Today I proclaim to you the Kingdom of God is at hand. It’s not far away, it’s not impossible to understand…it’s right here, right now. Your search can end to fill that unfillable void in your life…it’s here…His name is Jesus. That’s how Christians all over the world are bound together… by the good news of our Savior.
Month: November 2014
Proverbs 27: 9 ” Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of one’s friend springs from his earnest counsel.”
As you go through life, you’ll probably only have a few…they are rare finds and more precious as time goes by…they’re those special friends that you can always depend on. A close friend you can bounce ideas off, confess your failings, and ask stupid questions…all knowing that you will receive thoughtful, sincere, and wise advise. Such friends are few, and worth much.
Ephesians 1: 13-14 ” And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked with Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of His glory.”
One day you heard the gospel, and that saving truth resonated deeply within your soul…while the Christ-shaped hole inside you was being filled with His love. By accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your freedom was purchased by His blood shed on the Cross…and as a stamp of your redemption, He gave you the Holy Spirit as a down payment on your eternal life with Him.
I Peter 1:15 ” Just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘ Be holy because I am holy’ “
For many of us, when we read this verse, we see the almost impossible task of holiness. Well aware of God’s call to live a holy life, our path deviates far from His desire for us. But if the Holy Spirit is residing within, all is not lost to feelings of guilt and shame, for with the call also comes the ability to live that holy life. It happens by allowing the Holy Spirit to rule and reign within and not our flesh. Holiness is a way of life…an attitude and focus, not an unreachable goal.
Isaiah 42: 8 ” I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not give My glory to another or My praise to idols.”
There is absolutely no one like the Lord. His majesty and splendor cannot be duplicated by anyone or thing in the universe…but we try to place things in front of Him all the time. Things like pride and selfishness, or material wealth and fame we make our idols rather than bowing down to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. But make no mistake, the Lord will not be mocked, nor will He ever yield His glory to another. (Isaiah 48:11)
I Peter 1:8 ” Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy…”
The personal relationship we have with Jesus cannot be summed up in mere words. We don’t have the vocabulary to somehow articulate the exuberance our soul feels when pondering His love for us, and our love for Him. It’s at those times, we want to leap for joy with happiness and gratitude for what He’s done in our life.
II Corinthians 5:21 ” He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Our Savior’s obedience to His Father wasn’t out of sympathy for us. Jesus became a sin offering that we might have a right standing with God, not because He felt sorry for our wretched human race. No, Jesus knew the only way we could come to the Father was by Him going to the Cross… for nothing we could do would ever make us acceptable to God…only Jesus death.
Romans 16:17 ” I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them.”
We’ve all seen it…a Church splits due to dissension and disagreement. Usually there’s a faction of a few disillusioned people who divide the flock by decisive means, and before you know it – the Church is split asunder.
The Greek word for “obstacles” in this verse is most interesting…for it means the trigger of a trap on which the bait is placed, and which, when touched by an animal, springs and causes it to close, trapping its victim. We are told to keep away from such people and their traps.
Micah 2:13 ” One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out.”
This verse references Jesus the Messiah – the one whose death on the cross opened our way to God. Jesus goes before us making a way when there seems to be none. For not only did He kick wide open the gate for us, He is the Way.
And with jubilant shouts, we too can burst through the gate that has kept us from God.
Psalm 41:1 ” Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble.”
Do we even pay attention to the poor and needy around us…or are they just problems we’d rather not deal with – so we walk past, or change the channel, or choose not to get involved. But God wants us to not only acknowledge their plight, but consider how we can help them in their struggles…and in doing so, reap the blessings of being Christ to the downtrodden.
Safetypinlove 