The gospel of Luke was my best friend.  Luke scared the hell out of me.  Contemplating eternity in hell, knowing that I was not in the kingdom when I began reading the bible, provoked me to abandon my life for God.  I signed the back of a Gideon Bible, giving my life to Christ and confessed in a letter my intention to give Christianity a try.  My life didn't seem to change that moment, but two weeks later, God entered my heart.  I experienced God in my Spirit directly and it shook me to the core.  The rest is history.  For most of us, I think we imagine naively that when we give God our life, everything is peachy keen.  For me it has taken thirty two years to make the turn and only the last three have been like a Hallmark movie. 

    The ultimate power, the final say, resides with God.  More than his ability to create the universe, more than his ability to move mountains, heal the sick and raise the dead, your ultimate destiny resides with God and the choices you make now may impact your life forever.  Unless you put his words into practice, you are building your house on sand.  God has the power to change the course of history, your history, and it behooves you to take his word quite seriously.  For me as frightened that I was in hearing God's word, knowing that I could spend eternity in hell, I took God at his word.  As helpless as I was, as sick as I was, as timid as I was, by the grace of God, I took him at his word.  That act of faith pleased God, and though I was bruised and broken for many years, that fact that God was inside me got me through it all.  When God is in you, no matter what the test, no matter what the trial, however he wishes to allow the enemy to challenge you, you will ultimately succeed and just like Job, God will restore whatever the enemy has robbed you and you will be a sign of God's mercy and love.

    More than the time you spend on earth, more than all worldly blessing, the ultimate power, the final say about where you spend eternity resides with God.  That's what makes him God.  So if today you hear his voice, if today you are quickened by the Spirit, harden not your heart and let God reign over you.  Put God in charge by giving him rule over your life and he will take control and whatever the consequences, be of good comfort, the final say belongs with God.

Amen