Many places in the Book of Acts the Disciples were encouraging & exhorting the people to continue in the grace of God & remain faithful to Him. And this also applies to us presently, because as a Christian in the world today we should expect suffering along life’s path. And while others may speak a Word of encouragement into your life…you’ll find many times you’ll have to be your own best cheerleader. We all go through times of silent discouragement, deeply personal despair, overwhelming gloom, and melancholy that no one else sees. But if we seek the Lord for hope, courage, and comfort, He will give generously…allowing us to forge ahead with purpose, resolute, and devotion.
Month: May 2024
Philippians 1:27 ” Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ.”
The Apostle Paul was urging the Church, and us today, not to break under the pressure of opposition, but to instead exert pressure of our own to boldly proclaim the Gospel Message we believe in, and to live a lifestyle in a manner worthy of it. Much like today, there where false teachers subtlety twisting the Truth and spinning the Gospel Message in a more humanistic/worldly way. Jude, Jesus’ half-brother, made it very plain in verse 3, “Contend for the faith.” In other words, we need to study, learn, believe, and defend the Truth of the Gospel Message as we lead a life of good works while standing, fighting, and obedient to the faith we believe in… so that the true Word of God can be spread around the world.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 ” Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.”
This verse addresses the very practical side of giving. For at first glance, throwing bread (or your hard earned money) onto the water sounds very foolish, but your giving to the needy isn’t about how much you give but rather the attitude you give it in. It also shows the obedience of sending your aid out of sight and more importantly out of your control as the waves wash the bread out to sea. None of us have the foreknowledge of the future and how our giving will matter to others but we do know this…”Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love.” (Hosea 10:12) That’s because whenever we sow what is right and good it will bring a harvest of blessing from the Lord.
I Thessalonians 4:3 ” This is the Will of God, your sanctification…”
Before you get all worked up about this big word of sanctification…it simply means holiness or righteousness…something of which isn’t found in us unless we also have the Holy Spirit dwelling within. For without the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t be able to, “Be holy as I am holy.” For the Holy Spirit sets us apart and purifies us for God’s service…pushing & urging us to become more like Jesus day by day. But our sanctification has to be a cooperative venture…we must work with the Holy Spirit in order to grow. For just like we were once slaves to sin, we are now slaves to righteousness & holy living which will lead us down the path to sanctification. (Romans 6:19)
Luke 14:27 “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be My disciple.”
Each one of us must count the cost of being a Follower of Jesus Christ. For a true disciple of His recognizes and acknowledges the sacrifice, work, and suffering for the Gospel it takes to be called a Christian. This commitment is not for the wishy-washy or weak in Spirit, for we need to consider how the consequences of this decision will affect our everyday life…and it may require a giving up of everything near and dear to us. That’s because, anything that holds value to us, but distracts us from following Jesus with all our heart, soul, and strength, renders us unworthy of the Gospel in His eyes.
John 5:39-40 ” You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you posses eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.”
The Jews that Jesus was talking to here thought they had eternal life in the bag because of their fervent & legalistic devotion to reading, studying, and searching the Old Testament Scriptures. They mistakenly thought that all their ritualistic reading of the sacred writings would somehow merit eternal life…but in the process they totally missed & even refused to recognize the Author of said Scriptures standing there in front of them. The Lord doesn’t ask us to believe the Bible, but rather to believe in the One whom the Bible reveals…and no amount of study or reading of the Word will ever grant you eternal life…for only faith in Jesus Christ can save you.
Psalm 14:1 ” The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, their deeds are vile, there is no one who does good.”
“They were a good person.” You hear this a lot, but is it a true statement? By worldly standards a person may do good for others…but when compared to the ultimate standard of God’s absolute holiness, goodness, and purity, all our good works are like filthy rags before Him. (Isaiah 64:6) David shows us here that a person may be highly intelligent by the world’s standards and still considered a fool by God’s standards when they deny the existence & have no desire to honor or follow Him. Paul, in Romans 3, points out that there is no one righteous, not even one…stressing mankind’s sinfulness, depravity, and condemnation by a holy God. For we are all made in His image but have exchanged His glory for ours. Or as Psalm 10:4 says, “In his pride the wicked doesn’t seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.”
John 11:45 ” Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in Him.”
This verse is the climax of the very familiar story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead by Jesus. But the story is so much more than God’s divine Voice calling the dead back to life…it’s about waiting on the Lord. Remember, when Jesus first got the distress call from the sisters, it was shortly before Lazarus died…but rather than rushing to their home, He waited two days. And by the time Jesus finally made it there, Mary & Martha had waited days longer. Our Christian life is made up of waiting on the Lord…waiting for Him to heal, waiting for Him to restore, waiting for Him to move. And it’s during that waiting period that others are watching us. Are we waiting in God’s grace, or trying to make things happen under our own power? Are we waiting in peace and calmness of Spirit, or constantly fretful and anxious? Are we waiting in faith that God is in control, or is doubt & fear filling our waking hours? Yes, Jesus made them wait, but in doing so, it gave many friends and neighbors the chance to congregate at Mary & Martha’s home…and make them privy to share in this undeniable miracle and put their faith in Jesus.
Zechariah 2:10-11 ” Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you, declares the Lord. Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become My people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent Me to you.”
Within the Old Testament Book of Zechariah, he addresses both the First and Second Coming of Christ, the Messiah. In these verses he shows a time when Salvation would not be limited to the Jews only, but would extend God’s grace to the world. And with it there would be sanctification through the blood of Christ and the New Covenant, with spiritual restoration and everlasting life extended to all who called on His Name. Zechariah speaks of the day when the Lord will come and take up residence…also known in Revelation 20 as the Millennial Reign/Kingdom. But Paul also speaks of the Lord living among us in another way in II Corinthians 6:16…for when Jesus came, He was Himself the true Temple or dwelling place of God. (Matthew 1:23 & John 2:21) But now the Holy Spirit lives in us, and for this reason we have become the end-time Temple of God…both individually, (I Corinthians 6:19) and corporately as His Church. (I Corinthians 3:16-17 & I Peter 2:5)
Psalm 116:12-13 ” How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of Salvation and call on the Name of the Lord.”
How can we repay God? The simple answer is we can’t out bless God. In our gratitude we may want to somehow reciprocate, but as this Passage points out, all God wants from us is to proclaim His greatness to others. This entire Psalm is a deeply personal song of thanksgiving after God had delivered the Psalmist from destruction…and so in gratitude, he declared God’s love, grace, righteousness, and mercy in the presence of God’s people in the Temple.
Safetypinlove 