How do most fires start? Usually because of a small spark. In James, it is written that our tongues are fire, a word of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one's life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
The tongue is small but has the power to control everything.
When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships for example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. (James 3:3-5)
I wonder if your tongue is tamed or is it ready to start a fire? Taming the tongue is so incredibly hard and I am not even that good at having a tamed tongue. Way better than I used to be that is for sure. I believe one of the best ways to tame your tongue is when you spend time with the Lord on a daily basis. That time leads to feeling and being more aware of the Holy Spirit's presence. When I feel the Holy Spirit's presence, it is more easy to recognize when I should or shouldn't say something.
What we say and what we don't say are both important. Proper speech is not only saying the right thing at the right time, but it is also controlling your desire to say what you shouldn't. An untamed tongue is one that gossips, puts others down, complains, flatters, and lies. Before we speak we should ask ourselves, "Is what I want to say true? It is necessary? Is it kind?"
I encourage you to write those three questions down and try to remember them all of the time. If we are able to remember those questions before we speak, imagine how much better we could control what we say.
An uncontrolled tongue can do terrible things. Satan uses the tongue to divide people and pit them against one another. Hateful words are damaging because they spread destruction quickly, and no one can stop the results once they are spoken. We can't be tricked into thinking that we can apologize later about what we say, because even if we do, the scars remain.
but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. (James 3:8)
If no human can tame the tongue, why even bother trying? That is a fair question to ask. Even though we may never be able to achieve perfect control of our tongues, we can still learn enough to reduce the damage our words can do. It is better to fight a fire than to let the fire take its course and destroy everything.
Fighting the tongue's fire is something that we cannot do on our own strength. The Holy Spirit will give us increasing power to monitor and control what say, so that when we are offended, the Spirit reminds us of God's love, and we won't react in a hateful manner. If you have relied on the Holy Spirit before in this context and know what it's like to be able to control your tongue it is one of the best feeling. It's so real.
I encourage you to all the remember those three questions before you say anything:
Is what I want to say true?
It is necessary?
It is kind?
We can never tame the tongue on our own, we have to rely on the Holy Spirit. Words are powerful, be carful to how you use them.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Even the demons believe
I want you to know something, we have something in common with demons. Much like we believe in Jesus so did the demons. Now I bet that you didn't know that and are wondering how we can be different becauseI don't want to be like demons and you probably don't want to be either. Lucky for you and for me, there is a way that we are and can be different. Believing in something is having faith, so I have faith, you have faith, and demons have faith that Jesus is real.
So what can make us different? Our deeds and our actions.
What good is it, my brothers and sister, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? (James 2:14)
When someone claims to have faith, what he or she may have is intellectual assent-agreement with a set of Christian teachings-and as such it would be incomplete faith. We say all that we want, but without doing anything our faith isn't complete. True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts. If our lives remain unchanged, we don't truly believe the truths we claim to believe.
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17)
We cannot earn our salvation by the things we do. Serving the homeless or volunteering your time at a charity aren't things that solidify our spot in heaven. But such actions show that our commitment to God is real. Deeds of loving service are not a substitute for, but rather a verification of, our faith in Christ.
I hope that by now you are seeing that faith without deeds is dead and our true faith is going to be shown by our deeds and actions. It's not about claiming you have faith, but actually doing something about it.
Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Issac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not be faith alone. (James 2:21-24)
James writes that Abraham was righteous because of what he did and Paul says that he was justified because he believed. Paul and James are completing each other here. We are not justified by what he do in any way. True faith always results in deeds, but the deeds do not justify us. Faith brings us salvation; active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine.
Another person who demonstrated faith with deeds was Rehab. When Israel's spies came to the city, she hid them and helped them escape. In this way she demonstrated faith in God's purpose for Israel. As a result, she and her family were saved when the city was destroyed.
Fatih -> Deeds -> Righteous -> God's Friend
When we have faith, and our actions show that our faith is genuine, we are considered righteous, and when we are righteous, we are called God's friend. I want to be God's friend every day and I hope that you do too.
I hope this post was an impactful for you as it was for me. I know after writing it, I want to show that I have genuine faith because of my actions and deeds.
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
True character
True character...I am curious to what you think that looks like. I know that it seems like this work is filled with a lot of people who have true character and an almost equal or greater amount that has fake character. It's easy to spot fake people sometimes. I am not judging others by saying that. Everyday I have an interaction with someone I know and I see how they act and then I will see them around other people and their actions are totally different. Their actions are different, the words they are saying are different, and they are probably thinking about things in a different way.
Having a true character has been something that has taken me a long time to develop. We are so much different than people and to fit in sometimes you have to act a little different than you might normally act. I've made it a goal and priority of mine to be the same person both on and off the court. Along with being the same person both inside church and outside of church. I am who I am and I want people to know that they are getting the same me 100% of the time.
It's difficult because certain activities require different character traits and skills that you have. Here is the thing, skills and character traits are two different things. You could have all the skills in the world and no character and not get anywhere or you could have very little skills and have a great deal of character and have the sky by the limit. I've been told that businesses nowadays want people with high character over those who are just very skilled. Character is almost everything.
One of the things that has taken me awhile to learn is how to have the same character at the highest of highs as I do at the lowest of lows. That has taken me longer than anything else. When things don't go our way it is so easy to get frustrated about the situation that we are in. We let those frustrations lead to sin and when we sin we aren't showing our true character.
To me this is something you just to have to practice over and over again. You have to keep a level head and remember one thing. Christ Jesus is what is most important in this life and believing in him means more to me than anything else does. When things start to get out of hand you just have to remember what is truly important. Getting mad and being angry won't get you anywhere. When you get tempted to get angry, just sit back, take a deep breath and lets thing fizzle out.
Another thing that I have learned is that people notice your character more than anything else. It's easy to think you have to do something really cool for people to notice you but that's not what catches people's attention. When you get caught up in thinking that all of the skills or things you accomplish based on pure skill are what is most important the only eyes you're going to attract are the eyes of people who don't have true character either.
I've learned that people with true character don't shy away from telling you that you have true character. There is value in that. That means you have relationships with people who have true character which is something that we all need. You know what? God knows when you have true character as well and I believe the Holy Spirit encourages others to say things to people with true character.
I also wonder what matters to you. Does it mean more for you to be affirmed about having good character? Or does it mean more for you to be affirmed based on skills or a performance. For me, the answer is obvious. I could have my best game of the season and to be complemented on my character means more to me than anything else.
I have also learned that people notice things that you would never think they would notice. I don't want to make it sound creepy, but somebody is always watching. People notice every little thing about you. So how are you acting?
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us all from pain. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask him to solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; he will always still close to you and help you grow.
Have true character at all times. It's not easy and every step of the process is meant for your learning.
Having a true character has been something that has taken me a long time to develop. We are so much different than people and to fit in sometimes you have to act a little different than you might normally act. I've made it a goal and priority of mine to be the same person both on and off the court. Along with being the same person both inside church and outside of church. I am who I am and I want people to know that they are getting the same me 100% of the time.
It's difficult because certain activities require different character traits and skills that you have. Here is the thing, skills and character traits are two different things. You could have all the skills in the world and no character and not get anywhere or you could have very little skills and have a great deal of character and have the sky by the limit. I've been told that businesses nowadays want people with high character over those who are just very skilled. Character is almost everything.
