Blessings to all of you and Happy Sabbath Day! Today is the Day that Jesus has made, let us REJOICE and be GLAD in it!!! (Psalm 118:24). This morning, when I awoke, I looked out my window at a beautiful layer of white, fluffy snow that seemed to make everything look cleaner and fresher. You know how it is. In the winter, the sky is grey, the ground is brown or grey, and everything looks kind of muddy and dirty. But a layer of white snow just makes everything look CLEAN and new (Isaiah 1:18).
Something else significant happened this morning. I received an answer to prayer that I would like to share on this blog because I feel it probably pertains to many people. We, as Christians, seem to have this “belief” that we have to be perfect in order to be pleasing to Jesus. I know that I often feel this way, even though I actually understand that it’s not possible. Jesus’ commandments are “Love the Lord God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself“(Matthew 22:34-40). He also tells us in His Word that if we LOVE JESUS, then we will KEEP His Commandments (John 14:15). So, we Christians feel we have to obey these commandments perfectly, or then we’re not “good enough” to be on Team Jesus. Well, I can assure you that there is not one person on the face of this planet who is “good enough” because the Bible itself says “All have fallen short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
In my own life, I fall very short of God’s perfect standards, and sometimes this can lead me to worry. Am I ready? Am I “Rapture ready”? There are actually MANY people on You-tube prophesying that we need to be ready for the Rapture. I agree that time is short, and that the Rapture could really come at any time. In-fact, Jesus Himself tells us to be Ready, for He comes at a time we “think not”. (Luke 12:40). But what does Jesus mean by this? How do we get “ready”? What do we need to do???
I have been praying over this for awhile and this morning I awoke with a dream that perhaps you might find interesting. Can the Lord Jesus Christ give people dreams?
Why do you complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14 “Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it.
15 “In a dream, a vision of the night,
When sound sleep falls on men,
While they slumber in their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction,
This morning I awoke with this dream. In the New Testament, this might be known as a “word of wisdom or knowledge”, which is a gift from the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:8: For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
Dream: I was sitting next to, or across from the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. Honestly though, I do not remember what Jesus or Heaven looked like, I just “knew” that I was sitting next to Jesus and He was talking to me. He said to me “When you die, you don’t really die. You wake up Here. HE either said “with me”...or the “with me” was understood. Then He asked me a question…”Do you believe this?” At the time, I had a perfect understanding which is not like it is on earth, and my thinking was “of course”…but what I said, and was saying out loud as I awoke was “I Believe You Jesus”.
With all dreams, visions, words of wisdom or knowlege, they have to line up with Scripture or they aren’t from the Holy Spirit. The Word of God (Bible/Scripture) is the “Plumb Line”.
John 11:17-25 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. 18 Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off;19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. 20 Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.21 Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.22 Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”24 Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.
John 11: 25 Jesus said to her, “I AM the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies,26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”27 She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.”
It hit me later today that Jesus was talking to Martha..when He said this. Who was Martha?
Luke 10: 38-40
38 Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.39 She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord’s feet, listening to His word.40 But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; 42 but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Jesus told Martha that only One thing is necessary….Do you BELIEVE?
Romans 10: 8-11: But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
Jesus asked Martha, (who had been fretting and worrying about making adequate preparations) the question…Do you believe? Martha believed in her heart, and when she answered the question aloud, she confessed with her mouth that Jesus is Lord, the Son of the Most High God. Yes, we need to repent from sin and turn to Jesus. Yes, His Laws should be written on our hearts. Yes, we should keep His Commandments.
- By the way, the word “keep” ( tēreō in the Greek) does NOT mean obey, but rather it means to Revere, Love, Regard, Observe, Desire His Commandments because they are GOOD. That is not the same as being perfectly obedient to His Commandments, which no person on the face of the earth, except Jesus, has been able to do. Some Bibles do translate this as obey, but that’s not a very good translation.)
Jesus tells us what we need to do to be READY for His Return, but how do we do this?……BELIEVE on your heart that Jesus rose from the Dead, and confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD…and you will be SAVED!
Blessings to you!! Rejoice today because Jesus’ Grace is sufficient! Hallelujah!!!
Grace – God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense
