To Be ever Connected to Jesus

To be ever so connected with Christ in the power of his suffering that I may know the power of His Resurrection Philippians 3:8-11

Philippians 3:8-11  "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.


To be ever so connected with the sufferings of Jesus Christ my Lord, is to know Him in the power of his suffering that I May know Him in the the power of His Glory and Resurrection!

Not that I would suffer for my own sins, I am helpless to such a task, unable to deliver myself from my own sinfulness; Indeed, this is Why Christ sufferred on my behalf, to deliver me from my sin and bear the penalty of the eternal consequence of my sin. Such great sufferring, had such great power to endure such great eternal consequence to the point of absorbing fully the penalty of my sin in His body; The power of His broken body and shed blood to cleanse me. How much more so to be connected with the Power of His Resurrection to conquer death!

The Sovereignty of God Does whatever He Pleases in and of Himself Psalm 135:4-7

Psalm 135: 3 Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good;
sing praise to his name, for that is pleasant.
4 For the LORD has chosen Jacob to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.
5 I know that the LORD is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The LORD does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

The natural man does not accept the truth of God's Sovereignty and God's Sovereign Free will to do whatever God Pleases in the Revelation of Himself to those He has chosen and those whom He loves! Indeed Psalm 135 teaches God's great sovereignty to Choose His people for His own. And in the Natural order of the Weather,describes How God is in control of the Heavens and Earth to bring forth clouds, lightening with rain and bring forth the winds! Indeed, inclimate weather is a picture of God's Sovereignty to control the weather. Jesus even declared to Nicodemus, the winds blow wherever it will, yet you do not from where it came and where it goes. John 3:8 "The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

The Natural man is man centered in his theology that in his mind, he thinks that only he has free will to choose, and that God is passively waiting around for them to do so.

Indeed, the natural man claims to have freedom to choose Grace or not. The natural man thinks they have free will to choose to accept Jesus or reject him; Yet are deceived in themselves. They have a will--true, and they do choose indeed, but when they choose they will always choose to be at enmity with God because their will is in bondage to sin; whatever they choose will indeed reveal that their will is dead to the will of God and they are impotent to deliver themselves! As the Apostle Paul Declares in Romans 8:7 "the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God." John 15 ¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." 

The only way for the natural man to be delivered from their hostility and enmity against God, is that You Must be born-again! Unless you are quickened by the Holy Spirit and made alive in Christ, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God, let alone choose to believe in Christ. Only Christ can set you free and if you are set free, then you will be free indeed and your will made alive to submit to God's Sovereign will.
John 3:3 " ³ In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again"

The Natural man's will is not free unless it is freed by Jesus Christ and redeemed in the blood of Christ in whom there is redemption and forgiveness, and made alive by the Holy Spirit with a new nature, the nature of Christ. Then discover your will to be submitted to the Will of God's Sovereign Free will to forelove those He has chosen before the foundation of the world.

The Schemes of the Devil--Anything that Distracts Ephesians 6:10-20

The Schemes of the enemy are such that he will use anything to create a distraction and distortion for the believer to distract them from their pure and simple devotion to Christ. Beware of the Schemes, anything that keeps us away from the Bible, diminishes the teaching of Sound doctrine in scripture,anything that  distracts and causes one to forget to pray and read God's word, it is used by the enemy to keep you from proclaiming effectively the Gospel. The day of evil comes upon us everyday. The clash of the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness is always, everyday under great clashing and warfare. The schemes of the enemy is a slivering sneaking snake slivering his way around using deception and lies. Be on guard and watch and pray.

Keep this one fact in mind, the enemy's head was crushed at the Cross of Christ, but like a decapitated head of the snake, the body still squiggles around until its final demise. The enemy has many schemes of  easy distractions, and we may even fall prey and be unsuspecting of his unholy perverted schemes.Paul says the devil’s approach is to mask himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). But his identity and purpose are still that of “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).


1 Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.


19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. "

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.


2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.


