does not believe in Him shall perish and have everlasting death.  Jesus Himself further explains this to Thomas in John 14:6 - 

“I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

Matthew 6:33 gives us this advice:  

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.”  

You need to turn from your sin and commit your life to Christ and follow Him to be saved. If you have never felt the need to do this, it is not too late!

 

How to receive Christ: 

    1. Admit your need. (That you are a sinner)

    2. Be willing to turn from your sins.(Repent)

    3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave.

    4. Through prayer invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit.

 

What to pray:

    Dear God,

    I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness.

    I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins.

    I am now willing to turn from my sins.

    I now invite Jesus Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior.

    I am willing, by God’s strength, to follow and obey Jesus Christ as the Lord of my life.

 

If you sincerely asked Jesus Christ to come into your life the Bible says:  

1 John 5:11-13 – “And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that  you have eternal life.”

 

Reservation Confirmed!

Thank you for reading this.

Granny Witt

Test Your Heart

Last week we looked at our speaking words, now let’s zero in on what God has to say abut our hearts. Our hearts and our words are both so important to God that we often find them linked together in the same scripture:

 Matthew 12:34 and Luke 6:45 both say “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”

Many physicians recommend an annual stress test to determine if your physical heart is operating properly.  I believe Our Great Physician would also recommend an annual test of our spiritual heart. Are we following His Directions for our hearts?

Psalm 15:1-3 – “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?  Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly and works righteousness and speaks the truth in his heart; He who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend.”

Psalm 24:3-4 – “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?  Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”

If you think no one can read your mind, think again.  If your mind is filled with His teachings, He will be pleased.  If it is filled with your own ego, He will not be pleased:

Psalm 94:11 – “The Lord knows the thoughts of man.  That they are futile.”

God loves a perfect heart that is following Him but hates a proud and wicked heart:

Psalm 101:1-5 – I will sing of mercy and justice; to You, O Lord, I will sing praises.  I will  behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will you come to me?  I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.  A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.  Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.”

The Lord loves a heart full of praise, privately and publicly:

Psalm 111:1 – “Praise the Lord!  I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.”

This is the very first scripture verse I memorized as a brand new Christian:

“Psalm 119:11 – “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

I want to share this story with you of how and when this came about.  In 1973, soon after my second husband had died, the church women invited me to a luncheon on Valentine’s Day.  The theme of the luncheon was the heart.  The scripture on my place mat was Psalm 119:11.  I followed the advice it gave me 41 years ago and am still doing so.  When we read the Bible and really meditate on what God is telling us to do, we will remember His instructions.  I have found that there is no circumstance in our lives that is not covered by a scripture.  When we are tempted or troubled, these words that we have hidden in our hearts will come to mind.  We will remember what God has instructed us to do and we will choose His solution. We will run to Him for guidance or forgiveness,whatever is needed at the time.

I would like to end this week’s Granny Gram #2 with a prayer:

“Dear Lord, I pray that my words and my thoughts will promote life and encouragement, not destruction and  discouragement.  Soften my heart and my words.  Please give me a tender, forgiving heart like Yours.  Help me to be a “grace giver” and not a “fault finder”.  I want others to see You in me.  Thank You, Lord.”

P.S. Since this Thursday, Nov. 27th is Thanksgiving Day, I will be posting a poem I wrote in November of 1996.  The contents are still relevant 18 years later.  Four more blessings have been added since then.  At that time, I had only one great granddaughter. I now have three more great granddaughters and one great grandson.  I Praise The Lord for each and every one of them.