Two Desires Of God

May 2016 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Two Desires Of God

The verses used this month tell us of at least two desires of God, and probably many more. One verse that is suggestive of God’s deep desire for unbelievers to commit their lives to Him is Ezekiel 33:11, which says, “‘As I live,’ declares the Lord G OD , ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die?’” ( NASB ). We may be reminded of the appeals in the Gospels for people to repent and believe, even as the Lord Jesus spoke in Mark 1:15. In Romans 2 we discover that it is the “kindness of God [that] leads [us] to repentance” (v.4), and Ephesians 2 tells us, “By grace [entirely undeserved favor] you have been saved through faith” (v.8).

Those of us who have confessed our sinfulness and accepted God’s offer of salvation have the joy of experiencing the mercies and love of God first hand. For others, the testimonies of the Lord’s people (Lk. 8:39) and the “word of the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18) continue to be used by Him to appeal to the heart of every unrepentant man, woman and child.

Often in the course of our Bible reading, which I hope each person who has a Bible does on a daily basis, we miss some things. At times, particularly with the long lists of names in Chronicles, we may even skim over them. But every time we read a passage in the Bible we will, if seeking His blessing on our time in His Word, discover things we hadn’t seen before which can be used of the Lord for our encouragement and in service for Him. That is part of the freshness of God’s Word, proving that it is really “living and active” (Heb. 4:12).

In this month’s edition we look at some women in the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ, mainly focusing on the list in Matthew 1. It would be easy to skim over the beginning of that chapter and miss many wonderful points. Hopefully, one of the lessons we will take for ourselves in the course of enjoying these articles will be how greatly God desires His people to spend time in His Word, digging deeper into what He has written for us. The value of doing so and of seeing the Lord there will have a great effect on you – to His honor and glory!

By Paul Alberts