Just some thoughts (not mine though)

Hey all,
My brother put these thoughts on our family blog a while back (it's also on his blog linked from here), but I thought I'd share it with you all. It really makes a lot of sense to me. I hope it gives you something to think about, and maybe some encouragement/conviction as well, whatever it is that you need.

A couple of Sundays ago Bro. D---- preached about the ways to be lost spiritually and used the parables of the ninety-nine sheep, the lost talent, and the periodical son, to illustrate the three ways. While he was preaching a thought stuck me. There are only two scripture verses that have a supernatural being seeking the natural. In Luke 9:11 (I think) you will find Christ saying, "The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which is lost." and over in I Peter 5 (can't think of the verse right off) you will find Peter warning us "that our adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour."Now if I am correct these are two opposite beings seeking the same target. To use the shepherd point of view a sheep, the human YOU. If you have given your life to Christ that does not mean that the Devil will stop looking for you and vise-versa God will continue to seek after you for as long as you are lost. Because of "The Fall" we start our life "found" by the Devil and until we are saved thought the Blood of Jesus we will remain "found" by him. Once we summit our lives to Christ than we are "found" by Christ. We can only be "found" by one or the other not both, also there is no middle ground as Christ said in His "Sermon on the Mount," "You will love the one and hate the other....you cannot serve both God and mammon."Now while the way the two seek us may sometimes seem the same they never have the same motive behind them. Take for instance a situation in your life, a hardship perhaps, this can be used by both God and the Devil to seek you. God might be allowing this hardship in order for you to learn more about Him and what His plan for you is. The Devil on the other hand can take the same hardship and try to use it to prove that God does not care for you at all and that his (the Devils) plan is allot easier than God's. While this might look good at first think about what is being offered to you. God is offering strength to go through a trial and the end reward is eternal life. The Devil is offering an easy way out, smooth sailing for now, but the end is eternal death without dying. Which one would you prefer hardship+strength=Life or hardship+escape=death. Personally I would prefer life to death even if I had to struggle more in this life. God will never leave you or forsake you. He will provide you with the strength to carry on.

I will sign off with this quote. "A man is no fool to give up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose" while I cannot remember the missionary's name that said this he was killed for his faith in Jesus Christ. He gave up his human life which he would have lost anyway, but by giving that life to Christ he gained eternal life which can NEVER be lost.

I hope you all got some good out of that. I know I did. You all have a wonderful week!!!

Until next time,
Esther

P.S. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS DSL!!!!!!!!!