While He May Be Found

[Sue J Love]

“Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:6-9 ESV)

Whether we are reading in the Old Testament or in the New Testament, under the New Covenant, the message is still the same. We who are the wicked by birth, i.e. who are born with sin natures, in the image of Adam, must forsake our wicked (sinful) ways, and we must turn to the Lord. And to turn to the Lord involves not only us dying with Christ to sin but us now living to God in walks of obedience to his commands (see Romans 6:1-23).

For the faith to believe in our Lord unto salvation is not of our own flesh, not of our own fleshly works, but it is gifted to us by God, and it comes from God, and it is persuaded of God as to his holiness and righteousness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to die with Christ to sin and to now walk with him in obedience to his commands. And it results in us, in the power of God, doing the works God called us to do (see Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 2:11-14).

So, it isn’t by lip service only that any of us are saved from our sins and promised heaven as our eternal destiny. True faith, which comes from God, and which is not of our own doing, submits to Jesus as Lord (Owner-Master) and surrenders our lives to the will of God for our lives. Thus, by faith in him, we die with him to sin and we now walk in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life practice, although not necessarily in absolute perfection.

God had compassion on us sinners, which is why he sent Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, to die on a cross. For in his death he put our sins to death with him so that, by faith in him, we will now die with him to sin and walk with him (who was raised from the dead) in obedience to his commands – all by the grace of God and in the power of God, and not of our own flesh. For even our faith to believe in Christ comes from God.

And then when we believe in Jesus with this faith which comes from God and which dies with Christ to sin in order to obey him and his commands, God pardons (forgives) us our sins. For God’s thoughts are not the same as ours, and his ways of doing things are not the same as ours in our human flesh. And Jesus taught that if we are going to come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him.

For his grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await our Lord’s return. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by his grace, and walk in obedience to his commands, in his power, then we have the hope of eternal life with God.

[Luke 9:23-26; Titus 2:11-14; Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-21; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

For Our Nation

An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

While He May Be Found
An Original Work / March 3, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love