Feeling lost without the Lamb

What qualifies us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Is it by attending church every Sunday, attend every CG meeting, participate in every prayer meeting , have many Christian friends , sing praise and worship songs, wear a cross which symbolizes our status as a Christian , read the Bible everyday?

Of course, all these are great ... but what actually is it that makes God want to smile at me? I believe it is the heart that counts more than anything else. The heart to continually seek Jesus as the Lord of my life, the First Love .. because He first loved us. We could all be Christians of 5 years old, 10 , 15 , 20 or even 50 years, yet do we miss the point of what Christ is all about? I ask myself this question all the time .... and as I look at myself, I realise that it makes no difference whether I started believing in Christ many years ago , or I only begin to know Him yesterday - because God does not see us by looking at the number of years we proclaim to be Christians.

And no matter what I do, or how much I accomplish in helping others will buy my a ticket to Heaven .. because it is not by deeds that we are saved anyway. Only by faith in Jesus Christ will I be safe.

The test of Our Religion

Imagine that you are making application for heaven. What would you list as your qualifications?

• I have always believed in God.
• I'm thought of as a religious person.
• I have tried to live a good life.
• I have been baptized.
• I go to church.
• I haven't done anything really bad.
• I have friends who will vouch for me.

I hope by now you realize that if you were to list any of those qualifications on an application for heaven, it would indicate that you don't yet understand the worthlessness of religion.

The only application that would be accepted by heaven would be one on which you listed your qualifications as follows:

• I can cite no merit of my own.
• I have been a sinner from birth.
• I am coming not in my name but in Christ's.
• I believe He is the Son of God and my Savior.
• I have accepted His sacrifice for my sins.
• I believe He rose from the dead.
• I have put my trust in Him to save me.

This is the confidence of the apostle Paul who, to distinguish between religion and Christ, wrote: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works [pure religion], which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:8-10).

Source : http://www.rbc.org/ds/q0206/page10.html

WIll I give You up, Lord? Will You give me up , Lord?

God, I thank you for this burning desire to live a life for You. I thank You for not keeping away during this season of dryness.

I know Lord, that You honour sacrifices made for Your name. I pray Lord, that You will speak truth and life into me... and fill my heart with glad songs again , that I know You are God, and You are near...

I will be still, coz You are near.