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“Life Is Following Emmanuel! (L.I.F.E)”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me. At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. " (Mark 10:20-22, NIV)

Approach Question:
"How do you attain Eternal Life?"

Observation:
I asked myself what does Jesus tell the man he must do to inherit eternal life?
Jesus tells the man 3 things to do to inherit eternal life:
1. Go, sell everything you have.
2. Give to the poor.
3. Then come, follow me.

Interpretation:
I asked myself what is significant of the 3 things Jesus tells the man?
Previously, I had learned the 6 things that Jesus told the man to receive Eternal Life with those 6 things being a relationship kept between people-people. Since, the man felt he had kept those since he was a boy, Jesus went a step further to make the man reflect on his relationship with God. I believe the 3 things have to do with the 10 Commandments too but specifically keeping of the first 2 out of 4  commandments which have to do with a vertical relationship with God.

"You shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;" (Exodus 20:3-5a)

Jesus is basically telling the man that if he wants to receive Eternal Life, riches cannot be a god before him and riches cannot become an idol in his life. When the man heard that, the man's face fell and he went away sad. He was doing what he  thought was convenient and easy for him to follow God but when the going got tough and there were areas Jesus wanted him to let go and then come follow Him, the man could not do it. The man had the answer in Jesus Christ to receive Eternal Life but the man did not want to give up his riches.

I believe the point Jesus was making is that Eternal Life cannot be attained by what we think we do right because God's standards are always high. If we think we have mastered one area as the man thought about the 6 areas, God's light shows other areas we lack in just as Jesus revealed to the man what he lacked. This is to make the point that Eternal Life apart from the work of Christ cannot be attained.

The Good News is that when we follow Jesus, we can have Eternal Life but to follow Jesus means understanding that it is by grace we are saved through faith and not of any works we do less any man boast. Salvation is not a result of any good we have done but solely based on what Jesus Christ has done for us. There is nothing you or I can do apart from Christ to achieve Eternal Life. It will not happen.

IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
To have Eternal Life, my life has to be rooted in the One who came as I follow Him. For only through following Christ can I have Eternal Life by His grace. If I think I have kept the commandments and have been good so I will go to Heaven, God will reveal something else to show that I have not been perfect. Without being perfect, there is no entrance into Heaven because God in His Holiness cannot allow sin to enter His presence.

 "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;  there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 53:1-3, NIV)

The Psalmist reiterates what he wrote in Psalm 14 and it becomes significance here because this Psalm 53 follows Psalm 51 and Psalm 52 after David's confession of murdering Uriah and committing adultery with Bethsheba.

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5, NIV)

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins." (Isaiah 64:6-7, NIV)

To put it in a nutshell, even what we think as righteous-good acts are like filthy rags to the Lord. Filthy rags refer to the cloth used during a women's menstruation cycle which is considered unclean and referenced in Leviticus. That is how God sees what we think of as good works because in God's eyes there is no one righteous.

"As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless;  there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." (Romans 3:10-18, NIV)

Today, I read in Psalm 15 about who can dwell in the Lord's sanctuary. The standard is really high

"LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?  He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart  and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keeps his oath even when it hurts, who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken." (Psalm 15:1-5, NIV)

We cannot attain Eternal life without Jesus Christ who is God and who paid the price for our iniquities.

So even if I break one of those things then I cannot have Eternal Life.

What a predicament I am in, who will set me free from the law of sin and death? Thank God, it has been done through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 7)

There is a reason Jesus tells the man to follow Him instead of his riches.

I ask you now dear friend, what do you do with your life to receive Eternal Life?
Dear friend, if life is to you to live it for yourself without thinking about what the Lord requires of you, you will be living a life that will start to crumble. The man's life seemed to be okay as long as he was evaluating himself from the standards he liked to keep but as soon as Jesus raised the standard for what must be done to achieve Eternal Life, the man did not want to give up his own standard of living to follow Jesus. In essence, if life is living for yourself, then Eternal Life is not possible but when you follow Jesus with your life knowing He alone can give you Eternal Life then He will transform and change your life. For only in Christ, our Prince of Peace can we really know how to live.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. " (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)

^"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2, NIV)

^"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, NIV)

"There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus for the life giving Spirit has freed us from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1, NIV)

May you understand that life apart from the Savior is only strife! Amen!

Life
By Ramesh C. Reddy
(Originally published for my poetry class with ideas from my mom)

Where is this generation headed,
can we say we know ?

Are we doing what is right,
doing what God wants us to do ?

What happened to the beaver ?
Shame to seem him gone,
gone with the wind,
having all his morals and values
dried up like sun-baked clay.