One of the things that has taken me awhile to learn is how to have the same character at the highest of highs as I do at the lowest of lows. That has taken me longer than anything else. When things don't go our way it is so easy to get frustrated about the situation that we are in. We let those frustrations lead to sin and when we sin we aren't showing our true character.
To me this is something you just to have to practice over and over again. You have to keep a level head and remember one thing. Christ Jesus is what is most important in this life and believing in him means more to me than anything else does. When things start to get out of hand you just have to remember what is truly important. Getting mad and being angry won't get you anywhere. When you get tempted to get angry, just sit back, take a deep breath and lets thing fizzle out.
Another thing that I have learned is that people notice your character more than anything else. It's easy to think you have to do something really cool for people to notice you but that's not what catches people's attention. When you get caught up in thinking that all of the skills or things you accomplish based on pure skill are what is most important the only eyes you're going to attract are the eyes of people who don't have true character either.
I've learned that people with true character don't shy away from telling you that you have true character. There is value in that. That means you have relationships with people who have true character which is something that we all need. You know what? God knows when you have true character as well and I believe the Holy Spirit encourages others to say things to people with true character.
I also wonder what matters to you. Does it mean more for you to be affirmed about having good character? Or does it mean more for you to be affirmed based on skills or a performance. For me, the answer is obvious. I could have my best game of the season and to be complemented on my character means more to me than anything else.
I have also learned that people notice things that you would never think they would notice. I don't want to make it sound creepy, but somebody is always watching. People notice every little thing about you. So how are you acting?
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trails of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)
God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us all from pain. Thank God for promising to be with you in rough times. Ask him to solve your problems or to give you the strength to endure them. Then be patient. God will not leave you alone with your problems; he will always still close to you and help you grow.
Have true character at all times. It's not easy and every step of the process is meant for your learning.
Monday, February 25, 2019
Continual sacrifice of praise
Do you ever sit and wonder how you can give God continual praise throughout the day? That is what God wants, but something we often don't do. It can be easy to give God some of your time throughout the day but imagine doing it more than just once throughout the day.
I hope to give you two easy ways to offer a continual sacrifice to God on a daily basis.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of the lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16)
We can continually offer God a sacrifice of praise through our lips professing his name. When we talk about God we are bringing him praise. Our lips should confess God's name in praise everyday. Yet, how often to do hear God's name used profanely? Probably more times than when you hear it used as praise. That is sad to think about. I experience it at a Christian college every day, I can't imagine what it might be like elsewhere. Christians should turn their frequency toward praise. Praise God early in the day before the rush, then again in the hurried middle, and at the end as business winds down. By doing that you are offering God a continual sacrifice of praise.
Praising God with our lips is one way, so what is the other? It is doing good and sharing with others. We have the capability to offer acts of service anywhere and anytime. A sacrifice of praise. What does that look like? A "sacrifice of praise" today would include thanking Christ for his sacrifice on the cross and telling others about it. Acts of kindness and sharing are particularly pleasing to God, even when they go unnoticed by others.
After reading this I hope that you better know how to offer God a continual sacrifice of praise every day. It's not as difficult as we make it. It's actually quite easy, it just starts with us making a decision to do it on a daily basis.
I hope to give you two easy ways to offer a continual sacrifice to God on a daily basis.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise-the fruit of the lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16)
We can continually offer God a sacrifice of praise through our lips professing his name. When we talk about God we are bringing him praise. Our lips should confess God's name in praise everyday. Yet, how often to do hear God's name used profanely? Probably more times than when you hear it used as praise. That is sad to think about. I experience it at a Christian college every day, I can't imagine what it might be like elsewhere. Christians should turn their frequency toward praise. Praise God early in the day before the rush, then again in the hurried middle, and at the end as business winds down. By doing that you are offering God a continual sacrifice of praise.
Praising God with our lips is one way, so what is the other? It is doing good and sharing with others. We have the capability to offer acts of service anywhere and anytime. A sacrifice of praise. What does that look like? A "sacrifice of praise" today would include thanking Christ for his sacrifice on the cross and telling others about it. Acts of kindness and sharing are particularly pleasing to God, even when they go unnoticed by others.
After reading this I hope that you better know how to offer God a continual sacrifice of praise every day. It's not as difficult as we make it. It's actually quite easy, it just starts with us making a decision to do it on a daily basis.
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Unshakable Kingdom
Eventually the world will crumble. This earth that you and I live in and have been living on will be gone someday. There will be nothing left. How often are you putting your trust in things of this world? It seems like it's easier to do sometimes, but why put your faith in something that is eventually going to crumble?
With this post I hope to encourage you that as believers in Christ, we are part of something that is unshakable. It's hard to remember that sometimes so I hope that by reading this post you can remember it more easily often.
The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:27-29)
Only God's kingdom will last. Those who follow Christ are part of the unshakable kingdom, and they will withstand the shaking, sifting, and boring. When we feel unsure about the future, we can take our confidence from these verses. No matter what happens here, our future is built on a solid foundation that cannot be destroyed. Don't put your confidence in what will be destroyed; instead build your life on Christ and his unshakable kingdom.
With this post I hope to encourage you that as believers in Christ, we are part of something that is unshakable. It's hard to remember that sometimes so I hope that by reading this post you can remember it more easily often.
The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken-that is, created things-so that what cannot be shaken remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:27-29)
Only God's kingdom will last. Those who follow Christ are part of the unshakable kingdom, and they will withstand the shaking, sifting, and boring. When we feel unsure about the future, we can take our confidence from these verses. No matter what happens here, our future is built on a solid foundation that cannot be destroyed. Don't put your confidence in what will be destroyed; instead build your life on Christ and his unshakable kingdom.
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Faith's Hall of Fame
Hebrews 11 is a book that is referred to as faith's hall of fame. It is an incredible book that features story after story about people in the bible who had faith.
What is faith? Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Two words describe faith: confidence and assurance. These two words need a secure beginning and ending point. The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character - he is who he says he is. The end point is believing in God's promises - he will do what he says. When we believe that God is going to fulfill his promises without actually seeming then being fulfilled, that is true faith.
I hope this post allows you to take a look at your faith. I really just plan on sharing a lot of the examples that were written about in Hebrews. These characters had faith like many others didn't. They trusted in God no matter how badly things looked for them or out of this world. These are true heroes of faith.
One thing that is surprising is that these people of faith did without receiving all that God has promised, but they never lost their vision of heaven. It is fair to say that many Christians become frustrated when their needs, wants, expectations and demands are no immediately met when they believe in Christ. We become impatient and want to quit. Are you discouraged because the achievement of your goals seem so far away? The heroes of faith died without seeing the fruit of their faith on earth and yet they continued to believe.
So who are these heroes of faith?
1. The first hero is actually us believe it or not. God called the universe into existence out of nothing; he declared that it was to be, and it was. Our faith is in the God who created the entire universe by his word. God's word also has awesome power. When he speaks do you listen and respond? We are heroes of faith when we put our trust and faith in God that he created the entire universe.
2. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commanded as righteous, when God spoke of his offerings. And by faith, Able still speaks, even though he is dead.
3. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death. This is the crazy one to me. I am pretty positive that Enoch was the only person ever to never experience death. God literally decided to just take him away. Before he was taken he was commended as one who pleased God. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
4. By faith Noah, when warned about things unseen, in fear, built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Noah's faith saved humanity. When everybody thought he was crazy, he wasn't concerned with what others had to think about him. His concern was building the ark.
