Hebrews 10: 11-12 ” Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God.”

Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest who became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him…(Hebrews 5:9)  No longer did we have to keep offering the same sacrifices to remove our sins…for the truth is we can’t on our own abolish our sins…only the blood of Jesus can once, for all, do that.

II Peter 3:15 ” Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation…”

God has the power to punish mankind…yet He refrains from doing so.  Romans 2:4 tells us it’s the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience that stops Him from giving us what we deserve…quite simply, Hell and eternal separation from Him.  His mercy and long-suffering are blessings we need to consider and seriously think about then, for God’s patience can last only so long…and sooner or later His judgement will come.

He is Risen!

You are not reading this by chance.  God has brought you to this page for a reason.  And that reason is the Resurrection.  For all of us will made a decision concerning it…all of us will respond either that we believe Christ was raised from the dead, or not.  So where do you stand today?  Do you have the hope of eternal life through Christ Jesus…or are you still living in worldly denial?  This Easter, realize it was only because of God’s great mercy that He offers to you the undeserved kindness of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Fix your hope on Jesus today…ask Him into your heart and be born again.

Isaiah 49:6 ” I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Discipleship is so much more than just spitting out information to a unsaved friend.  It involves becoming a mentor for the long-haul and modeling your values and beliefs in order to help shape the character of this person.  For the Great Commission is more about relationships than rhetoric.  It’s more about building a bond of mutual enjoyment between teacher and student…that the student may see the love of Jesus and desire Him in their life also.

Proverbs 10:16 ” The wages of the righteous bring them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment.”

When children are little and they disobey out of ignorance…there’s some wiggle room for correction.  Usually, just enlightening them with clear instructions will alleviate further problems.  But when there’s willful disobedience on their part…that’s when a serious discussion of the consequences of their wrongdoing is in order.  Our Heavenly Father desires us to be obedient children…not only because He commands it but for our eternal benefit.  For Proverbs 11:18 says, “He who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.”  When we pursue doing the right thing, we not only receive the gift of salvation, but we are showered with God’s infinite grace and mercy.

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 in 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.”

The Holy Spirit is God’s pledge, providing Believers with the assurance of eternal life.  In legal terms, the Holy Spirit is like a down payment or earnest money that secures a claim to something…like when we’re buying a car or a house.  For when we put our faith and trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within…thus sealing us for eternity through the redemptive work of the Lord.

Exodus 15:2 ” The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”

Something happens to us as we learn to trust the Lord.  Our reliance on our-self diminishes as our dependence on Him increases.   Our old self, with all its baggage, slowly falls away as we learn to trust and have confidence in Him and His plan for our life.  And as we’re changed from the inside out, true joy, happiness, and hope fill us to overflowing…and we too can then join in this song of praise from Moses and Miriam.

II Peter 3:9 ” The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

God’s gracious gift of salvation is for everyone…for He wants all to be saved.( I Timothy 2:4)  But we shouldn’t take His slowness in judgement as a sign of weakness, indecision, or wavering…but rather as long-suffering.  For it’s only by God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience is He willing to give all of us the time to change our minds and repent.

John 6: 32-33 ” Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ “

There’s nothing like a fresh, hot loaf of homemade bread just out of the oven.  The wonderful smell fills the kitchen and my husband is usually there waiting patiently…butter knife in hand.  But what happens to that homemade bread in a few days?  What satisfies our hunger for a few days suddenly becomes moldy and uneatable.  And that’s the biggest difference between natural and spiritual bread.  Natural bread has a short shelf-life…but spiritual bread is eternal.  Natural bread will never totally fill you up…you’ll keep getting hungry, while spiritual bread lasts forever.  That’s why Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)

Romans 6:4 ” We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

This new life that Paul speaks of – is taking off the old and putting on our new self.  But for many of us, this is a painful, almost impossible struggle.  For when doubt and fear have our minds so conditioned, anything that’s new or requires us to be bold, will be met with resistance.  We want to change, but fear has us so bound up – we can’t.   And so we wrestle with God.  But wrestling with God is a good thing.  For God isn’t our opponent, it’s rather our old self and fear we’re battling against .  And as long as we continue to grapple with God,  we’re still engaged and interacting with Him…and hopefully listening along the way.   In Genesis 32:28, after Jacob and the Lord had wrestled all night, God gave Jacob a new name.  And God has a new name for you too, but it involves the renewing of your mind.  It means taking on a new self-perception of who you are in Christ…and then accepting that daily restoration of your inner strength…so that you may be victorious over doubt and fear.