Trust in the Lord

There's a song based off Psalm 36 that I love. It is by Third Day and these are the words: "Your love oh Lord, reaches to the heavens. Your faithfulness stretches to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains. Your justice flows like the ocean's tide. And I will lift my voice to worship you, my King. And I will find my strength in the shadow of Your wings." When I am in the heat of the battle, I can sing this song to my Captain and the tears fall like rain. These are such incredible truths for the child of God to remember and claim during tough times of trial and suffering in standing for your Lord's honor. God wanted you to know about His attributes so much that the Holy Spirit gave David this psalm to write. Don't pass quickly over the words. Each truth is so important when you are in the fiery furnace of trials or persecution. His love is so big that if it could be measured, it would reach to the heavens. In other words, it is immeasurable. Who knows exactly how far it is to heaven. All we know is that the distance is great, and so is the love of God. I love to think about the faithfulness of my Savior. I love to know that He will never, ever leave me. He will never give me up or loose His grip on me. He will never cast me aside. Every single promise in the bible, He is faithful to keep. He cannot lie and He cannot break His promises. So when He tells me that He has loved me with an everlasting love, I know it is true. (Jeremiah 31:3) When He tells me that He, the God of this universe, actually has thought out and planned my life, it boggles my mind. (Jeremiah 29:11-13) Also by these verses I know that when I cry out to my Father, He hears me, for He is always listening to the cries of His children! Think about that. God, who has all these things going on all over the world, who knows where Bin Laden is, who sees every crime being committed, every child who is going to bed hungry, every single thing going on in this world, inclines His ear to hear me when I call to Him. Incredible!! He's never too busy for me. I never have only half of His attention. Along those lines, read the passage where He beckons me to call to Him and He will answer me, and He will tell me great and mighty things which I do not know. (Jeremiah 33:3) That astounds me! Great and mighty truths from the Everlasting God! WOW! Being a child of God is the coolest! I am so unworthy but I am none-the-less a child of the King, and I have immediate access to the throne of the Most High God! The psalm tells me that His righteousness is tremendous. Think of how majestic the mighty mountains are. Psalm 96:13 tells us that Jesus will judge the world in righteousness. That is scary for the ungodly, the lost people of this world. There are so many people here in America that think they will go to heaven because they are fairly good people. They will, because they have never been dressed in the righteousness robes of Jesus, have to stand before God in their own self-righteousness. God says that our own self-righteousness is as filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) This word "rags or garment" was the word for what the women wore during their menstrual cycle. During this time she was declared unclean in her filthy garments. God says that all of our "good" deeds, done outside of Jesus Christ, are as filthy menstrual rags. That's a pretty strong statement but it means that unless the precious blood of Christ has been applied to our sins, there is nothing we can do of our own to please Him or earn our way into heaven. If you die without having pleaded at the throne of God for the forgiveness of your sins and asking Jesus to save you, then you will spend eternity in hell paying for every sin you ever committed, which will all be deemed filthy in the eyes of a holy God. The only way to be washed clean is by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. This is in keeping with the next line in the psalm and will someday apply to your life and your sentence to hell. His justice flows like the ocean's tide. Never ask for justice, always beg for mercy. His mercy is what He extends to the redeemed. Mercy is having kindness extended to you when you don't deserve it. His justice is what the wicked will receive in hell for all eternity. We all deserve this justice and we all deserve to spend eternity in hell for our sins against a holy God. But only ask Him to forgive you and for Jesus to save you, and He will be merciful to you. But those who die in their sins without asking Jesus to save them will go to hell. They will stand before the righteous Judge of the earth at the Great White Throne Judgement, and every sin they ever committed will be revealed. Like 8:17 says, "For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light." Wow, that's a very scary thought if you are not saved. Every single thing you have said and everything you have thought will be judged. The only way to go to heaven, having all your sins forgiven, is to ask Jesus to save you. Tell Him that you are a sinner; that you know your wicked sins have separated you from a holy God. Tell Him that you believe that He is God and that He died to save you from those sins. Ask Him to forgive you and come live inside you and be your Savior and Lord. Philippians 2:10-11 says, "So that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Beloved, if you are not saved, whether you just haven't gotten around to asking Him to save you or you don't believe in Him, or even if you are hostile towards Him, there WILL come a day when you will bow before Him. There WILL come a day when your tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. If you don't believe in Him, that makes Him no less real. And that Reality is going to be before you one of these days. But if you are on your knees before Him at the Great White Throne Judgement, it will be too late, for you are then on your way to be tortured for all eternity in hell, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt.8:12,13:42,Luke 13:28) Have you ever been in so much pain that you have actually gnashed your teeth? Have you ever been tortured so badly, whether physically or emotionally that you could not stop weeping or gnashing your teeth? The bible makes it clear that you will be so tortured in hell that you will weep and gnash your teeth for all eternity, and never, ever get any relief! And before you are sent to your final place in hell for all eternity, you will be on your knees before the King of kings and Lord of lords. You WILL see Him, you WILL bow before Him, and you WILL confess Him as Lord. But it doesn't have to be before going to hell. If you would only ask Him to save you, it could be a time of beholding your King for the first time and joyously worshipping Him forever and ever. It could be with praise and adoration that you look into His face and see the nail prints in His hands and the piercing scar on His side, and you will thank Him for having suffered so that you could spend all eternity praising Him as King of kings and Lord of lords. Precious one, He is waiting for you, even now. Don't put it off another day. And if perhaps you don't believe in Him, ask Him to reveal Himself to you. He is faithful and He will do it. Whatever it is that is keeping you from bowing the knee to the King here and now, settle it, do it today! You may not have a tomorrow.