I asked someone recently...."Are you saved?"...their reply was..."I hope so."...hesitation , pause ..."well yes...mostly!"
I returned with, "But are you not sure about it?" "Well, not exactly;I only wish I were. I am asking for it, and praying for it; but who can say if they are for sure. Sometimes I don't seem to get satisfied."
Anxious souls generally begin at the wrong end. They begin with themselves, instead of beginning with God. It becomes their doings, their feelings, their satisfaction--themselves, in some way or another; and often it is a very long time before they learn to turn from themselves to look at Gods side; yet they never find peace of conscience, and Joy of heart until they do. I have met many , lately, in this conundrum.
In my meeting I uttered, " God sees quite clearly where you are making your mistake," I continued, "You are trying to be better and feel different, trying to work yourself up to a certain state of happiness, and then feel satisfied with your own Joy; and because you are always falling and never arriving at the standard you have set-up, you are dissatisfied.
"Now just suppose a man buy's goods at a shop to the amount of five dollars, and then he gets into difficulties and is unable to pay. He cannot pay the debt. himself, and he is not aware that anyone has paid it for him; and so you find him going about saying, "Oh, if I could only get satisfied!" You would say to him , at once, "My friend, you never can be satisfied until you have paid your debt., or someone has paid it for you. The storekeeper must have payment and be quite satisfied first."
But now a kind-hearted friend goes to the storekeeper and pays the bill, and obtains the receipt and sends it to the man; he would not sit down and look at the receipt and say, "If only I could feel satisfied." Of course not! He would know the five dollars was paid, for the storekeeper had given his receipt; and thus the proof of the storekeepers satisfaction would give him satisfaction.
"Thus it is in the Gospel", I explained. The Savior who stood in place, was 'delivered for our offenses' [As He had none]. and was raised again for our justification' [Romans 4:25]. So the risen Christ is Gods receipt for me. He is satisfied, and so am I. Now, why should you not be this very moment-satisfied, and give Him the thanks and praise?"
I was blessed, by the return text, as he said he was receiving it in good stead, and it was inspiring. He went on to talk about being filled with "Joy and peace in believing." And this was a few days from the original text exchange. I had put it in the back burner by this time...all In Gods timing.
So, I blog this to you...[Rom. 15:13]., seeing that "God is satisfied."...Do you all see it all? That God is satisfied with you?...Do you wake up each day anxious to thank Him for that? Or contemplate the days worries first?
You have read this thus far; will you close this blog and say, "I wish I could get satisfied?"
Never, never, never will you be satisfied until you have believed that God has found infinite satisfaction in the work of Christ on the cross for you. "He bore our sins in His own body on the tree." [1Peter 2:24].
Matchless Savior! Thy work is done. Once was sufficient for God, and once is sufficient for me. I can meet God now with Joy, for thou hast answered every question and settled every claim, and introduced me to that blessed God who rejoices over me with joy, who rests in His love and joys over me with singing. [Zeph. 3:17].
Yes! The way in which He receives the poor, dissatisfied, repentant, returning prodigal [Like me],covering him with kisses, clothing and feasting him -- tells out the satisfied heart of a satisfied God.
If your soul is at all anxious, try no longer to do anything; wait no longer to feel anything; but rest where God rests--In Christ, who has so glorified Him at the cross that He can send a message of love to you and say,
"God is satisfied"....Now are you?
You can read and search the Bible, ...And I have just been in a thread, today, where I was weary from the hunt thru mans knowledge, worn down by the fruitless pursuit of complicated means of trying to find out that answer...but I found it all in vain...there are no verses that tell you "how to get saved"...Rather the Bible tells us how "we can be saved." [Acts 16:32].
After hours of linguistic acquisitions, visiting the smart people forums, and not a murmur of Christ spoken ,except by His true followers, It is the simple truths of Christ that drive the nail home, and power surrounds it....Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [Romans 10:9-10].
I returned with, "But are you not sure about it?" "Well, not exactly;I only wish I were. I am asking for it, and praying for it; but who can say if they are for sure. Sometimes I don't seem to get satisfied."
Anxious souls generally begin at the wrong end. They begin with themselves, instead of beginning with God. It becomes their doings, their feelings, their satisfaction--themselves, in some way or another; and often it is a very long time before they learn to turn from themselves to look at Gods side; yet they never find peace of conscience, and Joy of heart until they do. I have met many , lately, in this conundrum.
In my meeting I uttered, " God sees quite clearly where you are making your mistake," I continued, "You are trying to be better and feel different, trying to work yourself up to a certain state of happiness, and then feel satisfied with your own Joy; and because you are always falling and never arriving at the standard you have set-up, you are dissatisfied.
"Now just suppose a man buy's goods at a shop to the amount of five dollars, and then he gets into difficulties and is unable to pay. He cannot pay the debt. himself, and he is not aware that anyone has paid it for him; and so you find him going about saying, "Oh, if I could only get satisfied!" You would say to him , at once, "My friend, you never can be satisfied until you have paid your debt., or someone has paid it for you. The storekeeper must have payment and be quite satisfied first."
But now a kind-hearted friend goes to the storekeeper and pays the bill, and obtains the receipt and sends it to the man; he would not sit down and look at the receipt and say, "If only I could feel satisfied." Of course not! He would know the five dollars was paid, for the storekeeper had given his receipt; and thus the proof of the storekeepers satisfaction would give him satisfaction.
"Thus it is in the Gospel", I explained. The Savior who stood in place, was 'delivered for our offenses' [As He had none]. and was raised again for our justification' [Romans 4:25]. So the risen Christ is Gods receipt for me. He is satisfied, and so am I. Now, why should you not be this very moment-satisfied, and give Him the thanks and praise?"
I was blessed, by the return text, as he said he was receiving it in good stead, and it was inspiring. He went on to talk about being filled with "Joy and peace in believing." And this was a few days from the original text exchange. I had put it in the back burner by this time...all In Gods timing.
So, I blog this to you...[Rom. 15:13]., seeing that "God is satisfied."...Do you all see it all? That God is satisfied with you?...Do you wake up each day anxious to thank Him for that? Or contemplate the days worries first?
You have read this thus far; will you close this blog and say, "I wish I could get satisfied?"
Never, never, never will you be satisfied until you have believed that God has found infinite satisfaction in the work of Christ on the cross for you. "He bore our sins in His own body on the tree." [1Peter 2:24].
Matchless Savior! Thy work is done. Once was sufficient for God, and once is sufficient for me. I can meet God now with Joy, for thou hast answered every question and settled every claim, and introduced me to that blessed God who rejoices over me with joy, who rests in His love and joys over me with singing. [Zeph. 3:17].
Yes! The way in which He receives the poor, dissatisfied, repentant, returning prodigal [Like me],covering him with kisses, clothing and feasting him -- tells out the satisfied heart of a satisfied God.
If your soul is at all anxious, try no longer to do anything; wait no longer to feel anything; but rest where God rests--In Christ, who has so glorified Him at the cross that He can send a message of love to you and say,
"God is satisfied"....Now are you?
You can read and search the Bible, ...And I have just been in a thread, today, where I was weary from the hunt thru mans knowledge, worn down by the fruitless pursuit of complicated means of trying to find out that answer...but I found it all in vain...there are no verses that tell you "how to get saved"...Rather the Bible tells us how "we can be saved." [Acts 16:32].
After hours of linguistic acquisitions, visiting the smart people forums, and not a murmur of Christ spoken ,except by His true followers, It is the simple truths of Christ that drive the nail home, and power surrounds it....Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. [Romans 10:9-10].