Memory Verse for the week of 1/24/2010:
“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9.
Today’s Passage: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15
As I grow older and certainly as I have experienced cancer and treatments, I meet more and more people who are suffering from diseases, grief, hardship and various trials. When we first faced the big “C” diagnosis, my husband and I decided to make it a positive journey. I wanted to grow closer to God and develop a Christ-like nature. Although I had been a Christian for many years in name, I had not developed a mature Christian attitude of hope and peace and needed to more boldly share the gospel with others.
Since making that determination, some days I truly feel closer to God and more mature while other days I feel that I do not live up to the decision I made. Yet God keeps lifting me up and renewing my spirit so that I can begin again. This is the gift of repentance and forgiveness that God has given us. He also has helped me to reach out to others and comfort them with the same comfort He and my church family all over the world have given to me.
Reaching out is not without its heartache. Within the past week, I have been acquainted with two wonderful people who have passed away. Another dear friend is expected to pass at any time and is heavily sedated until that time. I had already begun writing this devotional last week but due to the grief that these families are experiencing and the sadness that I feel for them, I have rewritten some of it as I found it appropriate to our situations. I pray that you find it helpful in your own life and that the Scriptures give you peace and comfort through your trials.
It is hard to imagine that there are blessings in suffering, especially when a child, family member, close friend or a member of our church family is in pain. We should have hope and joy within us but we will not always be happy and full of cheer. Remember that the same God who gave us laughter gave us tears. There is a time for both as we are taught in Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 4: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.”
It is not rational to believe that Christians should always be laughing or always be moderate in emotion. Paul wrote, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15. There is not always laughter but there can always be hope in God’s promises. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit that is based upon faith in the Lord. Joy is often confused with happiness but God did not create us to be happy all of the time. Jesus certainly was joyful and hopeful but there were many times when He looked upon others with compassion and sorrow. He cried for Lazarus’ family and friends as they mourned. We know that Jesus felt great sorrow as evidenced by the shortest verse in the Bible and yet one of the most emotional: “Jesus wept”. John 11:35.
David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then planned her husband’s murder in 2 Samuel 11. Because of these sins, the child that David and Bathsheba had borne was struck ill. David lay on the ground all night, fasting and pleading with the Lord to spare the child. The boy died after seven days of illness. David’s servants were terrified to tell him that the child was dead because of the intense fervor in which he had prayed to God while the child was sick. Yet after learning that his son had died, David got up, cleaned himself up and went to worship the Lord. He explained to the confused servants, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.” 2 Samuel 12:22-23
David’s response shows that he knew that if he obeyed God and was faithful to Him, he would see his son again. During the time that the child was suffering, he prayed to God that he might live. Yet afterward, he worshipped. Though David was not happy during the time that his child was sick, he had faith and hope in the Lord God. We can have that same faith in God and hope of heaven that if we obey God faithfully until the end, we will see the saved again. What a blessed reunion that will be in heaven!
Job lost all of his livestock, nearly every one of his servants and all of his children in one day. Imagine the great sense of loss and devastation that he felt. Job was so crushed by the news that he tore his robe and shaved his head in grief. Yet that is not all that Job did. He also “fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’ ” Job 1:20-21. What a faithful man Job was! James 5:11 reminds us of Job’s perseverance and God’s compassion and mercy.
Both of these examples teach us what James meant when he was inspired by the Spirit of God to write, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4. Just as parents must allow children to make mistakes sometimes in order to learn valuable lessons, God too allows us to experience heartache at times in order that we may grow. This can be out of correction (Proverbs 3:12), to teach us how to comfort others (2 Corinthians 1:4) or to mature us that we may grow in Christian virtues (Romans 5:3-4 and James 1:2-4). Regardless, God knows what is best and we must trust in Him that good may come out of even the greatest of trials (Romans 8:28).