5. By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Abraham left everything he was used to. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country.
6.. By faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made his promise. Imagine a super old lady having faith that she could still bear a child.
7. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Issac as a sacrifice. He was set to sacrifice is one and only son.
Those were some of the biggest heroes of faith and a really brief description of how they had faith. Now sit and think about your faith. Do you have faith like these heroes of faith did? God used these heroes of faith to have faith in some pretty big issues. You might look at some of the things these people were going through and think that you could never have faith like they did, but God isn't asking us to have faith exactly like they did. God wants you to have your faith in him and your life and the things that you go through on a daily basis.
Have faith is something that is bigger than yourself. You have to have faith in God. Remember to persevere as well. We aren't going to get what we are promised until the day that we die and go to heaven. That is when we will receive what God has promised, it's not going to happen in this world. This world is not our home, never forget that.
Have some faith and step into faith's hall of fame today. It starts with you.
What is faith? Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Two words describe faith: confidence and assurance. These two words need a secure beginning and ending point. The beginning point of faith is believing in God's character - he is who he says he is. The end point is believing in God's promises - he will do what he says. When we believe that God is going to fulfill his promises without actually seeming then being fulfilled, that is true faith.
I hope this post allows you to take a look at your faith. I really just plan on sharing a lot of the examples that were written about in Hebrews. These characters had faith like many others didn't. They trusted in God no matter how badly things looked for them or out of this world. These are true heroes of faith.
One thing that is surprising is that these people of faith did without receiving all that God has promised, but they never lost their vision of heaven. It is fair to say that many Christians become frustrated when their needs, wants, expectations and demands are no immediately met when they believe in Christ. We become impatient and want to quit. Are you discouraged because the achievement of your goals seem so far away? The heroes of faith died without seeing the fruit of their faith on earth and yet they continued to believe.
So who are these heroes of faith?
1. The first hero is actually us believe it or not. God called the universe into existence out of nothing; he declared that it was to be, and it was. Our faith is in the God who created the entire universe by his word. God's word also has awesome power. When he speaks do you listen and respond? We are heroes of faith when we put our trust and faith in God that he created the entire universe.
2. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commanded as righteous, when God spoke of his offerings. And by faith, Able still speaks, even though he is dead.
3. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death. This is the crazy one to me. I am pretty positive that Enoch was the only person ever to never experience death. God literally decided to just take him away. Before he was taken he was commended as one who pleased God. Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
4. By faith Noah, when warned about things unseen, in fear, built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith. Noah's faith saved humanity. When everybody thought he was crazy, he wasn't concerned with what others had to think about him. His concern was building the ark.
5. By faith, Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. Abraham left everything he was used to. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country.
6.. By faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made his promise. Imagine a super old lady having faith that she could still bear a child.
7. By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Issac as a sacrifice. He was set to sacrifice is one and only son.
Those were some of the biggest heroes of faith and a really brief description of how they had faith. Now sit and think about your faith. Do you have faith like these heroes of faith did? God used these heroes of faith to have faith in some pretty big issues. You might look at some of the things these people were going through and think that you could never have faith like they did, but God isn't asking us to have faith exactly like they did. God wants you to have your faith in him and your life and the things that you go through on a daily basis.
Have faith is something that is bigger than yourself. You have to have faith in God. Remember to persevere as well. We aren't going to get what we are promised until the day that we die and go to heaven. That is when we will receive what God has promised, it's not going to happen in this world. This world is not our home, never forget that.
Have some faith and step into faith's hall of fame today. It starts with you.
Thursday, February 21, 2019
You can't reject it
What is God's most precious gift to us? God's most precious gift to us is when Christ Jesus died on the cross for ALL of our sins. Now remember, this was a one time thing. Jesus wasn't killed over and over again. Christ Jesus died on the cross one time.
Because of his one sacrifice, he has made perfect those who are being made holy.
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:14)
What does that mean? We have been made perfect, yet we are "being made holy." Through his death and resurrection, Christ, once for all, made his believers perfect in God's sight. At the same time, he is making us holy. (progressively cleansed and set apart for his special use) We all need to grow. Let's face it. We can't ever be ashamed that we have areas that we must grow in. God is not finished with us. We can encourage their growth process by applying scripture to all areas of our lives, by accepting the disciple and guidance Christ provides, and by giving him control of our desires and goals.
We hear about the death and resurrection over and over again. We learn about it, talk about it, read about, etc. As Christians we believe it. There should never be any denial of our beliefs.
If we deliberately keep on sining after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Hebrews 10:26)
There was only one sacrifice. If we keep on sinning, over and over again then there is no other sacrifice for our sins. This was a one time deal. When people reject Christ's offer of salvation, they reject God's most precious gift. This happens when we ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit, the one who communicates to us God's saving love.
The point this verse is making is that there is no other acceptable sacrifice for sin than the death of Christ on the cross and that is something that we cannot reject or deny. If somebody deliberately rejects the sacrifice of Christ after clearly understanding the gospel teaching about it, then there is no way for that person to be saved, because God has not provided any other name under heaven by which we can be saved.
Remember this too, I am not saying that if we keep sinning that we won't go to heaven. We are humans and we sin. No matter how hard we try, over and over again we sin. God loves us so much that he sent his one and only son to die on the cross for us, so that if we believe in him we will have eternal life. Our God is a forgiving God. We are forgiven. But when we reject the sacrifice and keep deliberately sinning that is when we are to fear the day of judgment.
We can't reject it.
Because of his one sacrifice, he has made perfect those who are being made holy.
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10:14)
What does that mean? We have been made perfect, yet we are "being made holy." Through his death and resurrection, Christ, once for all, made his believers perfect in God's sight. At the same time, he is making us holy. (progressively cleansed and set apart for his special use) We all need to grow. Let's face it. We can't ever be ashamed that we have areas that we must grow in. God is not finished with us. We can encourage their growth process by applying scripture to all areas of our lives, by accepting the disciple and guidance Christ provides, and by giving him control of our desires and goals.
We hear about the death and resurrection over and over again. We learn about it, talk about it, read about, etc. As Christians we believe it. There should never be any denial of our beliefs.
If we deliberately keep on sining after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. (Hebrews 10:26)
There was only one sacrifice. If we keep on sinning, over and over again then there is no other sacrifice for our sins. This was a one time deal. When people reject Christ's offer of salvation, they reject God's most precious gift. This happens when we ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit, the one who communicates to us God's saving love.
The point this verse is making is that there is no other acceptable sacrifice for sin than the death of Christ on the cross and that is something that we cannot reject or deny. If somebody deliberately rejects the sacrifice of Christ after clearly understanding the gospel teaching about it, then there is no way for that person to be saved, because God has not provided any other name under heaven by which we can be saved.
Remember this too, I am not saying that if we keep sinning that we won't go to heaven. We are humans and we sin. No matter how hard we try, over and over again we sin. God loves us so much that he sent his one and only son to die on the cross for us, so that if we believe in him we will have eternal life. Our God is a forgiving God. We are forgiven. But when we reject the sacrifice and keep deliberately sinning that is when we are to fear the day of judgment.
We can't reject it.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
On this rock...
This morning while I was reading I came across a verse in the book of Psalms that was so very encouraging. I always read a chapter of Psalms and another book of the bible when I do my reading and sometimes I will come across something I find in Psalms that I just have to share with you.
