How many of us, after receiving bad news, will immediately – first thing – take it to the Lord? Not after we’ve tried to fix it on our own…not after spending time moaning, groaning and complaining about how mistreated we are…but right away. God wants us to take all our cares in supplication before Him, seeking His mercy…sooner, not later.
Tag: christ jesus
I Peter 2:9 ” But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.”
You are a beloved possession of the Lord, having been called out of Spiritual darkness with all its misery and damnation. God has summoned you from that darkness and the power of Satan into the brilliant illumination of His truth and gift of eternal life.
I Peter 1:23 ” For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
To be born again…the Greek word utilized here was only penned by Simon Peter, speaking of Spiritual rebirth or new birth. We have traded our deteriorating bodies for ones that will never wear out. We have exchanged our mortal beings for immortal ones. We have move from this temporal world to eternal life when we are born again.
Acts 13:32 ” We tell you the good news…”
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.
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.
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.
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.
I John 4:4 ” You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
The biggest deterrent we have from doing the Will of God is fear. Fear stops many of us from following that still small Voice pressing us forward. But take courage! This verse shows us we don’t have to fear…for with Jesus living in us, like Him, we also have overcome the world and all the negative emotions attached to it. We have conquered and triumphed over fear because the One living in us is greater than the one in the world.
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