A Call to Repentance

Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely and your tongue mutters wicked things. –Isaiah 59:1-3 (New International Version)

 

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

The Lord looked and was displeased that there was no justice. He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm achieved salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. –Isaiah 59:15-16.

Review God’s Ten Commandments in the book of Exodus, Chapter 20. Is there one commandment you have not broken? If you are honest with yourself, you will see that you have violated at least one commandment and most likely several like many people including myself. We hear quite often that God is good, full of love and mercy. This is true. However, we tend to cover our ears when we hear that God is also JUST. Yes, He is the judge of all mankind.

That is to say because He is just He ALWAYS does the right thing. And because man has sinned it is completely just for God to penalize man by death both physically and spiritually.

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. -1 John 3:4

One of the universal truths of life is every man and woman will one day die physically. We know that our soul lives on and it is eternal but it can go to either one of two places. The soul can go to Heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ or in Hell with the prince of demons, Satan.repent

Are you prepared to stand before an all Holy, all perfect, all righteous and a just God? If you have not trusted in the sacrificial lamb Jesus Christ as your personal savior your soul does not stand a chance and the Bible says that YOU WILL BE condemned for your unbelief and unrighteousness. You know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. -1 John 3:5 What the Law could not do, because human nature was weak, God did. He condemned sin in human nature by sending his own Son, who came with a nature like our sinful nature, to do away with sin. –Romans 8:3 God says “I will not hold against you the sins of yesterday if you will correct it with REPENTANCE today.”

God Allows U TurnsMake a U-turn, not a 360-degree turn but do a 180, never to return to that sin and lifestyle which does not fit your purpose in life of glorifying God. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? –Acts 16:30 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.-Romans 10:9 May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. –Psalm 19:14 Amen

 

Jason M. Alexandre

About Jason M. Alexandre

Jason Melchizedek Alexandre was born in November of 1989 in Brooklyn, N.Y. His family later moved to Philadelphia, Pa., and he now resides in Limerick, Pa. In May of 2014, Jason obtained his Master of Social Work degree at Widener University. Professionally, Jason counsels persons who are homeless, parents, veterans, and others who suffer from various kinds of abuse. Although Jason’s career is Social Work, his spiritual passion is missions. Jason believes in actively answering the Great Commission call Jesus gave all Christians for the Gospel to be spread from person-to-person and nation-to-nation. Annually, Jason travels primarily to Haiti on a mission trip with Haiti Christianity Inc. Each year, Haiti Christianity, Inc., visits cities and/or villages in Haiti bringing children educational supplies, clothing, and medical supplies. They also facilitate conferences in which bible study, budgeting tips, financial planning and most importantly, evangelization takes place. Jason is currently the organization’s public relations director. Jason’s vision is for the gospel to continue to spread throughout the world and believes it is Christian’s responsibility to carry out this mission effectively. To learn more about the organization for which Jason volunteers, please visit www.HaitiChristianity.org.

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Seeking My Lord

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. –Psalm 105:4 (New International Translation)

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

If someone asked you, “Do you ‘seek’ the Lord?” How would you respond? When you arise in the morning, is God who you first think about or do you think about him as you go on about your day? The Greek word for “seek” is zéteó, which means “to look for or search or desire.” It also means “to inquire of or investigate.” In other words, for what or whom you’re seeking you want to get to the bottom of it. Are we really seeking the Lord with all our strength, all our hearts, and all our souls? Or are we too busy for him?

When you are truly seeking the Lord you are demonstrating that you have a desire to go further in your relationship with him. In fact, he wants you to know him. He yearns for an intimate relationship with you. He knew you before you thought you knew yourself. He said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” –Jeremiah 29:13 Someone might say, “I try to pray to the Lord and it seems like he doesn’t respond or God does not ever listen to me.” Friend, I want to assure you that God still speaks and he speaks to us all the time.

If you’ve trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior, he speaks loud and clear through the Holy Spirit. But often times there are still sins in our lives that we need to eradicate in order to continue to be led by the Holy Spirit, deepening our relationship with Christ to become more and more like him. Do not continue to live in your sins. Do not quench the Spirit-1 Thessalonians 5:19. For the unbeliever, there is still time to repent. Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.”

“Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”-Isaiah 55:7-8

The man after God’s own heart, King David, knew very well how to seek the Lord and be in his presence. He recorded many years ago, “Lord, who may dwell in your sacred tent? Who may live on your holy mountain? The one whose walk is blameless, who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from their heart;” -Psalm 15:1-2

Oh how I’m saddened for the one who doesn’t believe in God to seek him. How my heart is concerned for the destruction that waits for them if they do not repent. The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” -Psalm 14:1 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.-Hebrews 11:6

 Amen

Jason M. Alexandre

 

About Jason M. Alexandre

Jason Melchizedek Alexandre was born in November of 1989 in Brooklyn, N.Y. His family later moved to Philadelphia, Pa., and he now resides in Limerick, Pa. In May of 2014, Jason obtained his Master of Social Work degree at Widener University. Professionally, Jason counsels persons who are homeless, parents, veterans, and others who suffer from various kinds of abuse. Although Jason’s career is Social Work, his spiritual passion is missions. Jason believes in actively answering the Great Commission call Jesus gave all Christians for the Gospel to be spread from person-to-person and nation-to-nation. Annually, Jason travels primarily to Haiti on a mission trip with Haiti Christianity Inc. Each year, Haiti Christianity, Inc., visits cities and/or villages in Haiti bringing children educational supplies, clothing, and medical supplies. They also facilitate conferences in which bible study, budgeting tips, financial planning and most importantly, evangelization takes place. Jason is currently the organization’s public relations director. Jason’s vision is for the gospel to continue to spread throughout the world and believes it is Christian’s responsibility to carry out this mission effectively. To learn more about the organization for which Jason volunteers, please visit www.HaitiChristianity.org.

Saved, Now What?

Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin. Yet he took note of their distress when he heard their cry; for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented. – Psalm 103:43-46 (New International Version)

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

Jason M. Alexandre, Voices Against the Grain Devotional Writer

“Relented.” A verb that means “to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving.” May the grace, love, and peace of Jesus Christ be on all those who have trusted in him as their Lord and Savior.  Many of us understand up to a point Jesus being our Savior but our lifestyles seem to strongly reflect that we have neglected to make him our “Lord.”  It seems evident that in our pride and arrogance we refuse to allow Jesus Christ to have ultimate authority, control, and power over the way in which we conduct ourselves and lifestyles. Thus, we ready ourselves to live a life of sin. We may say, “Oh! The grace of God and love is on my life surely the Lord knows and doesn’t expect me to be perfect? And so I can continue to treat my neighbor with malice, cheat here and there on my taxes, even drink and smoke everyday souring this body because after all I did trust in Jesus Christ as my Savior!”

My friend, that mindset could not be farther from the truth. I’ve only highlighted a few of the many excuses we use to deceive ourselves into believing for the sake of blindly retaining our sense of autonomy. But we forget the consequences of living lifestyles that characterizes sin. What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. –Romans 6:1-4.

turn from your sin

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but grace. –Romans 6:12-14

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may we truly take this message to heart. May we rationalize sin no longer but aim to be truly doer’s of the Word and not merely just hearers. Jesus Christ lives and he continues to echo the words he spoke to the invalid man he healed thousands of years ago. Jesus said, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” – John 5:14 Friends, Let us not trample on the blood of Jesus Christ any longer by the words that we speak, our conduct, or anything else that contradicts the work of righteousness that is being worked out through him. Amen

-Jason M. Alexandre

About Jason M. Alexandre

Jason Melchizedek Alexandre was born in November of 1989 in Brooklyn, N.Y. His family later moved to Philadelphia, Pa., and he now resides in Limerick, Pa. In May of 2014, Jason obtained his Master of Social Work degree at Widener University. Professionally, Jason counsels persons who are homeless, parents, veterans, and others who suffer from various kinds of abuse. Although Jason’s career is Social Work, his spiritual passion is missions. Jason believes in actively answering the Great Commission call Jesus gave all Christians for the Gospel to be spread from person-to-person and nation-to-nation. Annually, Jason travels primarily to Haiti on a mission trip with Haiti Christianity Inc. Each year, Haiti Christianity, Inc., visits cities and/or villages in Haiti bringing children educational supplies, clothing, and medical supplies. They also facilitate conferences in which bible study, budgeting tips, financial planning and most importantly, evangelization takes place. Jason is currently the organization’s public relations director. Jason’s vision is for the gospel to continue to spread throughout the world and believes it is Christian’s responsibility to carry out this mission effectively. To learn more about the organization for which Jason volunteers, please visit www.HaitiChristianity.org.