I don't know if this is just me or not, but do you ever really look at what is going on in the world around us and think "oh crap, it's over for us Christians?" Or think that there really isn't too much to be hopeful for? It's easy when you are a student in college to go days without seeing what is going on the news, but when you do, what do you usually think? There is so much negativity that is going on in our world. I am not trying to be a Debbie downer or Johnny rain cloud, I am just being real. You turn on the news and see that there is political unrest, shootings, migrant caravans all over the world, etc. There never seems to be anything good that is going on. If there is something good that happens you only here about a really briefly.
That paragraph isn't my main point. The point I want to bring up is that when there is negative circulation around all aspects of life, it's sometimes easy to give up hope. It seems like Christians keep having to accept more beliefs and ideas that normally wouldn't be accepted. The culture is changing. Christians are persecuted all over the world.
Sometimes it feels like the persecution might take a toll, but it never will. It's like we get broken down but are never destroyed.
"they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained victory over me." (Psalm 129:2)
The people of Israel were persecuted from their earliest days but never destroyed completely. The same is true for the church and for you and I. Christians have faced times of severe persecution, but the church has never been destroyed. As Jesus said to Peter (which means "rock"), "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18).
When we face persecution and discrimination, take courage-the church will never be destroyed. I encourage you to really let stick in your hearts and minds. Remember that daily. There are times where we will be persecuted and broken down but we will never be destroyed. When all of the crazy things that are happening in this world are going on, you will never be destroyed. Have confidence in times of persecution!
I don't know if this is just me or not, but do you ever really look at what is going on in the world around us and think "oh crap, it's over for us Christians?" Or think that there really isn't too much to be hopeful for? It's easy when you are a student in college to go days without seeing what is going on the news, but when you do, what do you usually think? There is so much negativity that is going on in our world. I am not trying to be a Debbie downer or Johnny rain cloud, I am just being real. You turn on the news and see that there is political unrest, shootings, migrant caravans all over the world, etc. There never seems to be anything good that is going on. If there is something good that happens you only here about a really briefly.
That paragraph isn't my main point. The point I want to bring up is that when there is negative circulation around all aspects of life, it's sometimes easy to give up hope. It seems like Christians keep having to accept more beliefs and ideas that normally wouldn't be accepted. The culture is changing. Christians are persecuted all over the world.
Sometimes it feels like the persecution might take a toll, but it never will. It's like we get broken down but are never destroyed.
"they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
but they have not gained victory over me." (Psalm 129:2)
The people of Israel were persecuted from their earliest days but never destroyed completely. The same is true for the church and for you and I. Christians have faced times of severe persecution, but the church has never been destroyed. As Jesus said to Peter (which means "rock"), "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18).
When we face persecution and discrimination, take courage-the church will never be destroyed. I encourage you to really let stick in your hearts and minds. Remember that daily. There are times where we will be persecuted and broken down but we will never be destroyed. When all of the crazy things that are happening in this world are going on, you will never be destroyed. Have confidence in times of persecution!
Monday, February 18, 2019
The New Covenant
For as long as I can remember, anything about the new covenant confused me. I don't really know why that is but it's just one of those things that is difficult for me to fully understand. I came across some scripture in Hebrews and Jeremiah today that described more in depth the new covenant. I hope with this post the new convent becomes more easy to understand because it's an important thing to understand.
"The days are coming," declares the Lord,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them."
"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time," declares the Lord.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest."
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)
Here we have two different books of the bible with the same exact scripture. Apart from the first couple verses from the Jeremiah passage, the end of the scripture is exactly the same. I think that is pretty cool.
A simple way to describe the new covenant would be to say that the new covenant is the covenant of grace-Christ's offer to forgive our sins and bring us to God through his sacrificial death. The covenant is new in application because it is written in our hearts and in our minds. It offers a new way to forgiveness, not through sacrifice but through faith.
So what happens under the new covenant? God's law is inside us. It is no longer an external set of rules and principles. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ's words, activates our consciences, influences our motives and desires, and makes us want to obey. Now doing God's will is something we desire with all of our heart and mind.
I hope that we all realize that life in Christ is never complete. Heaven promises completeness; until then, growth is the normal pattern. Growth often endures seasons of drought and dryness. I bet that you have been there because I know that I have. Life is so good but there are always going to be times when we experience drought in our lives. If we knew everything and understood all we were supposed to it would be like we are in heaven already. We aren't meant to experience completeness until heaven.
Think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. The key to growth includes a daily commitment. What are you doing on a daily basis?
I hope this post was informational and that you now understand the new covenant even better. I know that after what I read today I do.
"The days are coming," declares the Lord,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them."
"This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time," declares the Lord.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest."
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more." (Jeremiah 31:31-34)
This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord.
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)
Here we have two different books of the bible with the same exact scripture. Apart from the first couple verses from the Jeremiah passage, the end of the scripture is exactly the same. I think that is pretty cool.
A simple way to describe the new covenant would be to say that the new covenant is the covenant of grace-Christ's offer to forgive our sins and bring us to God through his sacrificial death. The covenant is new in application because it is written in our hearts and in our minds. It offers a new way to forgiveness, not through sacrifice but through faith.
So what happens under the new covenant? God's law is inside us. It is no longer an external set of rules and principles. The Holy Spirit reminds us of Christ's words, activates our consciences, influences our motives and desires, and makes us want to obey. Now doing God's will is something we desire with all of our heart and mind.
I hope that we all realize that life in Christ is never complete. Heaven promises completeness; until then, growth is the normal pattern. Growth often endures seasons of drought and dryness. I bet that you have been there because I know that I have. Life is so good but there are always going to be times when we experience drought in our lives. If we knew everything and understood all we were supposed to it would be like we are in heaven already. We aren't meant to experience completeness until heaven.
Think about what you are doing that might be spiritually ineffective or obsolete. The key to growth includes a daily commitment. What are you doing on a daily basis?
I hope this post was informational and that you now understand the new covenant even better. I know that after what I read today I do.
Sunday, February 17, 2019
Out of control
I am going to be honest, I shouldn't be sitting here writing this post right now. I don't want this post to be a big deal at all, I am not writing this to be like "woah look at me." I am writing this to share an experience that made me and two of my friends value life even more.
God saved my life and two of my friends lives tonight on our way back to school. The toll road was snowy and icy as I drove back tonight and my little Honda Civic doesn't handle the best in the snow. We had just crossed over the state line and doing a solid 60 miles per hour. That was about as fast as we could go tonight in order to be safe. There were instances were I had to go 50 and other times where I cold get up to about 70, it all depended on how the roads were in that area.
So I was in the left lane and I was switching back to the right lane and in the middle there was snow and slush that had been built up like there usually is when it is snowing pretty hard. As I was slowly moving into the left lane I could feel myself beginning to lose control. Now I am sure a lot of you have felt this before. You hit a sheet of ice and for a brief second and your heart skips a beat because you don't feel safe. I was thinking this would be like all of those other times I had felt that way before.
As soon as I begin to lose control, I thought I would be able to maneuver out of it and be okay. That wasn't the case. I lost complete control and the back end of my car whipped around and we were swerving all over the place. We did a complete 360 and looked like we were heading towards the traffic going in the opposite direction and then did another 360 back to the other direction and it seemed like we were going straight into the ditch. As we were sliding out of control towards the ditch we did another 360 and it looked like we were going back into the median but we quickly spun back the right direction. We spun all the way around at least 4 times and when my car finally stopped moving we were facing the right direction and we were still on the road.
