Why Are You Celebrating The Birth of Jesus Christ?

Christmas is here again. The shops are full of goodies; sales are going on everywhere; malls are teeming with buyers; gifts are being bought; cards are being exchanged; parties are being planned; carols are being sung; kids are excited; tourism is at its peak; lumberjacks are having a great time cutting down trees, and the first chapters of Matthew and Luke are being read extensively.

As is usual during this time of the year, people are in a jovial mood and merrymaking is at its best. Towns everywhere are painted red as revelers, both young and old, flock to their favorite joints to party, drink and dance the season away. Others use this opportunity to spend some quality time with their families and loved ones. Still, others simply make a lot of money out of it.

Nevertheless, in the midst of all this fanfare, it is good for us to ask ourselves an important question: ‘Why, and what for, am I celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ? Is it because I have received what He came to give me, or am I just celebrating for the fun of it? Has He found a home in my heart, or have other gods been lodging there? Do I walk with Him, or have I been determining my own path? Am I His true follower, or am I just His fan?’

Needless to say, Jesus Christ did not come so that we can have a ball and party till the break of dawn at every end of the year. He came to give us the gift of salvation. Those who have received this gift are the only ones who can truly celebrate His birth because they are the ones who have benefited from His coming. A person may eat, drink, make merry, sing Christmas carols at the top of their voice and receive and give 1001 Christmas wishes, but if they have not received the gift of salvation then in the end all that merrymaking counts for nothing. God will not welcome them into heaven just because they knew how to get their groove on and set the roof on fire with all their singing and dancing. He will welcome only those who got born again.

To understand the foolishness of celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ while not saved and devoted to Him, let us take the example of a sick person who is suffering from a fatal but curable disease. A doctor brings him some medicine but instead of taking it, the sick person simply rejoices that the medicine is there and thanks the doctor for bringing it. As he continues to rejoice, the disease gets the better of him and he dies from it. If he had taken the medicine he would have lived, but since he rejected it, all his celebration is worthless. It cannot save him from his disease and it will not bring him back from the dead. The same is true about our Christmas celebrations. When the party is over and God calls each one of us to account for our time and actions on earth, it will be of no use for us to have celebrated with all our might yet end up being rejected by Him and told off as none of His (see Matthew 7:21-23), because we did not repent and become saved. The Bible says that Jesus Christ came to save us from sinfulness (see Luke 19:10, Luke 5:32 and Titus 2:11-14).

In Luke 13:26-27, Jesus talked about people who will tell Him of how they ate and drank with Him but it will be of no use. He will reject them even though they brushed shoulders with Him. How much less impressive will mere merrymaking in His name be? As the festive spirit fills the air, here are some verses to meditate on:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10

“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 14:17

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” – John 3:3

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Life is Not Short

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Our life in this world is just the beginning of our existence. It is like a grain of sand on the shores of eternity or a drop of water in the ocean of time. It is simply the first page of a very long story. When we are born, the story begins; when we die, the story continues in another realm.

Since eternity will last forever and our time here acts as the foundation of where we will go to spend it, we cannot afford to live recklessly. We must do some maths and get our priorities right so that our time and efforts on earth do not eventually boil down to nothing. There is nothing as sad as coming to the realization that you have wasted valuable time, energy and resources in something that has produced only wind.

When we are young, our parents do not let us just grow up aimlessly without thinking about our future. They take us to school and give us advice so that when we become adults we can live a prosperous and respectable life. When we get employed or start a business, if we are wise, we do not just squander the money haphazardly and leave nothing for the days ahead. We invest what we have so that when a rainy day comes, we will have something to keep us going.

In the same way, our time here on earth is a time to invest in our future. It is the time to use what we have for our eternal good. It is not the time to senselessly dive into all manner of crude, short-lived and unproductive activities that will eventually amount to nothing more than a chasing after the wind. It is the time to plough into everlasting soils that will give us an eternal harvest.

Jesus Christ told His disciples to “Store up for [themselves] treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:20). He was telling them to be wise with their time and resources on earth and use them to secure an eternal inheritance for themselves.

Just as there are bank accounts here on earth, so are there spiritual accounts. These accounts are not stocked with physical currency such as bank notes and coins. They are stocked with such characteristics as righteousness, holiness, goodness, humility, self-control, love, joy, peace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness, repentance, and so on (see Galatians 5:22-24 and Matthew 5:3-12 for more).

When all is said and done and our time on earth expires, it is the spiritual aspects of our being and of our actions that will matter. The amount of food we ate will not count. The shape and size of our bodies will not matter. The zeal with which we partied will not help us. What our friends thought of us will not be a concern. The titles that men bestowed upon us will be of no consequence. 