While in Houston, I bought a collection of wallet cards that state, “When we remember the valleys, the mountaintops are even more beautiful”. The Scripture imprinted on the back is Psalm 18:2: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.” The card is similar to a statement I typically write, “After the storm comes the rainbow” based on God’s promise to us in Genesis 9. I'm sure similar phrases have been written by others and perhaps it has even been written exactly the same by another author but it gives me comfort to think of God's covenant of a beautiful rainbow that followed the great storm in Noah's day.
Suffering can come in many forms. Sometimes our suffering comes from our choice to stand up for Christ. In Acts 14:22, Paul and Barnabas exhorted the disciples in the region to keep the faith because they were going to suffer much for God. “Exhort” is also translated as “encourage”. Their words were an encouragement to the disciples. Imagine being so eager to live for the Lord that to be told you will suffer for Him is an encouragement!
Certainly, not all suffering is directly linked to our Christian walk. Sometimes we make mistakes and must endure the consequences. The Spirit inspired Peter to write that it is of little credit to suffer patiently if we did wrong; yet “when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God.” 1 Peter 2:20. Other suffering is due to the fact that this is an imperfect world and the innocent suffer. Regardless of what we face, we can have hope in the Lord and trust in Him just as Job did. He did not know that the things he suffered were caused directly by Satan but he knew that God is in control of everything. He had tremendous faith in his Jehovah to take care of him.
Below are some of the many passages of comfort and encouragement from God’s Word as well as a poem that I wanted to share. I hope that you find peace and comfort in them.
“My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” Psalm 119:50
“He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering” Isaiah 53:3. Our Lord suffered greatly because He loved us so much.
“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:2-5
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:17-18
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-5
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
“Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” I Peter 1:5-9. Christians share similar suffering for the cause of Christ all over the world.
A friend gave me a plaque several years ago that I display on my kitchen wall. The poem is simple but so beautiful in its expression of our Lord’s promises.
“GOD’S PROMISE
God did not promise...
Days without pain
Laughter without sorrow
Or sun without rain.
But God did promise . . .
Strength for the day
Comfort for the tears
And a light for the way.
And for all who believe in
His kingdom above,
He answers their faith
with everlasting love!
--Author Unknown
May God give you strength for today, comfort for your tears and the joy that comes from trusting in Him to take care of you. The Lord bless you and keep you today.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The Lord’s Day Reflections & Memory Verse of the Week
New Memory Verse for the week of 1/10/2010:
“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12
Sunday Thoughts
Today is the day of the Lord. May we all enjoy fellowship today with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and participate in the worship of the Lord with reverence and sincerity. Jehovah God is worthy of our praise, awe and honor and our Savior Jesus Christ should be remembered for His great and awesome sacrifice as we commune together.
Various worship passages:
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25
“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.” Acts 20:7
“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, 'This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.' In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.' For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” I Corinthians 11:23-29
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.” I Corinthians 16:2
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1
“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” I Timothy 2:1-4
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Colossians 3:16
“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:13-16
“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” I Timothy 4:2
“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42
Online Worship Services
For those of you who are sick or in the hospital or unable to leave your home due to physical ailments, worship services are available online so that you may participate. The services of Olathe, Kansas helped me during my long transplant recovery:
http://www.olathecoc.org/default.asp
If you visit this page during their regularly scheduled times, you can view the adult Bible class, sing along to gospel hymns and participate in the entire worship service.
Additionally, many congregations offer the Lord’s Supper to members of the church who cannot leave their homes. Meaningful Sundays were spent in my hospital room with at least one of my family members participating in the Olathe services with me via my laptop. Either my husband or an elder from a nearby congregation offered communion so that I was not left out. Praise be to God for the Lifeline Chaplaincy program at various medical centers!
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Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Truth about the Antichrist and Our Earthly Battle Against Evil
Memory Verse for the Week of 1/3/2010: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.
Today’s Passage: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome (the people who do not confess Christ a.k.a. antichrists), because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” I John 4:4-6 NKJV.