What had happened probably lasted 15 seconds but it seemed like it was a couple of minutes in the moment. I had never felt so out of control about anything in my life than I did when I was spinning out of control. I was trying to turn my wheel in whatever direction I could to try and help what was going on. Being desperately out of control is a feeling that I am not used to. Most people would say that they felt like their lives were controlled by the car in that situation, which is partially true. But our lives were in God's control.
There was a powerful feeling in my car as we begin to lose control. Nobody panicked. I remember thinking "oh crap, oh crap, oh crap," but I never felt like anything that bad was going to happen. Which is surprising because we were spinning so fast and all over the place. From the moment I felt like I lost control, I knew that God had control of what was happening. There weren't any screams, no yelling, and hardly any fear. That is the power of God. I think 95% of people who experience that might freak out a lot, but that just wasn't the case. There was an army of angels watching over us tonight as we were out of control.
Now there were a couple of things that happened and fell into place that had God written all over it. First thing that comes to mind is what I just talked about. There really wasn't an abrupt fear amongst us in the car. We all trusted that God was going to protect us. Second, I think of the timing. There were not any cars even close to us. For a road as busy as the toll road that is pretty shocking. There was a car a couple yards ahead of us when we begin to spin out but nobody behind us. I remember trying to look in the direction we were coming from every time my car spun in a circle just to make sure we weren't about to get hit. Third, is another example of the timing. We were actually running a little bit late due to the weather and some issues with back roads and if this would've happened 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes after, we could've been surrounded by cars. Fourth, my car was fine. Which might seem a little silly to say, but it really is totally fine. After all the spinning around I thought something was going to be broken and we would have to sit there and wait for someone to come get us, but it was totally fine. Last but not least I think of church this morning. My mom started a ministry where adults from our church and choose a college kid and be prayer warriors for them. Scott, who is my guy told me before we left church today that he was praying for a safe drive back tonight and that prayer was answered.
I am still pretty shaken up to be honest with you, what happened tonight is one of those things you never want to happen, but you're glad you get to experience the amazing protection from God. I sit here and am thankful for another chance to value life even more. It was a good reminder that even when things seem out of control in your life that God is right there watching you and protecting you. Once I got back in my room, it hit me even more. I'm a very organized person so whenever I get back from places I like to get everything cleaned, organized, and put away but I couldn't do that tonight. I sat my stuff on the couch and went and sat on my bed and I cried. There was a lot of emotion that I was feeling, I feel bad because of what happened, especially with two friends in the car but I also so badly want to know what God has planned for my life because he continues to protect me (us) and show me (us) favor.
Tonight's a night I won't forget about anytime soon. I hope by me sharing this little story that you are open your eyes to all the ways that God is present and how he protects you every single day. I also hope that this is a wake up call to some people that our lives our valuable. Life is valuable! We can't miss out on the goodness that God has blessed us with.
God uses the craziest things to make us value life even more.
God saved my life and two of my friends lives tonight on our way back to school. The toll road was snowy and icy as I drove back tonight and my little Honda Civic doesn't handle the best in the snow. We had just crossed over the state line and doing a solid 60 miles per hour. That was about as fast as we could go tonight in order to be safe. There were instances were I had to go 50 and other times where I cold get up to about 70, it all depended on how the roads were in that area.
So I was in the left lane and I was switching back to the right lane and in the middle there was snow and slush that had been built up like there usually is when it is snowing pretty hard. As I was slowly moving into the left lane I could feel myself beginning to lose control. Now I am sure a lot of you have felt this before. You hit a sheet of ice and for a brief second and your heart skips a beat because you don't feel safe. I was thinking this would be like all of those other times I had felt that way before.
As soon as I begin to lose control, I thought I would be able to maneuver out of it and be okay. That wasn't the case. I lost complete control and the back end of my car whipped around and we were swerving all over the place. We did a complete 360 and looked like we were heading towards the traffic going in the opposite direction and then did another 360 back to the other direction and it seemed like we were going straight into the ditch. As we were sliding out of control towards the ditch we did another 360 and it looked like we were going back into the median but we quickly spun back the right direction. We spun all the way around at least 4 times and when my car finally stopped moving we were facing the right direction and we were still on the road.
What had happened probably lasted 15 seconds but it seemed like it was a couple of minutes in the moment. I had never felt so out of control about anything in my life than I did when I was spinning out of control. I was trying to turn my wheel in whatever direction I could to try and help what was going on. Being desperately out of control is a feeling that I am not used to. Most people would say that they felt like their lives were controlled by the car in that situation, which is partially true. But our lives were in God's control.
There was a powerful feeling in my car as we begin to lose control. Nobody panicked. I remember thinking "oh crap, oh crap, oh crap," but I never felt like anything that bad was going to happen. Which is surprising because we were spinning so fast and all over the place. From the moment I felt like I lost control, I knew that God had control of what was happening. There weren't any screams, no yelling, and hardly any fear. That is the power of God. I think 95% of people who experience that might freak out a lot, but that just wasn't the case. There was an army of angels watching over us tonight as we were out of control.
Now there were a couple of things that happened and fell into place that had God written all over it. First thing that comes to mind is what I just talked about. There really wasn't an abrupt fear amongst us in the car. We all trusted that God was going to protect us. Second, I think of the timing. There were not any cars even close to us. For a road as busy as the toll road that is pretty shocking. There was a car a couple yards ahead of us when we begin to spin out but nobody behind us. I remember trying to look in the direction we were coming from every time my car spun in a circle just to make sure we weren't about to get hit. Third, is another example of the timing. We were actually running a little bit late due to the weather and some issues with back roads and if this would've happened 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes after, we could've been surrounded by cars. Fourth, my car was fine. Which might seem a little silly to say, but it really is totally fine. After all the spinning around I thought something was going to be broken and we would have to sit there and wait for someone to come get us, but it was totally fine. Last but not least I think of church this morning. My mom started a ministry where adults from our church and choose a college kid and be prayer warriors for them. Scott, who is my guy told me before we left church today that he was praying for a safe drive back tonight and that prayer was answered.
I am still pretty shaken up to be honest with you, what happened tonight is one of those things you never want to happen, but you're glad you get to experience the amazing protection from God. I sit here and am thankful for another chance to value life even more. It was a good reminder that even when things seem out of control in your life that God is right there watching you and protecting you. Once I got back in my room, it hit me even more. I'm a very organized person so whenever I get back from places I like to get everything cleaned, organized, and put away but I couldn't do that tonight. I sat my stuff on the couch and went and sat on my bed and I cried. There was a lot of emotion that I was feeling, I feel bad because of what happened, especially with two friends in the car but I also so badly want to know what God has planned for my life because he continues to protect me (us) and show me (us) favor.
Tonight's a night I won't forget about anytime soon. I hope by me sharing this little story that you are open your eyes to all the ways that God is present and how he protects you every single day. I also hope that this is a wake up call to some people that our lives our valuable. Life is valuable! We can't miss out on the goodness that God has blessed us with.
God uses the craziest things to make us value life even more.
Thursday, February 14, 2019
God is not unjust
Today's post is specifically for those who are doing work for the kingdom and for others everyday who feel as if what they do is unnoticed. I am confident in saying that nearly all people have felt this way at least a couple times in their lives because it is easy to get discouraged.