God will judge us based on whether or not we did what He expected of us, if at all we bothered to find out what it was. He will look at what our values, motives and interests were, and whether or not we honored Him in all that we did. He will not consult our friends, family or foes about us, but will bring out the deep secrets of our hearts and minds and reward us accordingly (see Jeremiah 17:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Most importantly, He will look at the divine condition of our souls. Did we repent of our sins and accept the forgiveness that is only obtained through Jesus’ blood? (see Hebrews 9:22). Did we receive the Holy Spirit to make us God’s sons? (see Romans 8:14-17). Did we walk in holiness after receiving His forgiveness and mercy? (see Hebrews 10:26-31).

Jesus told His disciples that “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

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Our souls are the most precious aspect of our being. They are our real selves, the part of us that will remain when our bodies have perished. They will last forever, whether or not we make it to heaven or to hell. They will bear the full impact of our actions here on earth. If we neglect them, we are essentially neglecting ourselves. They should therefore be our first priority when it comes to the choices that we make and the things that we do. Focusing on other things at the expense of our souls is loving those other things more than ourselves and therefore hating ourselves.

We therefore need to be wise and see beyond the momentary passions and lures of this world, because spending one hundred and something years on earth will be of no value if we end up spending the rest of the billions of years of our existence languishing in eternal pain and torment (see Matthew 25:46 and Mark 9:43-44). 

“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.” – Matthew 13:40-43

The Forbidden Fruit

It is said that we are what we eat. When we eat what is healthy, we become healthy; when we eat what is unhealthy, we become unhealthy. This principle applies to everything that we consume. When we see, hear, touch, read or do anything, it affects us in some way. Some of it affects us positively, and some of it affects us negatively. For example, if we touch a live wire, we are bound to get an electric shock. On the other hand, if we touch a friendly dog, we are bound to get an affectionate lick or tail wag.

There are also things that have two sides to them. They can either be harmful or helpful, depending on how we use them. One example of this is a knife. It can be used to prepare vegetables for a meal, and it can also be used to stab someone to death. It all depends on what the person having it chooses to do with it. If he chooses to use it for the wrong purpose, that is his own responsibility. He should not blame those who manufactured the knife for his wrongdoing. Knives were designed to be used for cutting food, and that is what they are made for to this day. Many people have used them to stab, maim and wound others, but that has not stopped knives from being manufactured. They will continue to be made and sold to people everywhere, not so that they can be used as weapons of destruction, but so that they can be used for what they were rightly designed for: to cut and prepare food.

On that same note, when God created the heavens and the earth, He did so for a good reason. He made everything so that it would be used for the right purpose. When He put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He told them that they were free to eat fruit from all the other trees in the garden, but they were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Of course, there was a good reason why that tree was there in the first place, but all the same, it was not meant for food. Furthermore, God told them why they were not supposed to eat from it. The fruit of that tree was lethal, and it would bring death to them and their descendants. However, Adam and Eve did not keep God’s command, and they reaped the fruits of their rebellion.

Similarly, this world is full of many things that have a unique purpose. Since God is the one who made them, He is the one who knows how they should be used. When a manufacturer manufactures something, he is the one who can tell people how best it works. He usually gives instructions that those who buy the product are supposed to follow. If they follow the instructions, the device works well and they get the best out of it; on the other hand, if they defy the instructions, they end up bringing disaster upon themselves. 
As the manufacturer of the universe, God has given us instructions in the form of commands about what we should and should not do. All these commands are there for our own good. If we follow them, we prosper and experience the abundant life that God planned for us; however, if we rebel, our lives become full of misery, heartache and woe.

One of the commands that God gave us is the command to observe sexual purity. We should not commit adultery, fornication (i.e. sex before marriage), or any other form of sexual immorality. God designed sex to be for married people, and it should not be used for any other purpose. However, in our rebellion, we have misused it and sleep around with whomever we see fit. The result of this has been “unwanted” pregnancies, abortions, heartbreaks, sexually transmitted diseases, single parenthood, broken marriages, sexual obsessions, and so on. If we would keep God’s command, none of this would happen. However, due to our rebellion, sex has become a greatly demeaned and tarnished act.

It so happens that when we sin and break God’s commands, we think that we are helping ourselves and are being wise. Eve was misled into believing that the forbidden fruit was good for her. When she looked at it, she liked its appearance and was fascinated by the thought of how wise it would make her and her husband become. As a result, she turned a blind eye to God’s warning and sank her teeth into its venomous pulp.

In the same way, we tend to judge sins by their neatly packaged and seemingly attractive cover. We allow the seductive look, feel, sound and smell of something sinful to lead us into believing that it is not as bad as God says it is. We then proceed to hungrily gobble it down, only to face the bitter aftertaste of its true ingredients.

The Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Sin causes not only physical death, but also spiritual, social, emotional and psychological death. It affects us, other people, and our relationship with God. When God tells us not to do something, it is because He knows that no matter how appropriate it seems to us, it will always have some negative effect. He therefore warns us about it and points us in the right direction so that we can avoid its pitfalls and have a truly fulfilled life. As the Bible says, "Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner" (Proverbs 13:6). Therefore, when we obey God we do ourselves a favor, but when we disobey Him we do ourselves a disservice and invite ruin upon ourselves here on earth and in the life to come.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6:23

Salvation is a Choice

Revelation 3:20

Salvation is a free gift. You can take it or leave it. If you don’t want to obey God, He will not force you to. All the same, He has made it known to us where our choices will lead us. If we choose to obey Him and live a righteous life, our destination will be heaven (eternal life). On the other hand, if we choose to live a sinful life, our destination will be hell (eternal suffering). He has done His part to make the first choice possible (click here to see how), but has also left room for those who prefer the second option. After all, the choice is ours, and we have the liberty to make it.

Even Jesus Christ made it clear how much of a choice salvation is when He said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:16) . And, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20).

Of course, many people choose to push away this gift in preference of an unsaved life of carnal and corrupt indulgences. After all, it is a gift. You can choose whether or not to take it.

However, it is important to note that “Although we are free to choose, we are not free from the consequences of our choices.” If someone chooses to live an unsaved life, then they should be ready to go to hell when their time on earth runs out. Nobody ever knows when that time will be (Ecclesiastes 8:8),and so nobody ever knows whether they have just enough time to make that commitment before it becomes too late and they die unsaved. This is quite unfortunate, because many people plan to get saved just toward the end of their lives. After all, that is how valuable God and salvation are to them. They see them as something to be ignored and not really paid much attention to because there are so many other things that are more interesting, worth the while and more to be preferred than God and salvation. Of course, God knows our hearts very well (Jeremiah 17:10), and He can see all this. There is no need to pretend that we adore Him when our lives and choices say otherwise. Actions speak louder than words, and what we do says

i.    whether or not we value God,

ii.   how much we do so, and

iii.  whether we have other ‘gods’ that we have placed above Him.

We may believe that there is a God and that Jesus Christ is His Son who died for the sins of the world, but unless we put this faith into action, it is dead. Hear what the Bible says about action-less faith:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?” – James 2:14.

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” – James 2:26.

Therefore, the fact that the Bible says that Jesus Christ came so that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” does not mean that if we simply believe that God and Jesus exist and that they did what they did but leave it at that then we are saved. James corrected those who think this way when he said:

“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder.” – James 2:19.

Our faith must therefore be matched by our actions, and believing in Jesus goes hand in hand with repenting and devoting our lives to Him. The Bible says:

“In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.” – Acts 17:30.

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” – John 3:3.

“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” – Hebrews 12:14

At the same time, the Bible warns us that our good deeds alone will not save us.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9.

“Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.” – Romans 3:20

Therefore, God will not accept us into heaven just because we did several good things in our lives. We must go the whole way of putting our faith in Jesus Christ, repenting and turning away from our sins, receiving The Holy Spirit, living a righteous life based on God’s Word, and sharing the good news with others, if we are to enter the kingdom of God. As the Bible says:

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” – Titus 2:11-14

Conclusion:

Now that you have read this, you can make what is popularly known as ‘an informed choice’. You can choose to brush salvation aside for now and wait – for who knows what (as we saw earlier), or you can choose to place the security of your soul above the many other things that demand attention, and say “Yes, Lord.” The choice, as we have ultimately seen, is yours.

If you would like to say the salvation prayer and turn your life over to God, click here.

“For he says, "In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.” – 2 Corinthians 6:2.

The End of The World

One of the most controversial topics that has ever captured men’s attention is that of whether, when and how the world will end. Many prophecies have been given about the day on which this phenomenal event will take place, causing people to react in different ways and make extraordinary preparations.

In 2011, an elderly Californian preacher known as Harold Camping did some calculations and concluded that the world would end on May 21st 2011 at 6pm. Many people quit their jobs and began touring the United States to warn people about the coming doom. Billboards were put up all over, and broadcasts were made over the Family Radio Network. However, the day passed normally, much to the disappointment and embarrassment of those involved.

The Heaven's Gate cult mass suicide

A similar incident took place in 1997 when Marshall Applewhite, the leader of a cult named Heaven's Gate, predicted that the world would end on March 26th 1997. He told his followers that a spacecraft was following the Hale-Bopp comet that had come close to the earth that year, and that they could only board it with their souls so as to escape this doomed planet. As a result, he and 38 of his followers committed suicide on that fateful day, bringing the world to an end for them.

These blunders have caused many people to treat the idea of the world ending as a practical joke. However, it so happens that it is one of the things mentioned in the book that contains hundreds of accurately fulfilled prophecies: The Bible. Over one thousand prophecies given in The Bible have already been fulfilled (click here to confirm), and the remaining ones continue to be fulfilled each day.