Though I did not begin this lesson with the plan to discuss dark themes, the passages I researched for another lesson led me to discuss this topic instead. Perhaps it is needed in your life or perhaps I needed to review it for my own life. Either way, I pray that you find something helpful and comforting by the lessons learned from the topic. Those of you with children and grandchildren might well need to review these things based on the themes of much of the teen and young adult entertainment provided by the world today.
Our passage today gives us great hope and freedom of the fear of the unknown if we consider what the Spirit of God through John is teaching us. In this age of obsession with all things dark such as vampires, “black magic”, Wicca, witches and other worldly creatures that draw interest through their portrayal as heroes in games, movies and books, the idea of an Antichrist can be mysterious and terrifying. Many of us can recall Damien as the devious son of Satan in the old Gregory Peck classic The Omen. The vision of 666 appearing as Damien’s hair was cut could be unsettling. Who would dare want to raise the son of Satan that was coming to the earth as “The Antichrist”?
Yet these concepts are straight from Hollywood and are not founded on Biblical teachings of our true enemies. If we allow modern culture to mold our view of religious concepts, we will be very confused as the rest of the world seems to be. What really is an antichrist? Is it a monstrous being that will come and destroy the world? Will it lead many astray into slavery? Will it be marked with the numbers 666?
I suggest to you that if this is the sign you seek, you will miss Satan’s web of deceit in the ordinary things of life. In our passage, John describes the Antichrist as “every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” I John 4:2-3.
Further, “who is the liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, even he that denies the Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesses the Son hath the Father also". I John 2:22-23. And in II John 1:7: “For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
From these passages, we can conclude the following:
1. Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist.
2. The antichrist was already in the world during John’s writing.
3. Everyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is an antichrist.
4. Whoever denies Christ also must deny the Father because they are one; therefore, an antichrist rejects God as well whether they admit it or not.
5. People have gone out into the world in order to deceive, refusing to confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. These are deceivers and antichrists.
Does this sound like a huge mythological being that we will encounter? Not per John. The antichrist is anyone who denies Christ, rejects Him and/or deceives others into rejecting Christ. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and we are his children if we do not stand up for the truth. The truth is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is one with God and came down to this earth in a human form to live among us. He died, was buried and was raised to life again. He returned to heaven’s glory and we will share in that glory if we receive His Word and believe it, repent of our sins, confess Him to others, put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27), worship Him as instructed and live faithfully to the end according to His commandments. Once we have become a Christian as instructed by the Lord, we can experience a constant renewal and cleansing of our sins through repentance (a change of mind and action), confession and seeking forgiveness. God’s Word is truth! There is no other name by which we can be saved than Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
We should have no consuming fears of the dark things of the world because God is in control. No matter what happens to us, we can look to Him for our peace and comfort. The next lesson, Lord willing, will further demonstrate the need for us to trust and hope in God for the world is full of evil but God has wonderful things planned for us if we remain faithful to Him until the end. If the Lord permits, we will study examples of those who experienced great trials yet did not lose heart. They kept the faith in the midst of dire circumstances.
I pray that this lesson helps you to realize that although our fight is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), it is also not a battle between us and the forces of darkness alone. There are no horror scene battles where we are physically fighting demonic forces with merely a crucifix as a weapon. Our battle is fought against the evil that is in the world by standing up for what is right, refusing to give into worldly lusts and desires and walking in the light as Jesus walks in the light. Our battle has already been won by Jesus when He arose from the grave and overcame death and sin. Our battles are fought by remaining on the Lord’s side and by using the Christian Sword (the Word of God) just as Jesus did when confronted by Satan while in the wilderness (Matthew 4). Every temptation offered by the devil was rejected by Jesus by His quotation of the Word of God. We win against the forces of evil by quoting Scripture because these are our words of life. Paul informed the Romans that the things written before in the Bible (the Old Testament) “were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” Romans 15:4. There is no hope without knowledge of the Word of God because this is the only method that God chose in which to inform man of his sin and to offer the gracious gift of salvation. Our obedience to God is required in order for us to receive this gift from God, not that we will ever deserve it but this is the manner in which God provides it. Therefore, we must know what we must do to be saved and to defeat the powers of darkness and this knowledge can only come from the Bible.