For those who use their spiritual gifts to serve others and God there is always a lot of excitement that comes when you first learn how to use your spiritual gifts to glorify God. It's something new so it's exciting. Maybe your thing is tweeting a bible verse everyday and at first you are getting a lot of likes and retweets and then after a couple days all of that stops. I also think of a relationship you might have with a mentor. There is a lot of excitement the first couple of times you guys meet and then all of a sudden you loose that interest and fire. It's like you're in a standstill. For me, I think of writing my blog. To others at first it might have been super exciting to see, but after awhile maybe people get tired of seeing a link posted on my social media accounts nearly everyday.
We are human and our interests and preferences change every day. I believe that we need to have a good reason and motive behind the things that we do. If you tweet bible verses and encouragement, don't do it for likes and retweets, do it to encourage your followers. If you desire to meet with a mentor/friend to further your spiritual growth, do it because he have a desire to grow. If you write a blog, write for others, but write to grow spiritually yourself. Do what you do because of God's love for you.
EVERYTHING we say and do does not go unnoticed. God knows everything that we say and do before we even know what we are going to say and do.
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show the same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. (Hebrews 6:10-12)
When we help God's people (all people) and continue to help people, God will not forget our hard work and the love that we have showed them. We need to have the same diligence in everything that we do so that what we hope for may be fully realized. We can never become lazy when we think that people don't realize what we are doing. Why should it matter what people think? What matters is that God notices and he doesn't forget. By imitating those who have faith and patience we will inherit what has been promised.
For any human being it is easy to be discouraged, thinking that God has forgotten about us. It's okay to feel that way. It happens! He never forgets or overlooks are hard work for him. Presently we may nor be receiving rewards, but God knows your efforts of love. When we feel like we want to give up we need to let God's love for us propel us to keep going.
Hope keeps Christians from becoming lazy or feeling bored. Have hope and never loose hope. Always remember what lies ahead.
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
Choices of maturity
"One way to evaluate spiritual maturity is by looking at the choices we make." Really think about that and let it settle in. The decisions that we make every day carry a heavy weight and importance. The decisions that we make show who we are, what are faith is like, how we were raised, what we believe, etc. Decisions are important!
I believe that one of the best decisions we can make it to care. I don't know when it became cool not to care about anything or put effort into things. It seems like people just say that to fit in. I know I have been around people who will talk about how they don't care about something and then I hear or see that they actually did and it bugs me. Why say it then? Saying things to fit in really won't get you anywhere.
In Hebrews there was a chart in my bible that talks about mature choices versus immature choices and I wanted to share that in this blog post tonight. My hope is that you become more aware of the mature vs. immature choices/decisions that we are making.
Mature Choice vs. Immature Choice
1. Teaching others...rather than...just being taught
2. Developing depth of understanding...rather than...struggling with the basics
3. Self-evaluation...rather than...self-criticism
4. Seeking unity...rather than...promoting disunity
5. Desiring spiritual challenges...rather than...desiring entertainment
6. Careful study and observation...rather than...opinions and halfhearted efforts
7. Active faith...rather than...cautious apathy and doubt
8. Confidence...rather than...fear
9. Feelings and experiences evaluated in the light of God's word...rather than...experiences evaluated according to feelings
In my honest opinion I believe that list speaks for itself. I don't think that I have to go further in depth with anything on there because I believe the Holy Spirit will use something on that list in a specific way just for you. The choices and decisions that are mature all start when we care. So care! It's cool and important to care.
I believe that one of the best decisions we can make it to care. I don't know when it became cool not to care about anything or put effort into things. It seems like people just say that to fit in. I know I have been around people who will talk about how they don't care about something and then I hear or see that they actually did and it bugs me. Why say it then? Saying things to fit in really won't get you anywhere.
In Hebrews there was a chart in my bible that talks about mature choices versus immature choices and I wanted to share that in this blog post tonight. My hope is that you become more aware of the mature vs. immature choices/decisions that we are making.
Mature Choice vs. Immature Choice
1. Teaching others...rather than...just being taught
2. Developing depth of understanding...rather than...struggling with the basics
3. Self-evaluation...rather than...self-criticism
4. Seeking unity...rather than...promoting disunity
5. Desiring spiritual challenges...rather than...desiring entertainment
6. Careful study and observation...rather than...opinions and halfhearted efforts
7. Active faith...rather than...cautious apathy and doubt
8. Confidence...rather than...fear
9. Feelings and experiences evaluated in the light of God's word...rather than...experiences evaluated according to feelings
In my honest opinion I believe that list speaks for itself. I don't think that I have to go further in depth with anything on there because I believe the Holy Spirit will use something on that list in a specific way just for you. The choices and decisions that are mature all start when we care. So care! It's cool and important to care.
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
It's good to rest
God rested on the seventh day, not because he was tired, but to indicate the completion of creation. God had made the world absolutely perfect and he was satisfied with it. The rest is a forestall of our eternal joy when creation will be renewed and restored, every mark of sin will be removed, and the world will be perfect again. Our rest in Christ begins when we trust him to complete his good and perfect work in us.
Have you ever thought about the idea that God wants us to enter his ultimate place of rest? He invites us to come to Christ. To enter this rest that is talked about, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you; you must stop trying to create it; you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey him.
Today is the best time to find peace with God. Tomorrow may be too late.
For me, it is so hard to just sit back and rest. I am wired to be go, go, go, and when I don't have anything to do I really struggle. An area of my life that I know I can improve on is the idea of having a day of rest. A full day. I am good at sitting aside an hour a day but not a whole day.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just has God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11)
...so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. The way I look at that is if we don't enter that rest, we are being disobedient. Also, I don't think you have to make Sunday your day of rest, I believe that as long as you have one day of rest you are being obedient towards God.
God wants us to enter his rest. For Christians, rest is peace with God now and enteral life on a new earth later. It's easy to think that we can just wait till we get to heaven to experience God's rest. Well, we do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God's rest and peace; we can do it daily right now. Our daily rest in the Lord will not end in death, but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us.
It's okay to rest, having a day where we can rest in God's peace and rest that he has given us is an act of obedience, it is pleasing to God. Think about days where you have given everything to Christ in order to just rest. Those days seem to recharge you and prepare you for the days to come. If we can set aside a day to rest and get in a cycle of doing that week after week you will experience change in your life. I will work on taking a day of rest if you will. It's hard for some, but knowing it pleases God has got to be motivating enough. I know that motivates me.
It's good to rest.
Have you ever thought about the idea that God wants us to enter his ultimate place of rest? He invites us to come to Christ. To enter this rest that is talked about, you must believe that God has this relationship in mind for you; you must stop trying to create it; you must trust in Christ for it; and you must determine to obey him.
Today is the best time to find peace with God. Tomorrow may be too late.
For me, it is so hard to just sit back and rest. I am wired to be go, go, go, and when I don't have anything to do I really struggle. An area of my life that I know I can improve on is the idea of having a day of rest. A full day. I am good at sitting aside an hour a day but not a whole day.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just has God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9-11)
...so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience. The way I look at that is if we don't enter that rest, we are being disobedient. Also, I don't think you have to make Sunday your day of rest, I believe that as long as you have one day of rest you are being obedient towards God.
