Month: February 2012

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts  and establish you in every good word and work. (2 Thess. 2:16-17)

These is one of many benedictions in Pauls letters given to us. In this one he calls upon God’s power based on His love and grace, as a true source of encouragement and strength. These words were concluding a message to the church at Thessalonica that they needed to hear. That they did not miss the rapture of the church. That they were chosen of God, sanctified and set apart from sin by the Holy Spirit, and called to eternal glory. The sharing of eternal glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. This direct exhortation called for appropriate response to the great truths! In place of agitation, should come strength and a firm stand, in place of false teaching should come faith adherance to the truth of God’s Word.

Dear beloved friend, Through the finished work of Jesus Christ who hung on a cross for us, and has risen from the grave. God has given us everything we need for life and to have godliness through the help of His Spirit, and through the teaching of His Word. Stay encouraged! Don’t let any one convince you otherwise, for you are more than conquerors through through Him, Christ our Lord who loved us ( Romans 8:37).

May the Lord bless your walk today!

 

(Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. (1Pet.5:8-9)

Why is Peter likening Satan as a roaring lion? We see in the gospel of Luke what Jesus tells him: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32) The attacks brought on by Satan are Father filtered. Meaning they go through what only is allowed by God. Jesus declares that He has prayed for him, He personally assures Peter of His prayers and of Peters ultimate victory. The roar of trouble that Satan brings on is against our own strength and ultimate pride in thinking we somehow are able to be strong on are own. Note Peter’s warning in the above text, Resist him, steadfast in faith, linking the sufferings brought on this attack of Satan as being apart of the same kind that your Christian brothers and sisters are going through all over the world. “Resist” means ” to stand up against.” The way to resist the devil is not with special devises of words directed at him and his demons, but by remaining firm in the Christian faith. This means to continue to live in accord with the truth of God’s word. As believer’s know sound doctrine and obeys God’s truth, Satan is withstood.

Christian friend, the roar of trouble will come to all who abide in Christ, remain steadfast in your faith and trust God and His word, and stand on His truth. You are of those whose faith has overcome this world. (1 John 5:4-5)

May the Lord bless your walk today!

“Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man’s blood on us!” But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.” ‘The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Acts 5:28-32)

The early church was subject to some pretty heavy mandates that prohibited their proclaiming of the gospel. Jail and beatings were common by-products of their daily lives. But note their convictions, first from the Sanhedrin council: who apparently had forgotten their brash statement its supporters had made before Pilate that the responsibility for Jesus death should be on them and their children (Matt.27:25). But also Peter’s response: “We ought to obey God rather than men”

Christians should obey governmental authority, but when government decrees are clearly contrary to God’s Word, God must be obeyed. Salvation for the Jews, as well as Gentiles demands repentance, and Jesus came to give us that eternal life.

Dear Christian friend, in your walk with the Lord you may have to decide to obey God or men, rely upon the truth from His Word, you will have the Holy Spirit’s power and conviction to be an effective witness that’s well pleasing to God.
The Lord bless you!

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

All believers have the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit as their personal power for living to please God. The form of the Greek verb translated “walk” indicates continious action, or a habitual lifestyle. Walking also implies progress; as a believer submits to the Spirit’s control, or leading of the Holy Spirit in obedience to the often simple commands of Scripture — they grow in their Spirit depended life. Of the flesh: This is not simply the physical body, but includes the mind, will and emotions which are all subject to sin. It refers to our unredeemed old man according to Scripture. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.(2 Cor. 5:17)

Father God, Thank You for Your indwelling Holy Spirit who is willing and able to direct me in the ways You want me to go. May I not take You anywhere You don’t want to go. May I not enlist You to do my will, but rather humbly submit to Your authority and to doing Your complete and perfect will You have for my life, In Jesus name, Amen.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. (John 17:17-19)

The idea of sanctification is the setting apart of something for a particular use. The early church accordingly, believers are set apart for God and His purposes alone. Sent into the world not for their own causes, but for that which is for God alone. Jesus statement, “for their sakes I sanctify Myself” meaning that He was totally set apart for the Father’s will, and that by His example the disciples might be set set apart to God by the truth He taught.

Today,  Jesus is still sending us into the world, whether it’s our jobs, or the school we attend, there is still a great need for believer’s to follow after the example of our Savior, Christ the Lord, and be set apart from the things of this world. People might not understand you, they didn’t understand Him either. They might hate you for this life you live, they hated Jesus also. Jesus needed to be our example to show us all how the will of the Father is accomplished. So will you try today, and be set apart for the Lord, and His purposes for your life?

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1Thess.5:23-24)

May the Lord bless your walk today!

