November 27, 2009 at 09:27 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: Paul, suffering, Hebrews, 1 Peter, 1 Corinthians, Peter, peace, Jesus, Luke, Philippians, called to peace, take heart, tribulation, inner peace, overcome the world
Jesus says, “In Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
And Paul says, “God has called you to peace” when writing of the unbelieving spouse abandoning the marriage. (1 Corinthians 7: 15) The author of Hebrews tells us to “strive for peace with everyone.” (Hebrews 12: 14) Peter writes, “Let [us] seek peace and pursue it.” (1 Peter 3: 11)
Yet, Paul also promises, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 7) God’s peace is not our own, not a peace we strive for or fight — in some sort of human effort — to give to others. Rather this is a peace residing within us, shown to the world through us.
From whence comes this inner peace? From Jesus Christ Himself. Jesus tells us, “In Me you may have peace.” We already are fully aware that we have tribulation in the world. We know less fully that Jesus has overcome the world. Of this, we need reminding.
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!’ ” (Luke 2: 13 – 14)
Remember! Jesus has overcome the world.
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November 26, 2009 at 15:44 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: believe, Colossians, disciples, giving thanks, God's will, have faith in God, in the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, Mark, Paul, prayer, whatever you ask, word or deed
Paul exhorts us, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
Paul does not distinguish between word and deed. He refers to “word” as action and he refers to “deed” as action, then calls upon us to “do everything” in Jesus’ Name — align our speaking with the Lord as we align our deeds with the Lord.
What does it mean to “do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus”?
Jesus tells His disciples, “Have faith in God. I will tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11: 22 – 23)
He clarifies by adding that “whatever you ask for in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11: 24)
When we come to God the Father in prayer, we come in the power of the Holy Spirit through the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus teaches us to pray. His model prayer begins with a recognition of God as our Father, and with a hallowing or honoring of His Name. Then we call on God to achieve His will here on earth just as His will is accomplished in heaven.
As we have faith in God and ask in prayer for “anything” (which is implied in Jesus statement: “whatever you ask for”), then believe in our hearts that we “have received it” then “it will be [ours].” “Whatever we ask for in prayer” is anything which is aligned perfectly with God’s will. If aligned perfectly with the will of God, then we will believe it to be ours already, and we will receive it. The doubt comes upon us when we realize that perhaps what we ask for is not fully in God’s will. We are not certain. Therefore, we do not receive it because we doubt. Our doubt is the proof that what we are requesting is not God’s will.
So, whatever we say or do, we are to say or do in the Name of Jesus Christ. As we say and do everything in God’s Name, then whatever we ask for, we will receive. Believe; or as Jesus says, “Have faith in God.”
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November 24, 2009 at 14:59 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: bless His Name, enter His gates, giving thanks, God's people, praise God, Psalm, Thanksgiving, the Great Shepherd, the pasture
Thanksgiving approaches, but every day is a day of giving thanks. “The Lord, He is God!” God made us; we belong to Him. “We are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.” (Psalm 100: 3)
Being His sheep, we are to “enter His gates with thanksgiving.” Inside His pasture, we are safe under the watchful eye of the Great Shepherd. At His feet, we are to praise Him, thank Him, bless His Name.
“For the Lord is good.” His Love is steadfast; He is faithful forever. “For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You.” (Psalm 86: 5) Like sheep, let us rely solely on Him.
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” (Psalm 34: 1) “Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together!” (Psalm 34: 3)
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November 23, 2009 at 14:37 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: Paul, Christ, love, forgiveness, peace, compassion, humility, God's chosen ones, holy andbeloved, Colossinas, meekness, kindness, patience, unity of the Spirit
Paul identfies us as “God’s chosen ones.” We are “holy and beloved.” As God’s chosen, as His beloved, we are to “put on” “compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Colossians 3: 12) To these qualities, we are to add forgiveness. “As the Lord has forgiven you,” writes Paul, “so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3: 13)
Above compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience and forgiveness, Paul calls us to “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Colossians 3: 14)
In combination with love, we are to “let the peace of Christ rule in [our] hearts.”
Peace should come naturally, says Paul, because we “are called in one body.” Since we are united in Christ, we ought to be at peace with one another.
“Therefore, as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith…abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2: 6 – 7)
Remember you are God’s chosen people; “be thankful.”
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November 23, 2009 at 03:35 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: all knowing, all powerful, God, God's purpose, heal me, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Job, O Lord, Psalm, psalmist, salvation, save me
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.”
Jeremiah can not be clearer than he is in this declaration.
If God heals us, we are healed.
If God saves us, we are saved.
Why?
Because He is our praise. He is ultimately in control. He is God, all powerful, all knowing.