God wants us to enter his rest. For Christians, rest is peace with God now and enteral life on a new earth later. It's easy to think that we can just wait till we get to heaven to experience God's rest. Well, we do not need to wait for the next life to enjoy God's rest and peace; we can do it daily right now. Our daily rest in the Lord will not end in death, but will become an eternal rest in the place that Christ is preparing for us.
It's okay to rest, having a day where we can rest in God's peace and rest that he has given us is an act of obedience, it is pleasing to God. Think about days where you have given everything to Christ in order to just rest. Those days seem to recharge you and prepare you for the days to come. If we can set aside a day to rest and get in a cycle of doing that week after week you will experience change in your life. I will work on taking a day of rest if you will. It's hard for some, but knowing it pleases God has got to be motivating enough. I know that motivates me.
It's good to rest.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Confidence, Courage & Hope
Confidence: the feeling or belief that one can rely on someone or something
Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
When you look at the definition of these three words they all deal with things that we feel. We have the power to control our feelings but not what happens to us. Having the ability to control our feelings is one of the greatest gifts. Since we can control our feelings, I encourage you to have confidence, courage and hope.
Looking at the definitions of those words, try to think of some of the things that you have confidence, courage and hope in. Now think about this, are you someone who is confident? Are you courageous? Do you have hope?
But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. (Hebrews 3:6)
Since Christ lives in us as believers we can remain courageous and hopeful to the very end. We can never be saved only by steadfastness and being firm in our faith, but our courage and hope do reveal that our faith is real. If we don't have faith, we could easily blown away by the winds of temptation, false teaching, or persecution.
This may be one of the shortest posts I have ever written, but I wanted it to be short and to the point. Have confidence and stand firm in your faith. Don't forget that our courage and hope reveals that our faith is real. Next time you are faced with something, will you remain courageous and hopeful? When we have courage and faith we are a light to other believers because we are showing that our faith is real and there is so much power in that.
Courage: the ability to do something that frightens one; strength in the face of pain or grief
Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen
When you look at the definition of these three words they all deal with things that we feel. We have the power to control our feelings but not what happens to us. Having the ability to control our feelings is one of the greatest gifts. Since we can control our feelings, I encourage you to have confidence, courage and hope.
Looking at the definitions of those words, try to think of some of the things that you have confidence, courage and hope in. Now think about this, are you someone who is confident? Are you courageous? Do you have hope?
But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. (Hebrews 3:6)
Since Christ lives in us as believers we can remain courageous and hopeful to the very end. We can never be saved only by steadfastness and being firm in our faith, but our courage and hope do reveal that our faith is real. If we don't have faith, we could easily blown away by the winds of temptation, false teaching, or persecution.
This may be one of the shortest posts I have ever written, but I wanted it to be short and to the point. Have confidence and stand firm in your faith. Don't forget that our courage and hope reveals that our faith is real. Next time you are faced with something, will you remain courageous and hopeful? When we have courage and faith we are a light to other believers because we are showing that our faith is real and there is so much power in that.
Sunday, February 10, 2019
A Servant's Attitude
Jesus did not come into this world as a human to gain status or political power. He came to suffer and die so that we could have eternal life. Did you know that? One of Christ's most important attributes is his servant attitude and I fear that sometimes we forget about that. I know I do. In our world today it's easy to get caught up in ourselves and not others. We get in such in a routine of going to class, doing homework, studying, going to practice, etc. Day after day week after week it seems like we are doing the same thing over and over again. To prove my point, next time you walk to class or do your daily activities, pay attention to the people that you see on a daily basis and I bet you see those people around the same time every single day.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Hebrews 2:9-10)
In suffering death, Christ brought many sons and daughters to glory. Because of his servants attitude.
Jesus was made perfect through his suffering. His suffering made him a perfect leader of our salvation. Jesus didn't have to experience the suffering he experienced for his own salvation, because he was God in human form. His perfect obedience demonstrates that he was the complete sacrifice for us. Through suffering, Jesus completed the work necessary for our own salvation. Our suffering can make us more sensitive servants of God.
If you have experienced some sort of hurt or pain in your life you are able to reach out with compassion to others who are hurt or who are going through some of the same hardships that you went through. When we suffer, think about asking God how we can use that experience to help others.
I encourage you all (including myself) to have that "it's not about me" attitude this upcoming week. Try it out. Put others before yourself. You can do it in the smallest ways. You could stand in talk for somebody for a couple of minutes instead of just saying..."How are you?" Ask a friend to go out to eat, to grab a coffee, to do homework. You can have a servant's attitude in many different ways. Strive to be just like Jesus. He was the perfect human leader. He wants to lead you. He is the perfect human model...and he is worth imitating. He is the perfect human sacrifice...and he died for you. He is the perfect human conqueror...and he conquered death to give you eternal life. He is the perfect human high priest...and he is merciful, loving, and understanding. God, in Christ, became a living, breathing human being for us.
But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. (Hebrews 2:9-10)
In suffering death, Christ brought many sons and daughters to glory. Because of his servants attitude.
Jesus was made perfect through his suffering. His suffering made him a perfect leader of our salvation. Jesus didn't have to experience the suffering he experienced for his own salvation, because he was God in human form. His perfect obedience demonstrates that he was the complete sacrifice for us. Through suffering, Jesus completed the work necessary for our own salvation. Our suffering can make us more sensitive servants of God.
If you have experienced some sort of hurt or pain in your life you are able to reach out with compassion to others who are hurt or who are going through some of the same hardships that you went through. When we suffer, think about asking God how we can use that experience to help others.
I encourage you all (including myself) to have that "it's not about me" attitude this upcoming week. Try it out. Put others before yourself. You can do it in the smallest ways. You could stand in talk for somebody for a couple of minutes instead of just saying..."How are you?" Ask a friend to go out to eat, to grab a coffee, to do homework. You can have a servant's attitude in many different ways. Strive to be just like Jesus. He was the perfect human leader. He wants to lead you. He is the perfect human model...and he is worth imitating. He is the perfect human sacrifice...and he died for you. He is the perfect human conqueror...and he conquered death to give you eternal life. He is the perfect human high priest...and he is merciful, loving, and understanding. God, in Christ, became a living, breathing human being for us.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
A Reconciled Runaway
The book of Philemon is incredibly short. It is only one chapter! It's a super cool story too. The overall purpose of this letter written to Philemon was to convince Philemon to forgive his runaway salve, Onesimus, and to accept him as a brother in faith. There are many powerful lessons that come from this story and I hope that I can clearly present them in a way that makes sense to you so that you can be encouraged.
Paul wrote this letter when he was on house arrest. Onesimus was a runaway slave that belonged to Philemon and he had made his way to Rome. In Rome, it is said that Paul helped lead him to Christ. Which there aren't many details about, and I wish that there were. Paul convinced Onesimus that running from his problems wouldn't solve them, and he persuaded him to return to his master. This letter was written in hope that Philemon would reconcile his runaway slave.
Now just imagine being in the shoes of Onesimus. He had just ran away from his owner and had no idea what to do next. Slave owners had the power to kill any slave that had runaway, so Onesimus feared for his life.
One of the things that I really like about this story is how Paul made it known how thankful he was for his brother in Christ, Philemon.
"because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be affected in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people." (Philemon 1:5-7)
That is refreshing encouragement. Philemon knew how to be refreshing. He was able to revive and restore his brothers and sisters in the faith. His love and generosity had replenished and stimulated them. Philemon was also able to encourage Paul by his love and loyalty. Can you think of those people who are refreshing to you? For me when I think of those people, I think of them being unbreakable. Nothing kills their moods. Whether they have a good day or bad day they are uplifting, encouraging, and refreshing. Are you spiritually refreshing towards other believers?
