Hi Pastor John,
The morning reading of Paul’s letters have been full of so many wonderful feelings and understanding from Jesus.
When Jesus gives us the Spirit, he is writing the law of liberty on our hearts. God is jealous over His children and He loves us too much to share our hearts with anything on this earth that is going to pass away.
Paul didn’t know what he was doing was going to be so meaningful for God’s family for centuries to come; he was wholeheartedly obeying God, trusting no man and especially not himself! He went through all the persecutions that Jesus said he would go through. He preserved, obeying God’s will to carry the gospel of Christ, even when he discerned that each congregation and some of his beloved brothers were slowly falling away to false doctrines and opinions. What disappointment he had to overcome and what hurt he felt for Jesus, but look at how much God blessed him through it all! What heavenly treasures Paul has to look forward to, and I want to see him enjoying them! If we have the law of liberty written on our heart, He always wanted us! If your heart was put here; believe 100% that God wanted you here with us and we have a purpose together, even when — like in Paul’s time — our purpose is not yet fully revealed.
Reading the Revelation book (https://goingtojesus.com/gtj_books.html?tname=revelation) has made me realize there is no fence. What clarity Jesus brings with that reality! There is a godly way to think, to live, and to work towards fellowship together in and through Christ. You’re overcoming the world, including your flesh and the powers on this earth that will be destroyed in the end, to live in the hope of eternal salvation. We will always be His, eternally, and God never wanted eternal damnation for us. There’s plenty of space for all of us on the new earth. No matter what God used on this earth to get us here and there — things that have earthly form, like Christianity, specific biological families, etc. — we can be thankful for whatever means He used because it all belongs to Him and lovingly brought us to Him. When overcoming the world, we are free to die daily in our hearts to all of its forms and laws (including the ones He used to get us to where we are today) so we can truly live wholeheartedly in God’s law of liberty for us.
I’m so thankful He chose us! It is the eternal blessing. Let us make God happy that He chose us!
Wendy