How do we overcome Satan and those around us who would seek to tear us away from our God? Study, meditate, pray and be ready to give an answer (Joshua 1:8, I Timothy 4:15, I Peter 3:15). Be able to quote God instead of relying on our own reason. Our conscience, if trained in the Word of God, can be a great warning tool for alerting us of wrong but if our conscience is our only guide, we will fail. God has provided the answers in the Bible and only the Bible is God’s Truth revealed to man. We would not consider entering a swordfight without a sword so why would we attempt to battle Satan and His followers without God’s Word?
Let us work this week on studying and meditating on God’s Word so that we can recognize those who would deceive us with words that sound pleasing but are not found in God’s Word. Let us be like the wonderful Bereans who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out if these things were so” Acts 17:11. Please, as always, if something I have written is not found in Scripture or if you have a concern about something I mistyped, please let me know as soon as possible. I, like you, am merely a Christian who wishes to study and grow more in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus through meditation on His Word. Your suggestions and comments are welcome and needed.
God bless you this week! May you find great joy in the fact that God has not left us alone in this world to battle the evil one. Jesus has already attained the victory; the church has been established to encourage one another to keep fighting and we will win the fight if we remain on Jesus’ side until our time on earth is done. May you be encouraged by these words today.
Today’s Passage: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome (the people who do not confess Christ a.k.a. antichrists), because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” I John 4:4-6 NKJV.
Though I did not begin this lesson with the plan to discuss dark themes, the passages I researched for another lesson led me to discuss this topic instead. Perhaps it is needed in your life or perhaps I needed to review it for my own life. Either way, I pray that you find something helpful and comforting by the lessons learned from the topic. Those of you with children and grandchildren might well need to review these things based on the themes of much of the teen and young adult entertainment provided by the world today.
Our passage today gives us great hope and freedom of the fear of the unknown if we consider what the Spirit of God through John is teaching us. In this age of obsession with all things dark such as vampires, “black magic”, Wicca, witches and other worldly creatures that draw interest through their portrayal as heroes in games, movies and books, the idea of an Antichrist can be mysterious and terrifying. Many of us can recall Damien as the devious son of Satan in the old Gregory Peck classic The Omen. The vision of 666 appearing as Damien’s hair was cut could be unsettling. Who would dare want to raise the son of Satan that was coming to the earth as “The Antichrist”?
Yet these concepts are straight from Hollywood and are not founded on Biblical teachings of our true enemies. If we allow modern culture to mold our view of religious concepts, we will be very confused as the rest of the world seems to be. What really is an antichrist? Is it a monstrous being that will come and destroy the world? Will it lead many astray into slavery? Will it be marked with the numbers 666?
I suggest to you that if this is the sign you seek, you will miss Satan’s web of deceit in the ordinary things of life. In our passage, John describes the Antichrist as “every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” I John 4:2-3.
Further, “who is the liar but he that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, even he that denies the Father and the Son. Whosoever denies the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that confesses the Son hath the Father also". I John 2:22-23. And in II John 1:7: “For many deceivers are gone forth into the world, even they that confess not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
From these passages, we can conclude the following:
1. Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is an antichrist.
2. The antichrist was already in the world during John’s writing.
3. Everyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is an antichrist.
4. Whoever denies Christ also must deny the Father because they are one; therefore, an antichrist rejects God as well whether they admit it or not.
5. People have gone out into the world in order to deceive, refusing to confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh. These are deceivers and antichrists.
