Dedicated to God

2 January 2025 / 2 Tevet 5785

Today is the last Day of the Feast of Dedication, also known as the Festival of Lights, which began on the evening of 25 Kislev 5785, and ends tonight at sundown 2 Tevet 5785. This year, this Holy Day fell on Christmas, which is a very rare occurrence.

I know this season can be extremely difficult, due to the absence of loved ones, or broken relationships, but we must choose to look to Almighty God to give us strength and hope. If we are to survive, we must keep faith in God, and the LORD Jesus Christ, the only Saviour!

As followers of Christ, Jesus said He would always be with us, even unto the end of the world. Nothing, or no one can separate us from the love God has for us, but we must stay close to Him by His Spirit, by His Word, and by prayer. And NEVER let go of His hand!

Romans 8: 35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us.

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Amen!

However, to be dedicated to God, and His beloved Son, the LORD Jesus Christ, the Messiah of Israel, (who also celebrated the Feast of Dedication), we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our might, and be fully committed to following Him.

Matthew 22:37-39 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Please consider the words of Jesus to His disciples.

John 14:15-18 “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of Truth; Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.”

Matthew 16:24-27 “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it.

For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.”

What we do in this world, and how we respond to the LORD Jesus Christ, will determine our eternal destiny. Do you truly love God, or do you love the world and the things of the world? You can’t love both. Do you love sin, or do you love righteousness? You can’t love both.

1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

If you see that you have not been fully committed to the LORD Jesus Christ, the One who gave His precious Life so that we may live eternally with Him in Heaven one day, I hope this message will be an encouragement to be faithfully Dedicated to God! Which is also my hope and earnest desire for myself in the coming New Year!

Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the Day approaching.” For those who have “eyes to see,” that Great and Dreadful Day of the LORD is closer than it has ever been!

Mark 13:35-37 “Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the House cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly He find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Something To Think About!