Here we are fast approaching the end of another year and we are heading to the beginning of a new year. This year was full of challenges and changes. It was a year that brought great joy and great sorrow. There were good times and bad times.
The New Year will be a year of challenges and changes. It will be a year of great joy and great sorrow. There will be good times and bad times. Hey, wait a minute. Doesn't every year bring these things that I have mentioned. Sure they do.
Every year is different, but there are going to be things that will shape us for better or worse during the year. There will be decisions that will need to be made. There will be meetings to attend. There will be friendships that are started. There will be sad goodbyes and farewells to be had.
There will also be moments of learning. There will also be times that try our faith and test us to the very core of our being. We must cling tightly to the truth of the Bible and we must cling to the Lord our God. We must trust Him in those difficult days when we are walking through a dark shadowy valley of death.
In those times we must remember that God is always with us and He will never leave us nor forsake us. We don't know what the up coming year has in store for us, but I know that whatever comes my way, the Lord Jesus will see me through them.
I also know this. Everyone of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will one day be taken Home to Heaven where we will be with the Lord for all eternity. There will be no more tears, no more sickness, no more sin, no more death, no more anger, no more bills, and the list could go on.
The most important thing about Heaven will be that we will get to be with Jesus Christ. He is the One who died for our sins. He paid our sin debt and gives us entrance into Heaven. I will be at the feet of Jesus and I will be thanking Him for saving an old wretch like me.
God is so very good. God loves you!
Let us draw nearer to the Lord this new year by loving Him more and loving others as well.
Lord,
Thank You for Your love and Your amazing grace all year long.
Help us to draw nearer to You this coming year.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Friday, December 30, 2016
Thursday, December 29, 2016
Rest For The Weary
Sometimes life can drag us down. During the long dark winter months with all of the snow we can start to feel rather weary. Other things can cause us to be weary as well. Maybe we work at a job that we don't particularly like for one reason or another. Family strife can be another reason to feel weary. Watching the events unfolding in the world on the evening news can definitely make us feel worn down and weary.
Where can we turn and to whom can we go with our weariness. We can run to the One who understands us and our situation better than anyone else can. We can turn to Jesus Christ.
It was Jesus who tells us in Matthew 11:28-30.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus offers us rest. Troubles will come into our lives in this world, but we can take heart that Jesus has overcome the world. Everyone who has put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will one day be with the Lord Jesus in Heaven where we will enter His complete rest.
When you are feeling weary and burdened remember all that the Lord Jesus has done for you and one day He will welcome us Home with opened arms.
Lord,
Thank You for the rest we can have in You.
We thank You for all that You do for us.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Where can we turn and to whom can we go with our weariness. We can run to the One who understands us and our situation better than anyone else can. We can turn to Jesus Christ.
It was Jesus who tells us in Matthew 11:28-30.
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Jesus offers us rest. Troubles will come into our lives in this world, but we can take heart that Jesus has overcome the world. Everyone who has put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ will one day be with the Lord Jesus in Heaven where we will enter His complete rest.
When you are feeling weary and burdened remember all that the Lord Jesus has done for you and one day He will welcome us Home with opened arms.
Lord,
Thank You for the rest we can have in You.
We thank You for all that You do for us.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Our Hope Is In Jesus
There are a lot of crazy things going on in our world these days and things just seem to be getting worse. The culture around us seems to be getting more and more immoral each and everyday. There are things on the news that just make me shake my head in disbelief at what some people are doing to themselves and others.
The world seems to be sliding deeper and deeper into darkness. These are indeed dark and troubling times. Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world, but He also told us to take heart because He had over come the world.
The world will get worse as time goes on until the Day when the Lord Jesus Christ comes and brings the Kingdom of God to full completion. The Lord Jesus Christ is our true living hope. Our hope does not rest upon a human being. Our hope is not in a nation no matter how great we may think it is.
Nations rise and fall. People come to power and are eventually replaced. Our hope is not in money. Money doesn't stay around very long in this world.
Our hope must be in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus that we find forgiveness of our sins and the hope of an eternal Home in Heaven with Him when we leave this world.
We can rejoice in the Lord because of His goodness and His grace. We can sing praises to our great God and King. May our thoughts and hope be upon the Lord Jesus as we approach a new year in a few days.
Lord,
Thank You for being our hope in this world and in the next.
Thank You for Your goodness and grace.
Lead us and guide us.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
The world seems to be sliding deeper and deeper into darkness. These are indeed dark and troubling times. Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world, but He also told us to take heart because He had over come the world.
The world will get worse as time goes on until the Day when the Lord Jesus Christ comes and brings the Kingdom of God to full completion. The Lord Jesus Christ is our true living hope. Our hope does not rest upon a human being. Our hope is not in a nation no matter how great we may think it is.
Nations rise and fall. People come to power and are eventually replaced. Our hope is not in money. Money doesn't stay around very long in this world.
Our hope must be in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus that we find forgiveness of our sins and the hope of an eternal Home in Heaven with Him when we leave this world.
We can rejoice in the Lord because of His goodness and His grace. We can sing praises to our great God and King. May our thoughts and hope be upon the Lord Jesus as we approach a new year in a few days.
Lord,
Thank You for being our hope in this world and in the next.
Thank You for Your goodness and grace.
Lead us and guide us.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Monday, December 26, 2016
Worshiping The True King
Throughout human history kings have always received honor from people whether it was voluntary or forced. A king is one that has power and authority. Most of the time the power goes to the king's head sort of speak and he gets power hungry as we sometimes call it.
When a new King shows up on the scene other kings get a tad bit nervous as was the case with king Herod. The Magi had come from the east with gifts and they were looking for the King that was to be born in Bethlehem.
We can read of this account in Matthew 2:1-12 which says,
"1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magia from the east came to Jerusalem
When a new King shows up on the scene other kings get a tad bit nervous as was the case with king Herod. The Magi had come from the east with gifts and they were looking for the King that was to be born in Bethlehem.
We can read of this account in Matthew 2:1-12 which says,
"1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magia from the east came to Jerusalem
2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’b ”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route."
The Magi had come a great distance in search of the King of Kings. This made Herod angry and jealous. This news was not well received by Herod at all. Sometimes this is the same reaction Jesus receives even in our day and age.
Some people are drawn to Jesus and just want to worship Him. These people bring Him their best offerings and their selves as well. There are also people that are just indifferent to Jesus. They just don't care one way or the other.
Then you have people that are just horribly angry about Jesus and all that He represents. This is because they do not want anyone telling them how to live of to rule over them. This is a hallmark sign of arrogance and pride at it's worse.
We believers in Jesus Christ need to come to Jesus in worship and offer up ourselves along with our best offerings as possible. Sometimes we may feel our best is never good enough, but God knows our hearts and He will receive all of the honor and praise when we do whatever as if we are doing it for Him.
Let us worship our true King, Jesus Christ.
He is the only One worthy of our worship and praise.
Lord,
We thank You for Your love and amazing Grace.
We fall down and worship You and praise Your Holy Name.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Sunday, December 25, 2016
Rejoicing At Christmas
The Christmas season is a special time of the year when families and friends gather together and share precious memories. There are times of laughter and joy. There are many people in our world today where Christmas time is a hard and difficult time of the year. Some people don't have families who a near them and some are missing loved ones that have passed.
There is a reason for us to take heart and rejoice. We can have joy in our very hearts even if our circumstances are hard and difficult. We can rejoice in the Christ of Christmas. God sent us Jesus Christ on a mission to save all people from their sins.
What a great gift that God has giving to all people everywhere. There is hope for you and I even though we may be surrounded by darkness all around us. Times may be trying and lonely. Things may get harder in our lives, but we can have hope in Jesus Christ. He is our blessed hope. He is the worlds only hope.
I hope this Christmas Day has been a blessing to you and your family. I hope that you have honored the Lord Jesus Christ this Day and thanked Him for all that He has done for us and all that He continues to do.