 

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek it’s own (way), is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

True love has very little to do with flowers and candles and warm fuzzy feelings. No rather, True love is tough. The above text pesrsonafies our Lord Jesus Christ. Who demonstrated what true love is. It puts others, and their needs before its own. It lasts and hangs on when others have already quit. True love has obedience of the Father’s will, and desires to honor what is true, and pure and meant to be holy. A relationship with Christ, has the same kind of love and should be a reflection of our love for Him in the one whom we profess love to.

Beloved friend, Does your love resemble this? Would you like to ask God to make your love like His? Love one another fervently with a pure heart (1Peter 1:22). The love of choice, the kind of love that obeys to His command. The word “fervently” means to stretch to the limits. Only those who are born again, and indwelt with the Holy Spirit can love like this.

Happy Valentine’s Day! May the Lord increase your love to be more like His!

 

 

 

Come to Me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matt.11:28-30).

Jesus spoke of this in the first beatitude, ” Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their’s is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt.5:3). This is an open invitation to all who hear, but phrased in such a way that the only ones who respond are those who recognize their burden of their own spiritual bankruptcy and the weight of trying to save themselves by upholding the law. The stubborness of the pride in man’s own heart has caused such rebellion that without a sovereignly-bestowed spiritual awakening, all of mankind would refuse to aknowledge their depth of spiritual poverty. From the endless fruitless effort of trying to be saved by the law, to the invitation to take hold of the offer of salvation through faith in the One loves you, and gave Himself in your stead, so that you can be made righteous apart from the law, through the offer of Christ’s forgiveness for your sins. The rest He offers enables us not to be worried anymore if I’m ever good enough, to have the assurance of my sin debt as paid in full by the love of my Savior God, speaks of a permanent place in the grace of God which is apart from works.

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved (Psalm 55:22).

May the Lord bless your walk!

Thus says the Lord, “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” Says the Lord. “But on this one will I look: ‘On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word.’ (Isaiah 66:1-2)

God is not looking for a temple of stone to dwell in, since as Creator of all things, the whole universe is His dwelling place. Stephen pointed to this passage before the Sanhedrin to point out their error in limiting God to a temple made with hands (Acts 7:49-50). On the contrary, God is looking for a heart to dwell in, a heart that is tender and broken, not one concerned with the externalities of religion. God is looking to dwell in the heart of a person who hears His word with great reverence and care. And who responds with humility and brokeness. David, wrote about this in the psalms: “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

We must have this kind of dependency on God to save us from the coming judgment to this world, our families need to see what true humbled Christianty looks like. It begins when we have a humble reverence for God and His written word to us.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

 

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield (Psalm 5:11-12)

David, certainly had a way of making his feelings known to the Lord in prayer. This beautiful passage has much for us to glean from. First, Our rejoicing should be in the One whom we have trusted for our salvation. How joyful Christians should be as we have Christ the Lord, as our defender from the accuser of the brethren Satan, we when stumble in the flesh, our Divine Advocate and Great God and Savior is there for us, to intercede with His mercy and grace. Oh how we should love the Lord Jesus Christ, and bless His name. Worship Him as Lord Most High. He will bring much blessings into our lives, and joyful praise to our hearts, as we read His Word, and talk to Him in prayer.

These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11). Jesus told us that it is His spoken Words that brings us joy, being filled with His Spirit enables us to receive His Word in full context, thus responding to His written Word cause much love, joy, and peace to be ours, that we may be full.

May the Lord Bless your walk!

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it (Psalm 127:1).

There is no one who builds any structure that does not first consider it’s foundation, first, to see whether it will stand in longivity; So it is with a Christian. To withstand the race that is marked out for us,(Hebrews 12:1) we need the right foundation from we are to build on. The heart of the matter is just that, our heart matters to God on whether we are willing to go the distance with Him, then we must allow Him to transform us from a temporary perspective to the eternal perspective. And it is our heart  where God begins. To follow after Christ as Savior and Lord we must have the eternal perspective which is by faith to look past this life, and to consider our eternal home. A marriage and family need a good solid foundation to build their lives from. And God says, it begins with Him. To walk in the Spirit, to live in righteousness and peace with God and before others. The transformed heart in the life of a believer is a precious tool in the hands of its Maker. God sees all things and knows where He is taking you, But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor.3:18). We are to witness for His kingdom the life which is built upon the Rock, where neither rains, nor floods, nor winds brought on from this tempororal earthly life, will ever prevail against it, because we our founded on the Rock, Jesus Christ, the Rock of Ages.

Beloved Friend, Don’t be ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, it is the power of God unto salvation, we will never be ashamed, because our lives our built on Him!

Praise the Lord! May God bless your walk in Him today.