Does this sound like a huge mythological being that we will encounter? Not per John. The antichrist is anyone who denies Christ, rejects Him and/or deceives others into rejecting Christ. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and we are his children if we do not stand up for the truth. The truth is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, is one with God and came down to this earth in a human form to live among us. He died, was buried and was raised to life again. He returned to heaven’s glory and we will share in that glory if we receive His Word and believe it, repent of our sins, confess Him to others, put on Christ in baptism (Galatians 3:27), worship Him as instructed and live faithfully to the end according to His commandments. Once we have become a Christian as instructed by the Lord, we can experience a constant renewal and cleansing of our sins through repentance (a change of mind and action), confession and seeking forgiveness. God’s Word is truth! There is no other name by which we can be saved than Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
We should have no consuming fears of the dark things of the world because God is in control. No matter what happens to us, we can look to Him for our peace and comfort. The next lesson, Lord willing, will further demonstrate the need for us to trust and hope in God for the world is full of evil but God has wonderful things planned for us if we remain faithful to Him until the end. If the Lord permits, we will study examples of those who experienced great trials yet did not lose heart. They kept the faith in the midst of dire circumstances.
I pray that this lesson helps you to realize that although our fight is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12), it is also not a battle between us and the forces of darkness alone. There are no horror scene battles where we are physically fighting demonic forces with merely a crucifix as a weapon. Our battle is fought against the evil that is in the world by standing up for what is right, refusing to give into worldly lusts and desires and walking in the light as Jesus walks in the light. Our battle has already been won by Jesus when He arose from the grave and overcame death and sin. Our battles are fought by remaining on the Lord’s side and by using the Christian Sword (the Word of God) just as Jesus did when confronted by Satan while in the wilderness (Matthew 4). Every temptation offered by the devil was rejected by Jesus by His quotation of the Word of God. We win against the forces of evil by quoting Scripture because these are our words of life. Paul informed the Romans that the things written before in the Bible (the Old Testament) “were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” Romans 15:4. There is no hope without knowledge of the Word of God because this is the only method that God chose in which to inform man of his sin and to offer the gracious gift of salvation. Our obedience to God is required in order for us to receive this gift from God, not that we will ever deserve it but this is the manner in which God provides it. Therefore, we must know what we must do to be saved and to defeat the powers of darkness and this knowledge can only come from the Bible.
How do we overcome Satan and those around us who would seek to tear us away from our God? Study, meditate, pray and be ready to give an answer (Joshua 1:8, I Timothy 4:15, I Peter 3:15). Be able to quote God instead of relying on our own reason. Our conscience, if trained in the Word of God, can be a great warning tool for alerting us of wrong but if our conscience is our only guide, we will fail. God has provided the answers in the Bible and only the Bible is God’s Truth revealed to man. We would not consider entering a swordfight without a sword so why would we attempt to battle Satan and His followers without God’s Word?
Let us work this week on studying and meditating on God’s Word so that we can recognize those who would deceive us with words that sound pleasing but are not found in God’s Word. Let us be like the wonderful Bereans who “searched the Scriptures daily to find out if these things were so” Acts 17:11. Please, as always, if something I have written is not found in Scripture or if you have a concern about something I mistyped, please let me know as soon as possible. I, like you, am merely a Christian who wishes to study and grow more in the knowledge of my Lord Jesus through meditation on His Word. Your suggestions and comments are welcome and needed.
God bless you this week! May you find great joy in the fact that God has not left us alone in this world to battle the evil one. Jesus has already attained the victory; the church has been established to encourage one another to keep fighting and we will win the fight if we remain on Jesus’ side until our time on earth is done. May you be encouraged by these words today.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Love, Courage and Hope for the New Year
Today’s Passage: “Depart from me, you evildoers, for I will keep the commandments of my God! Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Hold me up, and I shall be safe, and I shall observe Your statutes continually” Psalm 119:115-117.
We stand on the brink of a new year full of hope and promise. God has granted us the blessing to see 2010 enter and He has allowed us the opportunity to renew our relationship with Him. Yet not one more second is promised to us. Paul wrote that we must “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time” Colossians 4:5. We may not have one more moment to tell others how much we love them and to teach them what they must do in order to be saved. How tragic if we waste a great opportunity to take our loved ones to heaven with us someday!
