Morning by Morning,
December 21, 2012 - The Day of the Lord in Our Hearts
Good morning, Lord
Jesus. December 21, 2012-Today is the last day on the Mayan Calendar; and today
is the day of salvation in our hearts-a good day for salvation for everyone who
doesn't yet know the Love and Grace of God our Creator and Father, revealed in
Jesus Christ. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
...
"The Lord is not slow
about His promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not
wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the Day of the Lord
will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise,
and the elements will dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is
done on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this
way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and
godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the Day of God, because of
which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt
with fire? But, in accordance with His promise, we wait for new heavens and a
new earth, where righteousness is at home. Therefore, beloved, while you are
waiting for these things, strive to be found by Him at peace, without spot or
blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation" (2 Peter
3:9-15).
One day will be the
last day on this earth as we know it. There will be a Day of the Lord (Joel 2:1;
1 Thessalonians 5:2-10). Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come
again! (Revelation 1:7-8) There will be a "great and terrible Day of the
Lord"-great for those who put their hope and trust in You alone for their
salvation and terrible for those who will not (Malachi 4:5). But Your heart is
full of mercy and love, not wanting any to perish, but that all would turn to
You and call on Your name and embrace the fullness of Your salvation. And all
who believe in You will never perish, but will have eternal life (John
3:16).
And You not only want
us to go to heaven when we die, You also want heaven in us now (Luke 17:21;
Romans 14:17). One day, there will be "a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation
21:1). But at the same time, we can also experience a new heaven and new earth
in our hearts every moment of every day between this day and the Day of the Lord
to come. "So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has
passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).
On the Day of the Lord
there will be both mercy and judgment. "For all of us must appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been
done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:10). And each one of us
will need the fullness of Your mercy because all have fallen short of Your glory
in our lives on this earth. But we have a Savior who is reaching out today to
each one of us who will humble themselves and open their hearts and call on Your
name for Your forgiveness of our sins-"that is, in Christ, God was reconciling
the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them" (2 Corinthians
5:19).
"See, now is the day of
salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:2) "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, 'Today, if
you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.... Take care,
brothers and sisters, that none of you have an evil, unbelieving heart that
turns away from the Living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it
is called 'today,' so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of
sin.... For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our
weaknesses, but we have One who is every respect has been tested, as we are, yet
without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so
that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews
3:7-4:16).
Lord Jesus, I look up
to heaven and call on Your name, "for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). And I call on Your name for everyone on this
earth who still needs to know the love and mercy of our God who has revealed
Himself in Jesus Christ. Let today be the day of their salvation. Let today be a
great day of the Lord for them, when all the old things pass away and all things
become new-a new heaven and new earth in their heart-the fullness of Your
salvation, from the inside out. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love
of Jesus, Tommy
Hays
My Friend, I
join with you in the agreement of prayer for everyone on your heart who needs to
know Jesus. May the Holy Spirit of the Living God break into thier circumstances
and awaken thier spirit to call on the name of the Lord and be saved. This will
probably not be the last day on earth for most of us, but it is the day of
salvation -- like every day -- for all of us. God bless you, my friend. Merry
Christmas!
Tommy Hays | Messiah
Ministries
Healing from the Inside
Out
2800 Tates Creek
Road
Lexington, Kentucky
40502
