Do not tarry!

Acts 22:16
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

Dear listeners, the Bible asks us again and again in many different ways this one question, Why do you tarry?

But to tarry means to continue to stumble and fall. To continue to live in uncertainty and distress. To continue to not meet God's demands and therefore not to be able to rejoice in the wonderful salvation of the Lord. Why do you tarry even though God has chosen and called you in His great love and grace? The Bible calls you,

2 Peter 1:10
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

Give all your diligence to make this wonderful election and calling sure. Understand me, you cannot choose or call yourself. God is the one who does this! But you also cannot just reject God's election and calling, for who are you that you could act against the plan of God?

This scripture is about the question if you want to be the one who is stumbling, who is always unhappy, who is always afraid of the future, or if you want to be victorious. My friends, I'm afraid if I only think about being always among the ones who always stumble and fall and suffer shipwreck in their faith. God did not design you to have such a life! That's why you should give all your diligence, dear sister and brother, to make you calling and election sure.

There may be some among you that cannot be saved anymore. They rejected God so many times, the told lies and deceived and blasphemed the Holy Ghost. God has looked upon you just as HE looked upon Jerusalem and then He had to cry out, I wanted you so many times, so many times I warned you of your sin, I wanted to draw you to me so many times, but you did not want and now salvaltion is hidden from you.

But, dear friends, for most of you salvation is still available! God is standing before you today. He has brought you to this website. He allowed you to read this entry. You may feel very bad but the Lord is standing before you anyway and He wants to let you know, I have chosen you! I have called you by your name! You are mine! What are you doing with this call? Oh, if you just would give all your diligence to say, Lord, I trust in You! I don't want to stumble anymore, I don't want to fall anymore. The Lord JESUS wants this attitude from you. Make you calling sure, say, Lord, I trust in your strenght. I will resist the devil in YOUR name and flee from every sin!

The Bible says,

1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

First of all you are required to take heed unto yourself. We are swift to say, take heed to the doctrine and then we come with a lot of rules and regulations. But, dear friends, the Bible says us here, take heed unto yourself. Everybody of you knows, if something is wrong in your own life. We don't need a law or rules in this case. Somebody who steals or commits adultery or kills somebody knows that he is doing something that is not right. The ones who steal, do it privily because they know that it is wrong. The ones who commit adultery do it in secret, because they know that it is a shame, and the ones who kill somebody want to do it without being seen, because they know that it is not right.

So if you really want to be happy, take heed unto yourself. Take heed to the things you do. God's spirit is within you and HE exhorts you to do the right things. And, my friends, take heed to the doctrine. Not every doctrine you hear is good. The Bible says,

1 Thessalonians 5:21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Prove the things you hear with your Bible and then keep that which is good and stay in it, do it! The Bible says, For in doing so you will save yourself. Was Timothy not saved? That's a whole other subject we will think about another time. But for now let me say, the way is finished when we sit in the wedding room, clothed with the wedding garment and when the Lord is regarding us with favor. The race is finished when we cross the finish line as winner. We can only be sure to have the victory when the Lord has devided the goats from the sheep. The harvest will only be in the stores, when the Lord has gathered the weath that brought fruit.

The Lord JESUS may give you grace that you may take heed unto yourself and the doctrine. The Bible says, For in doing so you will save yourself and the ones that hear you, too.

My friends, imagine this great love and trusting of God. HE has chosen you to be actively involved in the plan of God. By accepting HIS plan you can influence your life and the lifes of the ones you meet.

And now I want to give you a word that seems to sound a little bit negative, but if you reconsider it, it is a wonderful promise,

Revelation 2:10
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

The Lord Jesus does not promise us that we will always get around all bad things. Sometimes we will have to suffer. But, dear friends, the Lord tells us, that we don't have to fear these sufferings. Sometimes sin is so heavinly knocking on our door that it becomes hard to say no to sin. But the Lord comes and tells us, Don't be afraid, I AM mightier. Sometimes troubles and sicknesses almost kill us, but the Lord says: "Be not afraid."

My friend, stay faithful until death, then the Lord will give you the crown of life. Or let me say it in a different way, Remain true to the Lord JESUS. The times of temptations, troubles and sufferings will come to an end and you will see full of joy how the Lord takes you into HIS kingdom and you can live with Him and have fellowship with the Lord JESUS, without sufferings, without tears, without temptations. What a glorious time that will be!

God bless you!