May this year be a year of new hope, new courage and greater devotion to God. May we seek opportunities to defend our Savior without fear of humiliation or rejection wherever we are, whether on the job, visiting family or talking to strangers in the checkout lines. Our hope is God. What if He were ashamed of us? What if Christ was so disappointed in our failures that He would not accept the punishment on behalf of our sins? No! Christ bore the humiliation that we deserved. How can we be embarrassed to bow our heads and pray at lunch, speak of what Christ has done for us or teach others of God’s great and eternal love for us?
Let us seek to have boldness in love and the desire to save others’ souls this year. Let us look for opportunities to spread the gospel, whether online, in person, through correspondence, at worship services, on the job or wherever we find ourselves. The disciples were dispersed in the first century due to severe persecution. The result was that the gospel was spread even further. Why? Because as they spread out, they carried the gospel with them wherever they traveled. They were not afraid to tell others about Christ even though they might be killed because their pride and hope was in Christ Himself and not their own souls.
My local preacher delivered a powerful lesson during class this week regarding David’s refusal to be ashamed to talk about the Lord. “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.” Psalm 119:45-47. Oh to have such a love for God’s Word and commandments that we cannot stop speaking of them and long for the times when we can meditate on them!
Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ “for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” Romans 1:16. I have been reading in Acts the courageous acts of the apostles such as Peter and John when they were threatened by the officials of the city and boldly responded: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” Acts 4:19. God freed them from prison and they returned to talk to the people. This time, they replied when they were threatened, “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him” Acts 5:29-32. I smile thinking of their courage and refusal to give up. They were led directly by the Spirit, but we have the Spirit of God through God’s Word. We can have such boldness and zeal for the Lord!
If we are embarrassed to share Christ with our coworkers and neighbors because they may think we are different or perceive us as being arrogant, then we have no idea what He did for us. We do not appreciate His precious gift and do not want others to share in the joy. If we truly are Christians, we will not only walk after Him but also share His story. If we love others, we will be sad that they are not saved and will desperately desire for them to be exposed to the gospel. The more we share the gospel, the more confident we will grow and the more lost souls we can reach.
The more we meditate on His Word, the more we will love it. When we really love something like sports or a hobby, we talk about it. It’s what we know, what we have facts about and what we spend our time preparing to discuss. This should be the Word of God. Shouldn’t we be able to quote the Bible as we once did as children? I can remember learning memory verses every week but for some reason, I have fallen out of the habit and sometimes forget where a passage is located.
For that reason, I would like to offer a “verse of the day” regarding the lesson but also a “memory verse of the week” for us to renew our memories and be able to share words of hope and encouragement to others. The first one is an easy one and many of you probably already know it; however, it is a good verse with which to begin because it reminds us that we can do anything with Christ’s help – even learn memory verses this year! Remember that you have a week to learn it, so if you do not already know it, write it down and post it on your computer, mirror or refrigerator to remind you that CHRIST is our strength. We are not alone in this world without hope because He lives within us.
God bless you all as we study together. Let’s make 2010 the year of the LORD!!!
Memory Verse for the Week: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.
On a personal note, my last two years have been full of medical treatments for cancer but praise the Lord God Almighty that through it all, He increased my faith and hope and brought me to such great joy. He has far surpassed anything I could ever imagine and though I was not sheltered from pain or setbacks, each of these “dips in the road” led me to greater joy. I have seen the love of Christians all over the world reach out to me to encourage me. I have learned what true love is because of the selfless acts of strangers such as my stem cell transplant donor and his family. God has opened my eyes and the more I have depended on Him for my every need, the more He has grown me and has filled me with overwhelming peace and comfort.
I pray that all of you feel this wonderful peace and joy from the Lord if you do not already. May we all grow in truth and love as we seek God’s Will through His Word and consider His goodness. God bless you richly and deeply through this glorious new year!
We stand on the brink of a new year full of hope and promise. God has granted us the blessing to see 2010 enter and He has allowed us the opportunity to renew our relationship with Him. Yet not one more second is promised to us. Paul wrote that we must “walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time” Colossians 4:5. We may not have one more moment to tell others how much we love them and to teach them what they must do in order to be saved. How tragic if we waste a great opportunity to take our loved ones to heaven with us someday!
