Philemon 18
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But if he has wronged
you
in any way,
or owes you anything,
charge it to my account.
(Soul Winners New American Standard New Testament)
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Grace be unto you from me, my beloved Christian brothers & sisters. Let us all thank God once more for allowing us to share in His fellowship through this group. Reminding each of you to take out some time in your daily schedule to give Him some praise for all he has done for you. Keep God first in all that you do & are confronted with in your lives in this upcoming week. My neighbor of some 10 years passed away on last Saturday. Ever so touching the core of my spirit, in showing me how suddenly & surely our life on earth can be over. She would always say to me "no cross, no crown," such heart felt words coming from her, as would come from my own mother. She loved my children & was so nice to all she came in contact with, I will miss her. I collect her mail & save it for family members to come by & get, one particular letter said:
"You Get An A For Approved."
My spirit was deeply saddened as I sighed, O Ms.McVea, for I knew that she would not get to enjoy that approval. Dear friends, pray for me as I type today, in the attempt to bring you this word of God. Surely sadness, grief, & a feeling of loneliness has gripped my essence, I can hardly contain myself. I am also asking each of you to pray for my son as he is being treated for a right knee condition, causing it to bow out & gives him great pain at times.
My children, this lesson is getting so hard for me to prepare for
you, pray for me. Praying for all of you also, whose children are going through something. It hurts me so much to see my children in pain & I cannot help them.
O Lord,
How Much More Must I Take
For this brings me to my topic this week:
(Application For Heaven: Approved?)
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In this modern day of technology, with all of the fax's, e-mail's, & even companies who create resumes, allowing us to apply for various employment positions, loans, credit cards, etc. We as Christians should not be persuaded to fill out our forms in such a way that God would be displeased.
Let's just imagine filling out an application for heaven.
Thank You Lord
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Certain qualifications would be needed, so what would you list to show God, you would be worthy to receive an
"A" for approved?
If you are a religious person, your answers might be:
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 have not done to many bad things.
I have friends who will vouch for me.
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Dear friends, can you see the danger & worthlessness of just being religious & not having the confidence in Christ that
Paul speaks of in
(Ephesians 2:8-10)?
We serve a Holy & mighty God, we tend to ignore that fact, sometimes entering a statement or figure to make our applications more apt to pass, creating an illusion of grandeur to others, so that they will be impressed or will grant us what we want. In dishonest preparation of your application, you might be approved in the eyes of the company or officer, but the eyes of our heavenly Father is looking for someone who has accepted His precious son, Jesus Christ, without Him in your life, you have failed in the eyes of God. Our God will not be impressed by our self centered motives, nor will He honor lying on His application.
He would only accept an application that has these qualities:
I can cite no merit of my own.
I have been a sinner from birth.
I am coming not in my own name, but in Christ's.
I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus.
I believe Jesus is the Son of God and MY Savior.
I have accepted His sacrifice for my sins.
I believe Jesus rose from the dead.
My trust is in Jesus Christ to save me.
**Am I Right About It**
The text lesson states that Philemon, a wealthy Christian, whose slave Onesimus, his name means "profitable," believed to have stolen some money from his master, had run away. By the providence of God, Onesimus met Paul in Rome, as was converted to Christ. There is a social issue in this book, to be discussed at a later time. In agreeing on what was right for him to do, in returning to Philemon, Paul wrote a letter asking him to receive Onesimus as a brother, assuring him that he himself(Paul), would pay any debt Onesimus owed. The letter is a perfect gem for its Courtesy, Tact, Delicacy, & Generosity, climaxing with a tender appeal. Paul must have had a very good account to pay for that unusual debt if necessary. This is a picture of what happens in our salvation. O, my Christian brothers & sisters, just as in the religious application which would surely be given an "R" for rejection in heaven by God. Without Jesus Christ as our Lord & Savior, we cannot enter into heaven, nor has our debt been paid. As sinners we owe an enormous debt, but Jesus took care of that for us. Because of His sinless life, He has a limitless resource of righteousness, & by dying in our place.
He paid the penalty for our sin.
We can draw on this payment by faith.
(Revelation 3:20)
In a way "We are all His Onesimi." If you want God to honor your application(s) here on earth, apply in such a manner, that He will get the glory. If you want an "A" on your heavenly application, trust & accept in Christ as your Savior, our sins are put to His account &
we are free & approved for all eternity.
Here on earth feeling rejected,
often in dismay,
look upward into heaven,
accepting Jesus Christ,
as Lord & Savior,
for your heavenly Father,
gives YOU an "A."
Copyright:©2003
Donald J.Roy
Thank You Lord
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Pray for one another in the uplifting of spirit & healing. If you have enjoyed any of the lessons or wish to send a sentiment of thought, please send me a note of that reflection. If any of you ever wish to be opted from the group, let me know & I will delete your name, in that, I wish not to offend anyone.
May God always walk with you & you with God.
~Dare To Be A Disciple For Christ~
Peace
Don
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