God is good and you and I can trust Him with our very lives and our very souls. The Lord is always with us and He will never leave us and He will never forsake us. Let us rejoice in the Lord Jesus for all that He did for us.
I wrote something for the Christmas Church Service that was held today and I would like to end this blog posting with it:
There is a reason for us to take heart and rejoice. We can have joy in our very hearts even if our circumstances are hard and difficult. We can rejoice in the Christ of Christmas. God sent us Jesus Christ on a mission to save all people from their sins.
What a great gift that God has giving to all people everywhere. There is hope for you and I even though we may be surrounded by darkness all around us. Times may be trying and lonely. Things may get harder in our lives, but we can have hope in Jesus Christ. He is our blessed hope. He is the worlds only hope.
I hope this Christmas Day has been a blessing to you and your family. I hope that you have honored the Lord Jesus Christ this Day and thanked Him for all that He has done for us and all that He continues to do.
God is good and you and I can trust Him with our very lives and our very souls. The Lord is always with us and He will never leave us and He will never forsake us. Let us rejoice in the Lord Jesus for all that He did for us.
I wrote something for the Christmas Church Service that was held today and I would like to end this blog posting with it:
Christmas Day –
December 25, 2016
Today is
Christmas Day and it is on this day when we celebrate the first coming of Jesus
Christ. God out of His great love for
all people sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth on a rescue
mission.
We remember
all of the events that took place when Jesus first came as a baby born of a
virgin and placed in a manger. We are
reminded in Scripture that Jesus is Immanuel which means, “God with us.”
Jesus lived
a perfect and sinless life here on the earth.
The Lord Jesus shed His blood on the Cross for my sins, your sins, and
the sins of the whole world. God raised
Jesus to life on the third day.
Jesus is
sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven and one day He will return to Judge
the world and bring His kingdom to full completion.
The Lord
Jesus didn’t leave us as orphans, but He gives the Holy Spirit to indwell
everyone who has put their faith and trust in Him for Salvation.
There is
only one way to obtain forgiveness of our sins and entrance into Heaven and
that is through Jesus Christ and His finished work on the Cross.
Jesus has
also promised never to leave us and never to forsake us. He will be with us always even to the end of
the age.
[Prayer] Lord, Thank You for sending Jesus Christ
into this world to save us from our sins and give us a home in Heaven. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Saturday, December 24, 2016
Celebrating Jesus
Today is Christmas Eve and many believers in Jesus Christ gather together throughout our world tonight to remember the time many years ago when God sent us His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to save people from their sins. The Lord loves each of us so very much that He sent us the best gift anyone can receive and that gift is Jesus.
I hope that you have made room in your hearts and lives for God's perfect gift. The Lord loved you enough to send Jesus Christ into this world to save you from your sins. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and laid down His life on a cruel rugged Cross for your sins and mine and the whole world's.
Just like any gift that is given you and I must receive it. We all have a choice to receive God's gift of forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ or reject His offer. My prayer is that you will receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior if you haven't done so already. What are you waiting for?
Jesus paid the price for your sins on the Cross. We have all sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God. We are all deserving of be separated from God for all eternity and placed in a literal Hell.
God doesn't want anyone to go to Hell. That is why He sent Jesus Christ on a rescue mission to earth to save us. Please, don't miss out on His offer of salvation and a Home in Heaven with Him for all eternity.
May our focus this Christmas be on the Lord Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation and forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and the only Way to the Father. There is only one Way into Heaven and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the One that offers us true rest in our very souls. Let our hearts and minds overflow with joy through the Holy Spirit who dwells in each of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We are saved by His Grace through faith in His finished work on the Cross.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord bless you and your families as you celebrate Him and all that He has done.
I will close this blog posting with something I wrote for the Christmas Eve Service that was held at my Church tonight:
I hope that you have made room in your hearts and lives for God's perfect gift. The Lord loved you enough to send Jesus Christ into this world to save you from your sins. Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and laid down His life on a cruel rugged Cross for your sins and mine and the whole world's.
