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I Did It My Way

I Did It My Way
By Dennis Huebshman

This song by Frank Sinatra and also Elvis Presley fit my lifestyle a lot of years ago, before I formed a relationship with My Jesus. Two other song titles would have been more appropriate: “Fool Number One” by Brenda Lee and “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson, and for the older crowd – also by the Fleetwoods. Now, I am thankful the Lord gave me the time to reconsider my lifestyle, and unlike the rich land owner of Luke 12, He didn’t require my soul before I was able to call out to My Jesus to be My Savior. As you can tell, I am very possessive of My Jesus, but will gladly share Him with anyone who needs Him – which is everyone

Let’s start with a look at Isaiah 40:12-14; 18: “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His mind; And marked off the heavens by the span; And calculated the dust of the earth by measure; And weighed the mountains in a balance; And the hills in a pair of scales? (13) Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord or as His counselor has advised Him? (14) With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? (18) To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare Him with? (all emphasis is mine)

The obvious answer to all the above is No One! However, sadly, many of us say, “Thank you Jesus for Your grace on the cross. That grace has cleansed me and given me a clean slate. Thank you for my fresh start….now I can do it myself”!

Many people get a good start with all the emotion of coming to Jesus, and then for some reason decide to move on to “bigger and better” things News Flash – there is nothing bigger or better than Our God, His Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit, no matter what Lucifer and his demons try to tell you.

John 10:27-30: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. (28) I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. (30) I and the Father are One.”

Romans 8:35; 38-39: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? (38) For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, (39) nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Also, 1 Peter 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for you (5) who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

The Bible is meant to be for everyone, and there are translations that are the True and Complete Word of the Father, so that everyone can find one they understand. Just don’t read into it what is not there, and don’t put a comma where God puts a period. Prosperity pastors and false prophets of every denomination will take one verse out of context and will justify their twisting of the Father’s word. Until I read the Bible cover-to-cover for the first time just over 30 years ago, I would believe just about anything that someone would say was there. I didn’t think anyone would give a false interpretation of God’s word.

Since my first complete read-through cover-to-cover, I have read from His word every day. The first time, it was the King James Version, followed by the New King James Version, and then the New American Standard, and now have settled on the New English Translation. I will not say one is any better than another as it is up to each individual to decide which translation is best for them. For someone who has not regularly read the bible on a daily basis, it may be a push at first. However, if you will start out with just a page or a chapter a day, within 7 days you will have the start of a good habit, and after about 30 days it will become a lifestyle for you. Just pick a particular time that you will be able to devote to a bit of reading every day. One thing I have found is that things I was told was in the bible are not there, and there’s a bunch of things I’ve found that no one ever mentioned.

At one time, I attended a church, which I will not name, that said we must do “works” to be in God’s good graces. Then, I read Isaiah 64:6 (NKJV), “But we are all as UNCLEAN THINGS, and all our righteousness’s are as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities like the wind, have taken us away” I understood this to mean if I believed I could do anything to earn or pay for my salvation, it was worthless to the Father. However, if I should do something, and have the frame of mind that I am wanting to honor My Jesus and the sacrifice He made, that would be better than trying to make points for myself.

What then do we need to do for our Salvation? First, know there is nothing we can do on our own to earn or buy our way into heaven. Accepting Jesus as our only way (John 14:6) is mandatory, and we must confess we are sinners. Nobody is free from sin and all the people that have ever been on this earth except for Jesus are included in this.

By the verses: Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 10:9, “…because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, YOU WILL BE SAVED.” (note, in a previous message, I had a typo, and accidently gave this as Romans 3:9 instead of 10:9 – yes, I’m human and make errors at times.) Next, Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13, “All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” And then Acts 4:21, “For there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

So, we have confession to the Father (Heavenly, not earthly), believe in Jesus and His perfect sacrifice for our sins, and accept Him as our only way to the Father, and to call out to Him and we will be saved. Now, after we have become one of His (a true believer), what happens when we slip and sin again? Follow the guidelines of 1 John 1:8-10: “If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (ESV) By the way, you can’t hide anything from the Father, so be truthful with Him.

Getting back to the “works” topic; Ephesians 2:8-9: “for by GRACE you are saved through FAITH, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. (9) It is not from works so that no one can boast.” This is more of the straight and narrow passages.

God knew even before Genesis 1:1 that His creation would never meet His perfect standard. Therefore, He provided the Grace which we do not deserve, to show us Mercy from punishment that we do deserve.

This covers True Believers, but what about those who try to do it “Their Way”? without Grace and Mercy, one is left to face the Father at the Great White Throne in Revelation 20 and be told what their eternal “payment” for their sins will be in the Lake of Fire. There is no pardon as each person will answer for EVERY sin they EVER committed.

Final question, can anyone not see just how precious and valuable each drop of blood our Savior shed for us really is? He took the pain and suffering for us, and by accepting Him we get the gift. It’s also very obvious how much the Father loves His Son, and expects us to do the same. Without Jesus, the Wrath of the Father if completely justified. By-pass this Wrath and Accept Jesus today.

Shalom!

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