1 Peter 5:8

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

There is only One True and Living God His lovingkindess Endure forever! Psalm 50

Psalm 50


A psalm of Asaph.
1 The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages.
4 He summons the heavens above,
and the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my consecrated ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”
6 And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Selah
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
16 But to the wicked, God says:
“What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 You hate my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18 When you see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You use your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20 You speak continually against your brother
and slander your own mother’s son.
21 These things you have done and I kept silent;
you thought I was altogether[a] like you.
But I will rebuke you
and accuse you to your face.
22 “Consider this, you who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:
23 He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and he prepares the way
so that I may show him[b] the salvation of God.”

When I think of man's attempt to worship their own god made in their own image, through out History and the ages of the world;  there have been many gods that they created in their own image;  making up laws of appeasements that they can never please their gods in their own image no matter how hard they try. Or, they make up their own laws and lists of good deeds and abstaining acts to seek their gods divine favor and approval. Yet their own gods that they have created is altogether unrighteous, unjust, unholy and altogether imperfect. Look at some ancient Greek gods, the emphasis on one sided truncated acts of vengeance. Yet the followers of false gods would continue in their rituals and merits to please such gods. In some acts of appeasement, they would even make laws to offer their own sons and daughters in sacrifices--That God never commanded or even burdened His people to do.

When I think of the God of the Bible, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Deuteronomy 6:4-5

I think of The person of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit who  is perfect, Holy, altogether righteous, Just, and full of lovingkindness and compassion.

In Psalm 50 God decelares that there is no sacrifice that will ever appease Him, except the Sacrifice of His only begotten Son, "9 I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, 10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. 11 I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
The Aseity of God Reveals He has no need of Sacrifices to please Him and accept the natural mans sacrifices before God to accept their sacrifice to please Him and for God to accept them on any of their merits, no sacrifice before God will ever be acceptable or will ever get rid of their ownsinfulness and sin nature.
He knew that there is nothing that man can do, invent, obey and follow that will merit His favor toward them. Man's nature is corrupt, unholy and unrighteous, there is no act of kindness, nothing they can do in and of themselves, to rid their sin cursed nature of their unholiness; even if it is masked with rituals, laws, abstinence, merits, efforts and acts of  procedures and attempts to please and obey the laws. If you broke one part of the law you broke it all.

The only acceptable Sacrifice before God was the acceptable Sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Christ's broken body and shef blood was indeed the acceptable sacrifice to redeem my life from the pit. God's Love is perfect, He did something about my sin cursed condition, He rent the heavens and came down in His only begotten Son. Indeed, Jesus offering His Body and shedding His blood on the Cross, was the acceptable Sacrifice in God's eyes and appeased God the Fathers righteous wrath and justice against the penalty of my sin and unrighteousness. So I can gain access into His holy presence, based on the merits, righteousness, purity and Holiness of Jesus Christ's redemptive work in His body and shed blood on my behalf.

John 2:2 (New American Standard Bible)

"and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."

Hebrews teaches that the blood of bulls and goates can only clean one cerimonial outwardly, how much more shall the blood of Christ cleanse our conscience to serve the Living God: Hebrews 9:12-15


12 He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[a] so that we may serve the living God!
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.
 Hebrews 10:4-13 (New International Version 1984)

4 because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5 Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; 6 with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. 7 Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, O God.’”[a]
8 First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them” (although the law required them to be made). 9 Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13 Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,

No other religion, ancient gods, present religions of man can ever compare to the Great glory of my God and Savior. He is indeed altogether perfect, Holy, Just and full of compassion and abounding in great lovingkindess and great patience. How blessed I am to know that my acceptance in God's presence is based solely on the redemptive blood of my precious God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's perfection is so precious to me, His lovingkindess is so perfect it had to be this way that I may attain the full measure and status and perfection of Christ in me the hope of Glory. The perfection of God's wonderful redemptive plan of Salvation hidden in ages past, now the mystery revealed and received by Faith in Christ. The perfection of Christ in me brings out my full potential in Christ and restored image of the new self being made in the image and likeness of Christ everyday! His perfection brings my life perfections only found in Him. Colossians 1:²⁵ 'I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ²⁶ the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. ²⁷ To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Dead flies in the ointment Ecclesiastes 10:1-2

Ecclesiastes 10:1-2

1 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell, so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. 2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.

