IN YOUR BOOK WERE ALL WRITTEN: THE DAYS THAT WERE APPOINTED FOR ME – PART 3
Sakkie Parsons
Someone wrote to ask me the following question:
Is it true that God already decided how long we will live, in which case we cannot do anything about it?
In my first writing I explained that the Word tells me that our Lord has determined an exact blueprint and date for me to leave this body.
I also pointed out that a person, because we were created in the image of our Lord, can through living according to our own will, change the date that the Lord had planned for us and that the Lord knew even before He created us exactly which changes we will make to the plans He had for us.
I also pointed out that we should not argue that we can live as we please, because the Lord has already planned how our lives will end.
In my second writing of this series, I pointed out that the more our Lord’s law of love becomes a part of us and our lives, the more you will live your life according to the initial plans God had for you.
MAT 22:37-39
37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’
I then also pointed out that there is a simple guideline that you can follow to get back to the original plan that the Lord had for your life:
MAT 7:12 “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.
In this writing I want to show you how to gather treasures in heaven, by using your will, with which God created you, to live within God’s ways. But let me just also confirm that nothing that we do in this world can have an impact on our salvation. Our salvation is absolutely due to the Grace of God.
EFE 2:4 But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us,
EFE 2:5 even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment).
I make decisions using the free will with which God created me, because He created me in His image, and whether I accept His saving Grace (mercy) which He offers to me and take it for myself or not, and if I have taken it, and made it my own, I can still through my own will decide to throw His loving saving grace back in His face.
Until I leave this body, I live as myself, and not as a puppet.
So in my previous writings, I referred to “religious Christians” and “Jesus Christians”
Today we see “religious Christians” who are full of religion, hate, contempt and all kinds of other bad feelings, who will also mix these feelings with their Christian religion. But did you know that with that kind of religion you cannot gather treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust cannot destroy it, like Jesus said we should do.
Let me first explain how it would be possible to gather treasures in Heaven.
I have already shown you in my previous writing that I have not brought anything into this world and that I cannot take anything out of this world with me.
As I understand the Word, the only treasures that I'll find in Heaven one day, will be the people I see in heaven whom I helped to come to Jesus and who accepted Jesus Christ as their Redeemer and Savior as a result of what they saw how I lived my life through my deeds and words.
However it is not possible for me to help someone get to Heaven through wrong feelings of religion, contempt and hatred.
With that kind of religion I would probably take more people to hell with me by teaching them to believe in a false gospel, where you may hate, despise and look down upon other because of the way that God created them.
Because in the Gospel of Jesus, there is no place to hate, despise, or have negative feelings towards people. Not even against my enemies:
MAT 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’
This is how it works in the Mosaic Law and in the "religious Christians" gospel, but not in the Gospel of Jesus. In the Gospel of Jesus and for His followers, it works like this:
MAT 5:44-48
44 But I say to you, love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him].
46 For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that?
47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that?
48 You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
So back to my free will that I can use in my life to change God's plan for me, even for how long I will live.
As well as how I can use my own free will to live my life in such a way that I allow our Lord into my life so that His plan for my life is fulfilled.
Because, believe me –
The way in which I live my life and the decisions that I make, will determine where I will spend eternity and if I do go to Heaven, what kind of welcome I will receive there.
Therefore, I must take note of Jesus' words when He says:
MAT 6:20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal;
You see, the Word further says in this regard:
1 COR 3:11 for no one can lay a foundation other than the one which is [already] laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 COR 3:12 But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, (This refers to the quality of life I live for Jesus)
However, there comes a day when I will stand before Jesus to receive my reward from Him and then He will show me what my life meant to Him.
He will point out the lives of some people's and point out that it was a life of quality for Him, and therefore must be rewarded.
These are the gold, silver and precious stones lives that will stand the test of our Lord.
However, some people’s lives, who truly accepted Jesus as their Redeemer and Savior, would have been such that Jesus would not reward them, even though they were saved, in other words, they would escape hell.
They are the people who lived the wood, hay or stubble life for our Lord and who will not bear our test of our Lord.
However, one thing is certain –
The life that I, who refer to myself as a Christian, live on earth, will also determine what kind of reception (welcome) I will receive from Jesus on the other side of the grave:
1 COR 3:13 each one’s work will be clearly shown [for what it is]; for the day [of judgment] will disclose it, because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality and character and worth of each person’s work.
1 COR 3:14 If any person’s work which he has built [on this foundation, that is, any outcome of his effort] remains [and survives this test], he will receive a reward.
1 COR 3:15 But if any person’s work is burned up [by the test], he will suffer the loss [of his reward]; yet he himself will be saved, but only as [one who has barely escaped] through fire.
We, the followers of Jesus, are here for a specific purpose.
We are here to glorify our Lord by the way we live and we are here to help build His kingdom, for example through our lives, deeds and words, to be a witness for Him and through this to lead souls to Jesus.
Of course, some of us just through our lives can do something for our Lord.
Others can mean something to our Lord through their lives and deeds.
Others may mean something to our Lord through their lives, words and deeds, but a true child of our Lord can never be passive.
So, in the end, as I understand the Word, my will and how I use my free will on this earth will determine what rewards I will receive from our Lord, and whether I will receive any reward from our Lord at all:
REV 22:11 Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy (vile, impure), still be filthy; and the one who is righteous (just, upright), still be righteous; and the one who is holy, still be holy.”
Those of us who use our free will to the best of our ability to live in the ways of our Lord can with great excitement look forward to that day when He allows me to leave my body to enter into eternity, or with great excitement we can look forward to that day when he brings us all who are still in this life back to Him.
Because whatever the case, we will meet Him and be with Him forever and His rewards for us, with which He will reward us according to our life here on earth, will be with Him:
REV 22:12 “Behold, I (Jesus) am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to the merit of his deeds (earthly works, faithfulness).
REV 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End [the Eternal One].”
I have also written another thought from the Word, which might be of interest to you, which corresponds to what you have read now, namely: Once saved, always saved?
Greetings,
Sakkie