Now are we battered, bruised, and burned
seeing shows depicting immorality causing restlessness
like pain in the back ?

Are we going to a shrink ?
What good will that do ?
It will only shrink our pockets
as our minds get shrunk
like delicate fabric
in improper washing.

What happens to our sanity
as our anxiety rages
like thundering sea waves ?

We want to know answers,
answers to the questions of life.

Do we end up in our self-world
dreading in despair,
despair that brings us to the edge
like an uncontrolled automobile
about to fall off the edge of a cliff.

We have our own hopeless life to live,
life that seems to end in misery.
Where does our hope come from,
hope that can lead us to a blessed life,
life that brings us perfect peace ?

We can only have true contentment,
contentment in our hearts,
only if we find peace,
peace that will end strife
when we come to know the

PRINCE OF PEACE

Who is this Prince of Peace ??

J esus, the Savior of the world.
E verlasting peace comes from knowing him.
S urely goodness and mercy will follow
U nconditionally all the days of our lives
S trengthening us to do what God wants us to do.

"Life Is Following Emmanuel!" (L.I.F.E)/"What do you do with your life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me about what it means to truly live. Living truly depends totally on you Oh Lord and not ourselves. We need your help to live our life Oh Lord. In this world, so much happens but none of that can give us Eternal Life or make us right with you except accepting what you have done for us to free us. Thank you so much Jesus. Help us to live for you and serve you.  In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

If you are reading this and do not know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior and would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart. You can invite the GREAT PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.

Dear Jesus, I want to be free. I don’t know everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin. I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me of my sin. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. I know you have forgiven me when you died on the cross and shed your blood. I want to accept that forgiveness. Thank you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and pounded the nails. Thank you for willingly dying for me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your love using your Blood to redeem all humanity that comes to you. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and giving us Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I love you Jesus. I want you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when God looks at me, He now sees me covered in Your blood and His judgment passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me. Thank you for being with me Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you for saving me. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will always be with me and have given me Salvation.  Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.

As a professional, it is not too late to join a church! As a student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this  new year of 2010! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.  Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible LIVE Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Express Your View

2010 DEVOTIONALS:

"What is M.E.M.O.R.I.A.L Day to you?" (May 31, 10, 7:21 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Which commandment does your W.I.L.L break easily?" (May 26, 10, 6:23 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Why cannot you be G.O.O.D in life?" (May 24, 10, 7:00 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What do you do when you T.H.I.N.K about Jesus?" (May 21, 10, 7:51 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Whose life do you get I.N.V.O.L.V.E.D in?" (May 20, 10, 7:13 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What is the point of being a C.H.I.L.D?" (May 08, 10, 8:51 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "Whose T.E.R.M.S do you follow in life?" (May 07, 10, 7:21 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "What H.I.N.D.E.R.S you from coming to Jesus?" (May 04, 10, 8:23 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "What does who do you V.A.L.U.E. in life tell about you?" (Mon, April 05, 10, 9:54 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?" (Sat, April 03, 10, 11:49 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

John 12: "Will you be the offspring of the S.E.E.D cultivated?" (Mon, March 29, 10, 10:09 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

John 12:3: "What costly S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E will you make for Jesus remembering His stinky/dirty feet?" (Sat, March 27, 10, 11:06 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Proverbs 23: "What  has  A.L.C.O.H.O.L done to you in life?" (March 20, 10, 9:17 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "What do you do with an I.N.T.E.R.R.U.P.T.I.O.N in life?" (March 13, 10, 11:40 p.m.)

Mark 10:13: "Why S.H.A.R.E Jesus with others in life?" (March 09, 10, 4:59 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13: "Why B.R.I.N.G Doggy Poo to Jesus?" (March 08, 10, 9:01 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "When have you become an A.D.U.L.T.E.R.E.R in life and what now?" (Feb 24, 10, 9:31 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "Why D.I.V.O.R.C.E the one you marry in life?" (Feb 22, 10, 12:15 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D in your life?" (Feb 20, 10, 10:08 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

1 Corinthians 13: "How will you be someone's V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E using 16?" (Feb 13, 10,  12:16 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to and why?" (Feb 05, 10, 9:43 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "How can you be a S.A.L.T in someone's life today?" (Feb 04, 10, 11:27 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "What do you help your friends E.S.C.A.P.E from?" (Feb 03, 10, 12:30 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "Why bother with H.E.L.L in life?" (Feb 02, 10, 2:39 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "When are you planning to cut your hand, foot, or eye to escape Hell?"" (Feb 01, 10, 1:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

 Mark 9: "Why heed Jesus' W.A.R.N.I.N.G in your life?" (Jan 30, 10, 12:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy