"A Sincere Thirst For God"

"My soul thirsteth for God, for the Living God: when shall I come and appear before Him?" (Psalms 42:2) We are all responsible for our own salvation, which means that you can not blame your lack of knowing upon what you have been taught, or how you were raised, or even that you were never told the truth; each and every one of us are going to be judged according to the same truth, so we had better make sure that we have it right. I use to think that God might have different judgement areas; you know, like Municipal Court for small sins, verses Superior Court for large infractions, or even something like Traffic Court, for those that just liked to live life in the fast lane; after all, if God would be fair, shouldn't everyone be judged according to how bad they were? But that was before I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, and I came to understand that God died for our sins, each and every one of them, large and small, they have all been paid for by His blood upon that cross; therefore, since He bought them with His blood, then He has every right to judge them any way that He wants to, so we are not going to have any defense when it comes to trying to get out from under the punishment for sin, except that our sins have been removed; and if we are not washed by the blood of Jesus Christ, then our sins are not removed, and He will be judging those sins. Unlike many might believe, minor infractions, such as little white lies, or not telling the clerk at the checkout that they gave you too much money back, are still within the group of sin, and sin has only one place in the end, which is Hell. Before you go any further in this life, you had better make sure that you are prepared for the next, and you had better make sure that you have a real relationship with Jesus Christ; not one that is based upon what you have been told about Him, or based upon instruction from a church or religion, but you have a personal relationship with Christ Jesus, the risen and living Lord; the kind of relationship where you know Him, and more importantly, He knows you... "If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth a ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:26-33)