Proverbs 25:26 Like a muddied spring or a polluted well is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked.

You can have many thoughts of Righteousness and great wisdom. But one deferment to the left, one thought of yielding to the control of the old self in its perverted thoughts of rebellion against God and His word and the well will yield polluted waters, muddied waters.

You need to guard the perfume from the dead flies, one bad thought will outwegh the multitude of  many wise thoughts of wisdom and righteousness. Guard the well keep the water pure, guard the ointment, do not let perverted thoughts out weigh wisdom and honor in your lfie.

Valentines Day a Great reminder of the Greatest Agape Love of All time John 3:16

John 3:16 The perfect Agape Love! This Valentines celebration, Let us not be presumptive of our Love to our loved ones and take them for granted, but everyday let us Love our neighbor as ourself, and all the more so, Love God with all our heart, soul and strength; in doing so, we learn not to be presumptive of God's Love for us, for He indeed, gave all! God so loved world that He gave His only be...gotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish but have everlasing life! Note: everlasing life means transformed into a Holy life inorder to be in the Presence of Him who is Holy without Sin. For God gave Him (Jesus), who knew no sin to suffer the penalty of our sin, that we maybe the rightiousness of God

2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

God Prepared and planned All things in the Universe Genesis 1

The real Big Bang: God spoke and "bang" It was!

God planned and prepared before the foundation of the world, the whole universe. Things dud not happen by chance, as the Universities and Education system of our day would have the children believe,the universe came about by a big bang and that all things evolved by chance.

When I prepare and plan things in my life, I am living out the image of God in me and following in the footsteps of being made in the image of God.

Life is to be lived, not by chance as an explaination to rolling out of things that cross your path; Life is to be lived with praying, planning, purpose and with spring in your footsteps to go after your dreams, plans and purpose trusting the Mighty Hand of the Lord, For He will give you direction as you bring all your plans and ideas brought before the throne of Grace, in prayer, that God may transform them into His will for your life.

Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and Do not lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight"

3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day."

The pathway of Hardening ones heart Proverbs 28:13-14

Proverbs 28:13-14

13 He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

14 Blessed is the man who always fears the LORD,

but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

What a wonderful passage of Scripture that literally teacher a believer to fear the Lord.

A sure way to hardening your heart is failure to confess your sin to God. If you want to fear the Lord in your life, you must confess and renounce your sin, confess and repent and trust in God's provision for the forgiveness of your sin in the Blood if His Son, the result will be to discover God's mercy before the throne of Grace.

 

A sure pathway to hardening ones heart is seen in concealing your sin and refusal to confess, renounce and repent forsaking them. When the ground work for one to conceal their sin is laid out on the playing field, then you are on the pathway to hardening your heart and falling into trouble.

 

However, Once you fall on your knees before God in prayer and you confess your sin, laying open your heart before the throne of Grace; but Go before God in spirit and truth, Confessing your sin, naming it and then renouncing your sin, the result will be to find "Mercy." What does the scripture say in 1 John 1:9? But if you confess your sin He is faithful and Just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Indeed you will find Mercy, but you will also discover God's blessing upon you as you walk on the path of righteousness. Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, such a pathway will lead you into blessings and prosperity, as you find yourself on the path of righteousness that fears the Lord.

 

The way to doubly check yourself to see if you are on the pathway of fearing the Lord in your life, is to be honest with yourself before God by confessing and renounceing your imperfections, Sin, helplessness, pride, arrogance, boasting and idolatry of worshipping yourself or others, and even whatever the Holy Spirit brings to your attention through His convicting power.

 

Ignore the Holy Spirit's prompting and convicting power is to harden your heart and lead your life down the path of destruction.

Great is God's Faithfulness to fulfill His Promise in His only Begotten Son!