Although many people have tried to dispute the Bible’s credibility, it has proven to be a reliable source of information about both future and past events. Scientists have found overwhelming evidence in support of it, and this can be obtained from numerous sites such as www.6000years.org, www.creationevidence.org and www.reasons.org.

This amazing book contains many detailed accounts of what will happen during the world’s final moments. One of these prophecies is found in the book of 2^nd Timothy which says: 

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” – 2 Timothy 3: 1 – 5

All these things are happening today. Hardly a day goes by without some vile and sinister act being reported in the news. The world has become a den of cold-blooded murderers, sexual perverts, fraudsters, hypocrites, organized criminal gangs, false preachers and psychopaths of every kind. Crimes and social ills have become so rampant that they no longer surprise us the way they once did, and are instead seen as normal day-to-day activities. People have become so mean, selfish and hateful that animals have put them to shame on several occasions (click here, here and here for more about the animals of note).

The extent of the moral decay plaguing our societies has reached new heights. People are no longer ashamed of their dishonorable deeds, but rather defend and justify them to the point of making them a rule of law. Wickedness is now considered admirable in many circles, whereas virtuousness is scorned at and reviled. In the entertainment industry for example, the more vulgar and immoral one is, the more they are celebrated and idolized by millions of fans worldwide. It is considered ‘cool’ to sleep around, take drugs, use abusive language, and so on. Secular magazines fill their pages with stories of how these celebrities did various disgraceful things, and people buy them in bulk.

The name of God is also now freely taken in vain and used in curses and abuses of every sort (see Exodus 20:7 for God’s view on this). People blaspheme without any reservations, and are quick to belittle and laugh off matters that have to do with religion. I have heard many a person laughingly say ‘this needs prayers’, and then let out a chuckle. It may sound real humorous to them, but there certainly isn’t anything funny about treating divine things as though they are an object of amusement and embarrassment.

For sure, what is written in the Bible about the last days is all being fulfilled. It is written that men’s consciences would be desensitized. They now are. It is written that falsehood would establish itself in the churches. It now has. It is written that materialism would occupy the hearts and minds of men. It has. It is written that sexual perversion and ungodliness would reach new dimensions. They have. It is written that men would praise sin. They are. And the list goes on and on.

What we are seeing however, is just the tip of the iceberg. The Bible shows that the world is in for a rough ride as it draws to a close. Things will go from bad to worse and severe afflictions will befall mankind. There will be massive natural disasters, many fatal and incurable diseases, wars, widespread famine, religious oppression, and so on. Jesus Christ gave a detailed account of all this in Matthew 24.

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” – Matthew 24:3 – 14

Unparalleled Distress

We have been seeing evidence of such things for quite some time now, and they are scheduled to continue happening with increasing severity. Daniel foresaw that there would be “a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then” (Daniel 12:1). Luke noted that “nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken” (Luke 21: 25 – 26).

Fortunately, God promised to rescue those who are righteous from all this.

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth" – Revelation 3:10

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.” – Daniel 12:1

“Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.”  – Isaiah 26: 20 – 21

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.” – Luke 17: 26 – 29

The Bible describes a day on which Jesus Christ will descend into the sky and take only the righteous with Him.

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” – 1 Thessalonians 4: 15 – 17 

“Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” – 1 Corinthians 15: 51 – 52 

“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.” – Matthew 24: 40 – 41

This event will take place suddenly and unexpectedly. Jesus himself said that He does not know the specific day on which He will come to pick the saints, and compared it to what happens when a thief breaks into a house.

"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” – Matthew 24:36 

"Behold, I come like a thief!” – Revelation 16:15a

It is therefore unfortunate that several people have purported to know the exact date of Christ’s return. Jesus Christ warned his followers about them when he said:

“Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.” – Luke 21: 8

Nevertheless, Jesus told his followers that they would know when the time of His return was near from the signs that He had given them. He warned them to remain alert and watchful so that when He comes back, he would find them ready and take them.

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” – Matthew 24:42

"Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.” – Revelation 16:15 

The clothes that Jesus Christ was referring to in Revelation 16:15 are revealed in Revelation 19: 7 – 8:

"Let us rejoice and be glad

and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come,

and his bride has made herself ready.

Fine linen, bright and clean,

was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)"

This means that only those who are walking in righteousness will be taken.

The Bible says that the way to become righteous is to repent (turn away from your sins) and get born again by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, receiving The Holy Spirit (to be your inner counselor), and walking in holiness by obeying God’s Word from then onwards. (See my post about ‘Why Jesus Christ Had to Die’ for more on this).

It is an undeniable fact that what is happening compares well with what is in the Bible. Scientists and theologians alike have confirmed this, and it will be woe unto those who are caught off guard. The wise thing to do therefore, is to stay prepared.

For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:9