Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Revelation 9:20-21 reveals that many will refuse to repent during the Tribulation time. Why do people now and then reject this most blessed opportunity? Some are concerned that family members and friends will not be in heaven; thus, they delay a decision, perhaps until it is too late. This thought process is illogical, for we cannot be sure that another person will remain unsaved. Recently, we discussed King Manasseh. For almost all of his fifty-five year reign, he was dedicated to evil; he did not appear to be a likely candidate for heaven! Yet, he repented at the end of his life. Similarly, the life of Lot as recorded in the Old Testament shows no spiritual interest. Only when we read II Peter 2:7 do we find spiritual life: he is called “just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation [behavior] of the wicked.” Of course, the thief on the cross is a prime example of repentance. His whole life was one of crime and violence; but in the last moments of his life, he repented and received the sure promise of Jesus: “Verily I say unto thee, ‘To day shalt thou be with me in paradise’” (Luke 23:43). Others do repent. Rather than wait, we should turn in faith to Jesus. In so doing, we will also be setting a personal example to those closest to us.