May this year be a year of new hope, new courage and greater devotion to God. May we seek opportunities to defend our Savior without fear of humiliation or rejection wherever we are, whether on the job, visiting family or talking to strangers in the checkout lines. Our hope is God. What if He were ashamed of us? What if Christ was so disappointed in our failures that He would not accept the punishment on behalf of our sins? No! Christ bore the humiliation that we deserved. How can we be embarrassed to bow our heads and pray at lunch, speak of what Christ has done for us or teach others of God’s great and eternal love for us?
Let us seek to have boldness in love and the desire to save others’ souls this year. Let us look for opportunities to spread the gospel, whether online, in person, through correspondence, at worship services, on the job or wherever we find ourselves. The disciples were dispersed in the first century due to severe persecution. The result was that the gospel was spread even further. Why? Because as they spread out, they carried the gospel with them wherever they traveled. They were not afraid to tell others about Christ even though they might be killed because their pride and hope was in Christ Himself and not their own souls.
My local preacher delivered a powerful lesson during class this week regarding David’s refusal to be ashamed to talk about the Lord. “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love.” Psalm 119:45-47. Oh to have such a love for God’s Word and commandments that we cannot stop speaking of them and long for the times when we can meditate on them!
Paul was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ “for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” Romans 1:16. I have been reading in Acts the courageous acts of the apostles such as Peter and John when they were threatened by the officials of the city and boldly responded: “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” Acts 4:19. God freed them from prison and they returned to talk to the people. This time, they replied when they were threatened, “We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him” Acts 5:29-32. I smile thinking of their courage and refusal to give up. They were led directly by the Spirit, but we have the Spirit of God through God’s Word. We can have such boldness and zeal for the Lord!
If we are embarrassed to share Christ with our coworkers and neighbors because they may think we are different or perceive us as being arrogant, then we have no idea what He did for us. We do not appreciate His precious gift and do not want others to share in the joy. If we truly are Christians, we will not only walk after Him but also share His story. If we love others, we will be sad that they are not saved and will desperately desire for them to be exposed to the gospel. The more we share the gospel, the more confident we will grow and the more lost souls we can reach.
The more we meditate on His Word, the more we will love it. When we really love something like sports or a hobby, we talk about it. It’s what we know, what we have facts about and what we spend our time preparing to discuss. This should be the Word of God. Shouldn’t we be able to quote the Bible as we once did as children? I can remember learning memory verses every week but for some reason, I have fallen out of the habit and sometimes forget where a passage is located.
For that reason, I would like to offer a “verse of the day” regarding the lesson but also a “memory verse of the week” for us to renew our memories and be able to share words of hope and encouragement to others. The first one is an easy one and many of you probably already know it; however, it is a good verse with which to begin because it reminds us that we can do anything with Christ’s help – even learn memory verses this year! Remember that you have a week to learn it, so if you do not already know it, write it down and post it on your computer, mirror or refrigerator to remind you that CHRIST is our strength. We are not alone in this world without hope because He lives within us.
God bless you all as we study together. Let’s make 2010 the year of the LORD!!!
Memory Verse for the Week: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13.
On a personal note, my last two years have been full of medical treatments for cancer but praise the Lord God Almighty that through it all, He increased my faith and hope and brought me to such great joy. He has far surpassed anything I could ever imagine and though I was not sheltered from pain or setbacks, each of these “dips in the road” led me to greater joy. I have seen the love of Christians all over the world reach out to me to encourage me. I have learned what true love is because of the selfless acts of strangers such as my stem cell transplant donor and his family. God has opened my eyes and the more I have depended on Him for my every need, the more He has grown me and has filled me with overwhelming peace and comfort.
I pray that all of you feel this wonderful peace and joy from the Lord if you do not already. May we all grow in truth and love as we seek God’s Will through His Word and consider His goodness. God bless you richly and deeply through this glorious new year!
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