Just like any gift that is given you and I must receive it. We all have a choice to receive God's gift of forgiveness through the shed blood of Christ or reject His offer. My prayer is that you will receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior if you haven't done so already. What are you waiting for?
Jesus paid the price for your sins on the Cross. We have all sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God. We are all deserving of be separated from God for all eternity and placed in a literal Hell.
God doesn't want anyone to go to Hell. That is why He sent Jesus Christ on a rescue mission to earth to save us. Please, don't miss out on His offer of salvation and a Home in Heaven with Him for all eternity.
May our focus this Christmas be on the Lord Jesus Christ and His gift of salvation and forgiveness of our sins. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and the only Way to the Father. There is only one Way into Heaven and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the One that offers us true rest in our very souls. Let our hearts and minds overflow with joy through the Holy Spirit who dwells in each of us who have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. We are saved by His Grace through faith in His finished work on the Cross.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May the Lord bless you and your families as you celebrate Him and all that He has done.
I will close this blog posting with something I wrote for the Christmas Eve Service that was held at my Church tonight:
Christmas Eve Service –
December 24, 2016
During the Advent season we have been
preparing our hearts to celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ. Over the past several weeks we have reflected
on the Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy that is available in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here we are gathered together on
Christmas Eve to worship the Lord and give thanks to Him for all that He has
done for us. May we come to realize how
much God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us.
God demonstrated His great love for
each of us by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, into this world to
save us from our sins. Jesus lived a
perfect sinless life and died on the Cross for our sins.
God raised Jesus from the dead on the third
day and He sits at the right hand of God in Heaven. One Day Jesus will return and establish His
Kingdom upon the earth in full completion.
We are reminded of God’s love for each
of us in John 3:16 which says, “For God
so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus Christ came into this dark
sinful world of ours on a rescue mission to save us from our sins. We must receive the gift of salvation by
accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
[Prayer]: Lord, Thank You that You loved us so very
much that You sent Jesus Christ to save us from our sins. Thank You Lord that whoever calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved. In Jesus name
we pray, Amen.
Friday, December 23, 2016
Make Room For Jesus
The world can seem like a very dark and lonely place to live at times. There seems to be a lot of busyness this time of the year. There is also a lot of coldness and I am not just talking about the temperature in Northern Maine. There is rudeness and anger lurking all around our world today. We believers in Christ can also fall into that trap if we aren't careful.
We all know that bad company corrupts good character and that is true. We have all had that experience I think at some point in our lives. It is easy to be pulled off the course of godly living.
We live in a culture that is sliding farther from God moment by moment. The culture is trying extra hard to kick God out of every facet of life that it can.
They can try to get rid of God, but they can't. He isn't going anywhere. The Lord is sovereign and He rules over everything. The Lord is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. We are His creation. God doesn't answer to us. We must answer to Him.
I was reading in the Bible about we God sent Jesus into this world of ours as a baby. Everyone had to go to their home towns to register because there was a census that was ordered. We can find that account in Luke 2:1-7 which says,
"1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
We all know that bad company corrupts good character and that is true. We have all had that experience I think at some point in our lives. It is easy to be pulled off the course of godly living.
We live in a culture that is sliding farther from God moment by moment. The culture is trying extra hard to kick God out of every facet of life that it can.
They can try to get rid of God, but they can't. He isn't going anywhere. The Lord is sovereign and He rules over everything. The Lord is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. We are His creation. God doesn't answer to us. We must answer to Him.
I was reading in the Bible about we God sent Jesus into this world of ours as a baby. Everyone had to go to their home towns to register because there was a census that was ordered. We can find that account in Luke 2:1-7 which says,
"1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. "
I was thinking about how God loves us so very much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to save us from our sins and give us eternal life in Heaven.
The Lord Jesus lived a perfect sinless life and died on the Cross for our sins. God raised Jesus to life on the third day. Everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.
The Lord Jesus was fully man and fully God. He came to earth on a rescue mission. Angels announced His coming to shepherds watching their flocks. The Prophets had proclaimed that the day of His arrival would come and where it would take place. Some wise men from the east followed a star to find Him so they could bring Him gifts.