Job reminds us that God “can do all things, and that no purpose of [God's] can be thwarted.” (Job 42: 2) The psalmist sings, “The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me.” (Psalm 138: 
God Himself declares, “My counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all My purpose… I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46: 10, 11)
“Listen to Me, you stubborn of heart, you who are far from righteousness: I bring near My righteousness; it is not far off, and My salvation will not delay.” (Isaiah 46: 12 – 13)
“Salvation belongs to the Lord.” (Psalm 3:
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November 22, 2009 at 14:56 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: 1 Corinthians, Christ Jesus, day of the Lord, glory of God, God's grace, guiltless, judgment day, mountain of transfiguration, Paul, spiritual gifts
God’s grace is given us in Christ Jesus. In Him, we are “enriched…in all speech and all knowledge.” Because of Jesus in us, we “are not lacking in any spiritual gift.” (1 Corinthians 1: 7) He “will sustain [us] to the end;” and we will be found “guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:
Paul is telling us that we are enriched by the grace of God; we have all the spiritual giftings we require; we are sustained by Christ for all time; and we are without guilt before His Father’s throne on the day of judgment.
Think on these truths; and know you are standing on the mountain of transfiguration united with Jesus in all His glory.
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November 21, 2009 at 15:43 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: enter God's rest, God, harden not your heart, Hebrews, if you hear His voice, make a joyful noise, Psalm, rock of our salvation, sing to the Lord, wilderness
“Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put Me to the test and put Me to the proof, though they had seen My work.” (Psalm 95: 7 – 9)
Rather than test God, we are called to “sing to the Lord,” to “make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” We may be in the midst of a wilderness, but we have seen His work.
Remember that “the Lord is a great God.” (Psalm 95: 3) Remember that “He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.” (Psalm 95: 7)
We are to “worship and bow down” before God. (Psalm 95: 6) We are “to come into His presence with thanksgiving.”
Even in the desert, we are called to “make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!” When we hear His voice and allow His power to open our hearts to His love; then, we are able to trust Him and enter His rest.
“So, then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest… Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4: 9 – 11, 16)
Even in the desert, if we keep our hearts soft toward the Lord, “we may receive mercy and find grace.” We are able to “rest from [our] works as God did from His.” We are able to enter the Sabbath rest of the people of God. Therefore, let us worship our God and “make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.”
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November 21, 2009 at 00:51 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: Colossians, Jesus, John, Matthew, Psalm, salt of the earth, world
The psalmist is not saying that we should not be around “the wicked.” Rather we are not to “walk in the counsel of the wicked.” We are not to “sit in the seat of scoffers.” We are not to base our decisions on the recommendations or rules of the wicked and scoffers.
Jesus does not come to take us out of the world, for we are “the salt of the earth.” (Matthew 5: 13)
As salt, we keep the world seasoned, preserved, cured. We make the wounds of the world sting.
Paul reminds us to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.” (Colossians 4: 5) He tells us to “let [our] speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that [we] may know how [we] ought to answer each person.” (Colossians 4: 6)
Jesus prays to the Father, “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one… As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world… The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one. I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” (John 17: 15, 22 – 24)
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November 20, 2009 at 00:32 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: holiness, holy ground, I Am the way, Jesus Christ, John, sanctification, sanctify them in the truth, truth, unite all things under one authority, Word of God
Jesus prays, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.”
The Word transforms. Knowing the Word, knowing truth is not an intellectual undertaking — rather knowing the Word is a day to day transformation. We are being made holy by the Word of God as we remain in the presence of God via His Word. God’s Word gives us access to the truth of God — who He is, what He plans, how He accomplishes His goal to unite all things under one authority, Jesus Christ.
Holiness or sanctification is not an external act. Rather, becoming sacred is a setting aside. God sets us aside; He calls us His own. He reveals Himself fully in His Word. His Word is truth. Jesus is the truth.
Jesus proclaims, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me…I Am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14: 1, 6)
Take off your shoes; this ground is sacred — set aside, made holy by the presence of the Lord God Almighty.
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November 19, 2009 at 14:16 (Bible, Christianity, faith)
Tags: Ephesians, faith, Galatians, gift of faith, God loves the world, gospel, Jesus Christ, law, righteousness, Romans, salvation, sin
“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”
God’s intention is not to condemn the world, but to save it. God saves the world not through adherence to the law but through faith in His Son.
“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring.” (Romans 4: 13 – 16)
God’s promise to save the world is guaranteed by grace and depends on faith in His Son. While wrath comes through the law; righteousness comes through faith.
“If a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Galatians 3: 21 – 22)
How are we to believe? We believe in Jesus Christ by the power of God in the gospel.
“The gospel…is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ (Romans 1: 16 – 17)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not of your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3: 16)
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