This Winter I got the opportunity to drive to Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. I hadn't been there in more than eight years and was impressed with the complete makeover of the tourist resort of Elvis Presley.
The classy exhibit presentations of his life in various showrooms contained expensive sports cars, his dazzling jumpsuits, black and white photos blown up over 20 feet high, and the walls mounted with hundreds of gold records, awards and so much more, were pretty impressive.
Throughout the tour, as amazing as it was, I felt a solid lump of sadness in my chest. Elvis lived the American dream and died as an American tragedy. All that he owned and all that he achieved didn't give him what he was truly searching for. I believe that Elvis had a deep faith in Jesus and God, but it seemed like he was trapped in the world's standards and living to please the expectation of his adoring fans, record label, Hollywood movie producers and yes, his manager, who took financial advantage of him.
I can't help but wonder how many people in the world are living in the same set of circumstances even though they aren't rock and roll icons. Maybe you are chasing a dream and have lost your personal beliefs about God-maybe they're now piled under a mound of expectation from people who are involved in your life. Maybe you have gone far away from God and His Word and are entrenched in sin, even though you still silently give thanks before you eat because you know it's the right thing to do.
Deep down underneath you aren't happy or satisfied but you don't know how to get out of this trap that controls your life. You have learned that the pleasure of sin is only for a moment and then face the emptiness and loneliness that comes creeping back into your deepest, innermost being every time. What can you do?
First of all make sure that you know the Lord. Have you been born again? Was there a time when you realized you were lost in sin and that the Lord Jesus and His death for you was your only answer to find hope and forgiveness?
Can I remind you of God's Word, concerning what the Lord Jesus went through for you? "You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich" (2 Corinthians 8–9).
You can know salvation and eternal security through so many verses in the Bible, but please read 1 John 5:12–13 over and over: "Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God; so that you may know that you have eternal life."
The only one who can tell you that you have eternal life is God himself, through His Word. If you know you are saved, think of the lost son in Luke 15 who realized that he needed to go back to his father. He had a wake-up call from God as he sat and contemplated eating the pigs' food (Luke 15:18).
I wonder how God is calling you back to himself today? He is longing to be the most important relationship in your life, and rightly so! He is the Lord to whom each of us must give an account! (Romans 14:12). The most important thing is that we obey!
We all need to ask ourselves what we love more-the praise of people or the praise of our God? God's word says, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" (John 14:15).
Time is of the essence. We only have one life, and soon it will be past; only what's done for Christ will last. The Savior is waiting for you to come to Him and once you do, He will receive you with arms open wide. When repentance and faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior happens, you will experience the grace of God in your heart and life, and you will love Him more than you ever did before!
To be restored in your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and seeking to live by His strength is the best kind of "grace-land" that any of us can ever enjoy, because this fellowship lasts forever! His grace is sufficient for you and He will work out what is best for you!
When we try to live in our own strength, we fail miserably: "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." (1Peter 1:18–19, 1 Corinthians 6:20)
May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace as you read Intertribal Life Newspaper today!
(2 Corinthians 1:2)
Becky Kew shares good news at Sandy Bay First Nation, Manitoba, Canada. BeckyKew@ outlook.com