God exalts His name and His word above all things, and you can be sure that He is indeed, Faithful to His covenant promises and makes sure that He guards His word to fulfillment; there is nothing this side of Heaven that can ever alter or change the course of His Covenant promises. No man, nor technology of man, nor wealth, nor country or nation can ever alter the course of God's Sovereign and Divine plan and will; indeed, no one can ever stop the sun from rising and setting, nor the course of the seasons, nor the course of time unfolding in History, but indeed, His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven! and In the fullness of time did God ever bring forth His Son to deliver me in His blood for my salvation! The real question is are you following God's word as He fulfills His covenant promises? He is faithful to keep His promises regardless of our own unfaithfulness and inability to do so.

Only God can alter the Course of the Sun to rule by day, and the Moon and the stars to rule by night, indeed, He will replace the covenant with the Sun and Moon to shine by day and night, with His own light and glory to shine in the New Jerusalem Revelation 21.

May you rely on God's Grace to guard your heart and mind in God's Word, that He may fulfill His promises for your life in His only begotten Son full of Grace and Truth!


Psalm 138: 1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;


before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple

and will praise your name

for your love and your faithfulness,

for you have exalted above all things

your name and your word.


Isaiah 55:11 6 10 As the rain and the snow

come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

God Indeed does intiate Salvation! Ephesians 2:1-10

First, God is the Initiator! God indeed does initiate Salvation,
As the Apostle Paul teaches in Ephesians 2:1-10, “when we were dead in our trespasses and sin, he made His Elect alive to Him, 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved"

Second, once the Holy Spirit quickens the dead sinner, and makes Him alive in Christ, then and only then, does the Elect child of God respond in Faith that was given to him at regeneration; indeed, his will was set free to believe on Christ and respond to God's grace in his heart. Apart from God's initiative, no man’s will is free to choose, because his will is in bondage and he is dead to God.

Remember, also, the Apostle Paul's words, that it is God who made the believer alive in Christ,
"6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6-7

Third, Salvation is offered to the whole world, but Christ's atonement was limited to God's chosen and elect before the foundation of the world!

Ephesians 1:3-5 3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he[b] predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will”

Therefore, since God chose His elect before the foundation of the world to be Holy and blameless; then it goes without even stating it, that His chosen cannot fall away from Grace.

Jesus testified of His relationship to God The Father before the foundation of the world, that there was a harmonious discourse in the Godhead between God the Father and God the Son which involved a transaction of God the Father "giving" to God the Son before the foundation of the world, "all those whom the God the Father gave to God the Son", and this act of "giving" by God the Father was established before the foundation of the world:

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” John 6:37-39

What was the Will of the Father? But that Jesus would loose none of all those the Father has given Him, but raise them up at the last day!
Hence it follows that when you are God's chosen, you will not fall away because His Grace is irresistible and His calling is effectual unto Salvation.

It is not up to the merits of man and their good works unto Salvation, but Salvation is based solely on Christ's redemptive work on the cross and His blood is sufficient unto salvation, I cannot add anything to what Christ has done on the cross. And His blood is sufficient to cleanse me; I do not have to go to purgatory to burn off sins for cleansing.

Furthermore, it is imperative that once a believer is touched by God's grace, that his life of Sanctification will persevere in a life of living worthy of their calling and pleasing the Lord in every way; bearing fruit in every good deed; growing in the Knowledge of God; being strengthened with power according to His glorious might, so that we may have great endurance and patience joyfully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of light Colossians 1:10-13

The proper framework to understand predestination is to surrender to the Sovereignty of God and to know that it is according to His Good pleasure and will not bound by the will of man, that He made some to become vessels of Honor and some become vessels destined for destruction.

Thus, and God in predestination indeed foreloved those to believe in His Son before the foundation of the world that they may share in the blessed fellowship with the Trinity in the perpetual, eternal communion of God's Love in His only begotten Son.

Furthermore, no person is capable of loving God in their own strength apart from God's Grace. Apart from God's grace we are alienated and enemies in our minds because of our Evil behavior Colossians 1:19-21. In and of our self, we will not love God from our own initiative or efforts, but we are in rebellion against God and indeed dead to the life of God.

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:3-7

And again the Apostle Paul says in Romans 5:10 “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.