God came down to mankind, but few seemed to care. There was no room for Jesus at the inn. He had to placed in a manger.
Many people in our world today still will not make room for Jesus in their hearts or in their lives and sometimes their churches. Some just go on living day to day with no thought of God, Jesus, or eternity.
This world needs Jesus. I need Jesus more everyday.
He also needs more of me.
Christmas Day is almost here when we celebrate the first coming of Jesus Christ. Let us make room for Jesus in our hearts and our lives. Let us give Jesus the place of honor at our Christmas dinner with the family.
We need to make room for Jesus and turn to Him.
Let us worship the Lord and love Him because He loves us so very much.
Lord,
We come to You with humbled hearts.
We are sorry for not making more room for You in our lives.
Help us to honor You and love You the way we ought to.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Showing Mercy
It is always easier to point out other people's sins and faults than to deal with our own. We find it all to easy sometimes to look down on others because of their failings. We all fail at times. We all have sinned and have fallen short of God's high standards. The wages of sin is death. There is a price to pay for our sin. There are consequences to our actions and sometimes we have to pay a high price.
The good news is this. God demonstrated His great love for us by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect sinless life on the earth and He died on the Cross shedding His blood and dying for our sins. Jesus came to rescue us from sin. We must repent of our sins. That is we must recognize that we are sinners and that we want to turn from sin. We then must turn to Jesus and trust in His finished work on the Cross for our sins.
God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day to show that He is indeed God. The believer in Christ will still struggle with sin everyday, but we must submit to the Holy Spirit's direction each day. There is no longer any condemnation for the believer in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1).
I was reminded today about the time when the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus to test Him. We can find that account in John 8:1-11 which says,
"1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
The good news is this. God demonstrated His great love for us by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to live a perfect sinless life on the earth and He died on the Cross shedding His blood and dying for our sins. Jesus came to rescue us from sin. We must repent of our sins. That is we must recognize that we are sinners and that we want to turn from sin. We then must turn to Jesus and trust in His finished work on the Cross for our sins.
God raised Jesus from the dead on the third day to show that He is indeed God. The believer in Christ will still struggle with sin everyday, but we must submit to the Holy Spirit's direction each day. There is no longer any condemnation for the believer in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1).
I was reminded today about the time when the Pharisees brought a woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus to test Him. We can find that account in John 8:1-11 which says,
"1 but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them.
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group
4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery.
5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?”
6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.
7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there.
10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” "
Jesus was the only one that could have condemned the woman who was caught in a sinful act. Jesus didn't come to condemn the world, but He came to save the world through His sacrifice on the Cross.
One day He will return to judge the world and everyone will have to give an account of their lives that they lived. The main theme will be what did you believe about Jesus sacrifice on the Cross. Everyone who has come to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will be saved and will escape judgement.
Jesus paid the price for our sins with His precious blood. Jesus showed us mercy and granted us grace. When we trust in Jesus Christ and what He did for us we are no longer under condemnation.
Why do we look on other people who sin with condemnation an no mercy?
We believers in Jesus Christ need to extend mercy and grace toward other people. We are all in need of the Lord's mercy and grace. We all fall down sometimes. We mess up. Sometimes in a big embarrassing way. When we do we should own up to it and pay the consequences and trust that the Lord will see us through.
When a brother or sister in Christ falls we need to try to restore them if they are willing to be restored that is. Sometimes that is a hard thing to determine. We will need to practice discernment and trust the Holy Spirit to help us in those situation. It will take time and prayer and patience.
Let us show mercy to those around us.
Lord,
Help us to show mercy to others as You have showed it so greatly toward us.
Help us not to condemn others, but help us to pray for them.
Thank You for Your love and grace.
Lead us and guide us by Your Spirit.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Loving The Lord Jesus Christ
Sometimes it is very easy to lose our focus in life. We become so busy with the day to day things that we forget to whom we belong. If we have put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation then we belong to Him. The world is a very dark place and it will try its hardest to pull us and mold us to be the way it is.
