These verses aren’t asking you to go around singing all day, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine…” But they are asking you to make a difference in the world and to not hide your faith. When you allow the love of Jesus to shine through you…people sense it…they know there’s something different about you…and they’re drawn to the light.
Tag: the mighty name of Jesus
Galatians 6: 7-8 ” Do not be deceived: God can not be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
We sow our wild oats, and what do we get in return? Lung cancer from damaging long-term cigarette smoke…Hepatitis C from IV drug use…Sexually transmitted diseases from promiscuous activity…Cirrhosis of the liver from chronic alcohol abuse. It doesn’t sound like great compensation for a few minutes of pleasure. That’s why God’s offer is far superior with lasting benefits…for it says in Romans 6:23, ” For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
John 7:37 ” Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”
When Jesus stood, He did so without bias or partiality towards any certain people group. When He spoke, it wasn’t directed to only a select few. Jesus showed no favoritism, bigotry, or chauvinism as He invited all to accept the free gift of eternal life. And that invitation still stands today to every man, woman, and child across this wide world. There is no barrier left that can prevent you from receiving this gift offered by a loving Savior.
I John 2:17 ” The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
All the world’s affections and fascinations will not last…they are here but a day and then gone. The only thing that remains…the only true thing we can base our life and faith around is the person of Jesus Christ. For it’s by Him and Him alone that we might be saved.
Mark 10: 24-25 ” But Jesus said again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.’ “
Jesus gave an exaggerated comparison of attempting to squeeze a huge camel through the tiny eye of a needle…it’s almost impossible to do. But then He took it one step farther, comparing it to those who put their trust in riches rather than the living God…their chances of making it to heaven were just about as slim. So I ask you today – where do you base your trust?
Luke 11: 34-35 ” Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad. your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.”
When you look into someone’s eyes…what do you see? If they’re lying to you and have a guilty conscience, you can usually see it. If when you look into someone’s eyes and see evil, you realize what it is…darkness and wickedness. But if you look into some people’s eyes…you’ll see Jesus smiling back at you. Their eyes are shining beacons of light and truth… their only focus, fulfilling what God made them for.
I Kings 8:27 ” But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built! “
This verse is part of King Solomon’s Prayer of Dedication for the temple he had built for the Lord. He doubted that the Most High would live in something made by mortal men…for God’s magnificence can’t be limited by time and space. While the Lord may not be able to fit inside a building…you’ll find He fits just perfectly inside your heart.
John 16:33 ” But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Jesus proclaimed this not only to those He was speaking to at the time, but to us now, today. Jesus has already done the work…the devil has been defeated…we don’t have to allow fear, doubt, and hopelessness to govern our lives. So the next time doubt and fear hits…take a deep breath, and in the space of that breath…pray, ” Lord, I know You’re here, and I know we can face this together. Give me courage to move forward and to not give up. Amen.” For I know with God we are more than a overcomers.
I Kings 18: 42-43 ” So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look towards the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ “
This is a wonderful example of persistent prayer. The kind of determined, tenacious, even stubborn prayer where we refuse to get out of the Lord’s face until He does something. In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus tells the parable about the widow looking for justice who wore the judge down with her persistence. At the end of this story He instructs His disciples to have the same kind of unabashed audacity in prayer … to not give up.
Psalm 108:13 “With God we will gain the victory, and He will trample down our enemies.”
It’s through the mighty name of Jesus you’ll have victory over the enemy. Call His name, stand back, and watch God’s power come into force on your behalf. It’s the Lord that will crush your foe under His feet. You don’t need to fight alone…call on His name.