Today, in our Spoken Word Bible Reading Plan, we read Luke 3. John is preaching to people to repent of their sinful ways and baptizing them to prepare them for the coming of Jesus. I love verse 12:
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they said to him, Teacher, what shall we do?
With all of the wickedness in the world, people were amazed that tax collectors could repent and be forgiven! That reveals to us the very low opinion that people had of them. Some would say the same today! They would also say the same for certain politicians, government leaders, lawyers, doctors, celebrities, and we could go on and on! The important thing to remember here is that Jesus paid the ONE price for ALL people for ALL time! His promise was to "whosever will"! Look at John 3:16-17 from the Amplified Bible:
16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
Everyone has the same choice! So, even though some people may do us wrong or rub us wrong, HE wants that not one of them should see hell and the lake of fire! Look at 2 Peter 3:9:
9 The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.
WILL all receive this free gift of salvation and be born again? HE desires it to be so, but He will NOT force anyone to receive. There is nothing more that HE can do. He has done it all, given all. The rest is up to each person. THAT is why our #1 priority must be in line with HIS! Preach the Gospel to every person we come in contact with (Mark 16:15) and give them the choice! AMEN! As for those who come against us or treat us poorly, we must remember THIS from Ephesians 6:12:
12 For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
The enemy, satan, would like nothing better than to get us to refuse to share the Gospel with someone because of our feelings toward them or something they have said or done. If you are ever tempted along those lines, remember THIS from Romans 5:8:
8 But God shows and clearly proves His [own] love for us by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) died for us.
How does LOVE operate (the LOVE that never fails - 1 Corinthians 13:8)? We forgive, we pray for them, we pray for laborers to share the Gospel with them, AND, if the Spirit of God says so, WE go! Are you ready for this? THIS leads to life, in abundance, to the full, til it overflows (John 10:10 AMP)! AMEN! Here is Robin Mark with "Lion of Judah", which is about Jesus and contains the line "for these you have died". When we have a GOD perspective of people, we will become fierce in the preaching of the GOOD NEWS!
Shalom in Him!