We must resist the pull of the world at all cost. It is very tempting to cave into fleshly desires of all kinds, but we must be very careful and resist those temptations. We must continue in the love of Jesus Christ and keep our hearts and minds focused on Him.
There will be times when we fail and fall head first into sin. We must confess our sin to the Lord (I John 1:9) and repent of that sin and get up and keep following Jesus. We believers in Jesus Christ must be awake to the dangers all around us. We are indeed hard pressed on every side. Our enemy, the devil, lurks around like a hungry lion trying to see whom he can devour next.
We must stand firm upon God's world and in the love of Jesus Christ. We must resist the devil so that he will flee from us. The Lord will help us through any difficult situation that we encounter, but we need to be trusting in Him. We can't do the Christian life on our own at all and that can be hard for many believers to come to terms with. It is the Holy Spirit that dwells within everyone who is trusting in Jesus Christ that is making more like Jesus each and everyday.
We may not see that results ourselves, but is we are living for Jesus other people will notice that their is something different about us in a good way. We believers need to be careful also about becoming too worldly and compromising our faith in Jesus Christ. It is all to easy to drift off course and not even realize it.
It is important to read the Bible and study it. We must keep on praying fellowshipping with the Lord everyday. Jesus loves us and He wants to have a close relationship with His children that is hard to do if we never talk to Him or worship Him from our very hearts.
I am reminded of the Ephesian Church in the book of Revelation 2:1-7 which says,
"1 “To the angelaof the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
We must resist the pull of the world at all cost. It is very tempting to cave into fleshly desires of all kinds, but we must be very careful and resist those temptations. We must continue in the love of Jesus Christ and keep our hearts and minds focused on Him.
There will be times when we fail and fall head first into sin. We must confess our sin to the Lord (I John 1:9) and repent of that sin and get up and keep following Jesus. We believers in Jesus Christ must be awake to the dangers all around us. We are indeed hard pressed on every side. Our enemy, the devil, lurks around like a hungry lion trying to see whom he can devour next.
We must stand firm upon God's world and in the love of Jesus Christ. We must resist the devil so that he will flee from us. The Lord will help us through any difficult situation that we encounter, but we need to be trusting in Him. We can't do the Christian life on our own at all and that can be hard for many believers to come to terms with. It is the Holy Spirit that dwells within everyone who is trusting in Jesus Christ that is making more like Jesus each and everyday.
We may not see that results ourselves, but is we are living for Jesus other people will notice that their is something different about us in a good way. We believers need to be careful also about becoming too worldly and compromising our faith in Jesus Christ. It is all to easy to drift off course and not even realize it.
It is important to read the Bible and study it. We must keep on praying fellowshipping with the Lord everyday. Jesus loves us and He wants to have a close relationship with His children that is hard to do if we never talk to Him or worship Him from our very hearts.
I am reminded of the Ephesian Church in the book of Revelation 2:1-7 which says,
"1 “To the angelaof the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.
3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.
5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God".
The Ephesian Church had some good things going for it. They were busy and working hard at doing things. They didn't like wicked things that people were doing around them and they exposed false teachers.
The Lord saw all that they were doing, ,but He had something against them. In all of their busyness they had neglected their first love. Their love for Jesus had grown cold if it had been there at all. There love for others suffered as well.
We must be careful that we never let our love for Jesus Christ fade that we start growing cold and becoming like the world around us. We need to stand firm in the love of Jesus Christ and love others as He loves us.
The Church is in danger of falling asleep (if it hasn't already done so) and losing it's effective witness in the world. We must awake out of our sleep and love the Lord Jesus Christ and live for Him. Let us take up our cross whole denying ourselves and follow Jesus everyday.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves you. Are you showing love for Him or for the world around you?
Let us continue to walk in the Spirit and show the love we have for Jesus to those around us.
Lord,
Thank You for Your love and mercy.
We praise Your name.
Come Soon O Lord.
Draw people to You for salvation.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
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