When Paul began to appeal for Onesimus, he makes it known that he could be bold and order him to do what he was supposed to do and that was return to Philemon. But Paul made his appeal on the basis of love and Philemon's Christian commitment. Are you making decisions based on how you should make them? Or how Jesus would make them?
Throughout the bible it seems like when God finds runaways, he often sends them back to the very places and people from which they ran in the first place. As God has become real in your life, how has your past come into new perspectives? For me, I look back at decisions I have made in the past. It's easy to say that now that I look back at it, I never would've made those decisions, but those decisions that I made led to me growing in ways that I never thought I would. You can't really runaway from the decisions and choices that you have made. God has a way of bringing those back for an even greater purpose. Don't get me wrong, you are still made brand new in the eyes of Christ. Christ gives new opportunities and resources for you that you may have used to run from. God must have a special heart for runaways, and we have all ran way from something at some point in time in our lives and God loves us!
When Onesimus became a Christian, he became a brother to Philemon. When we become brothers we are both members of God's family-equals in Christ. A Christian's commitment to being a member of God's family transcends all other distinctions among believers. We can't ever look down on other believers. It's too easy to do that sometimes. We are all members of one big family and need to start living that way. It's a hard thing to do because of the world that we live in.
In verse, 17 Paul refers to Philemon as a "partner." He didn't mean partner in the business world but a partner in grace. Paul and Philemon shared the same experience in Jesus Christ of being saved; in the sense, they were equals. Too often our relationships reflect a tolerance for one another other than a true partnership. This encourages me and is convicting at the same time. I am encouraged to develop true partnerships with other believers rather than just having a tolerance for them. It's way too easy to just tolerate other believers and I don't want to tolerate anymore. A tolerant relationship is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The last part of this story that is admirable is how Paul helps takeaway some of the fear that Onesimus has in returning to Philemon. Paul offers to repay Philemon for anything that was stolen or any wrong doings for which Onesimus might be responsible for. Paul's investment in the life of this new believer certainly was encouraging and uplifting and really made me think. Are there young believers out there right now who need me to demonstrate such self-sacrifice toward them? Most certainly! There are so many ways out there in which believers can invest into other believers. Are you making that investment?
That's the story of Philemon. I hope you were able to to pick out some things from this post and be encouraged by them. It's amazing how much you can learn from one story.
Paul wrote this letter when he was on house arrest. Onesimus was a runaway slave that belonged to Philemon and he had made his way to Rome. In Rome, it is said that Paul helped lead him to Christ. Which there aren't many details about, and I wish that there were. Paul convinced Onesimus that running from his problems wouldn't solve them, and he persuaded him to return to his master. This letter was written in hope that Philemon would reconcile his runaway slave.
Now just imagine being in the shoes of Onesimus. He had just ran away from his owner and had no idea what to do next. Slave owners had the power to kill any slave that had runaway, so Onesimus feared for his life.
One of the things that I really like about this story is how Paul made it known how thankful he was for his brother in Christ, Philemon.
"because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be affected in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people." (Philemon 1:5-7)
That is refreshing encouragement. Philemon knew how to be refreshing. He was able to revive and restore his brothers and sisters in the faith. His love and generosity had replenished and stimulated them. Philemon was also able to encourage Paul by his love and loyalty. Can you think of those people who are refreshing to you? For me when I think of those people, I think of them being unbreakable. Nothing kills their moods. Whether they have a good day or bad day they are uplifting, encouraging, and refreshing. Are you spiritually refreshing towards other believers?
When Paul began to appeal for Onesimus, he makes it known that he could be bold and order him to do what he was supposed to do and that was return to Philemon. But Paul made his appeal on the basis of love and Philemon's Christian commitment. Are you making decisions based on how you should make them? Or how Jesus would make them?
Throughout the bible it seems like when God finds runaways, he often sends them back to the very places and people from which they ran in the first place. As God has become real in your life, how has your past come into new perspectives? For me, I look back at decisions I have made in the past. It's easy to say that now that I look back at it, I never would've made those decisions, but those decisions that I made led to me growing in ways that I never thought I would. You can't really runaway from the decisions and choices that you have made. God has a way of bringing those back for an even greater purpose. Don't get me wrong, you are still made brand new in the eyes of Christ. Christ gives new opportunities and resources for you that you may have used to run from. God must have a special heart for runaways, and we have all ran way from something at some point in time in our lives and God loves us!
When Onesimus became a Christian, he became a brother to Philemon. When we become brothers we are both members of God's family-equals in Christ. A Christian's commitment to being a member of God's family transcends all other distinctions among believers. We can't ever look down on other believers. It's too easy to do that sometimes. We are all members of one big family and need to start living that way. It's a hard thing to do because of the world that we live in.
In verse, 17 Paul refers to Philemon as a "partner." He didn't mean partner in the business world but a partner in grace. Paul and Philemon shared the same experience in Jesus Christ of being saved; in the sense, they were equals. Too often our relationships reflect a tolerance for one another other than a true partnership. This encourages me and is convicting at the same time. I am encouraged to develop true partnerships with other believers rather than just having a tolerance for them. It's way too easy to just tolerate other believers and I don't want to tolerate anymore. A tolerant relationship is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The last part of this story that is admirable is how Paul helps takeaway some of the fear that Onesimus has in returning to Philemon. Paul offers to repay Philemon for anything that was stolen or any wrong doings for which Onesimus might be responsible for. Paul's investment in the life of this new believer certainly was encouraging and uplifting and really made me think. Are there young believers out there right now who need me to demonstrate such self-sacrifice toward them? Most certainly! There are so many ways out there in which believers can invest into other believers. Are you making that investment?
That's the story of Philemon. I hope you were able to to pick out some things from this post and be encouraged by them. It's amazing how much you can learn from one story.
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Faithful Service
I don't plan on making this post long, the goal of this post is to help you understand what it means to do good works. What comes to your mind when you think of good works? For me I think of doing things for other people, serving, visiting charities, etc. I think of all of those things that we think we should do because we think that we have to. I think there are still a lot of people out there who think that we need to do good works so that we make it to heaven. Those things don't directly correlate. We don't have to do good works in order to get to heaven.
This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. (Titus 3:8)
When we trust in God, we must devote ourselves to doing what is good. Everyone should have a pretty good idea in their heads what the difference between what doing good vs. doing bad is. We are human. Things that are good are excellent and profitable for everyone. Boom. Do I need to say that again? Things that are good are excellent and profitable for everyone. Are you doing things in your daily life that are excellent and profitable for other people? I know I fail at that almost on a daily basis. It's easy to focus on doing the things that our profitable for ourselves. It's not even a bad thing to focus on it when you think of yourself but part of being a Christian is showing how God changed your life and showing people that you have complete and 100% faith in Christ Jesus.
When Paul would write, he understood good words as faithful service, acts of charity, and involvement in civil affairs. While good works can't save us or even increase God's love for us, they are true indications of our faith and love for Christ. Paul never made this aspect of discipleship optional. Service to others is something that is a requirement. Everyone who is a Christian should be involved.
Are you involved in faithful service? We are actually going on a field trip to Hope Ministries tomorrow in downtown South Bend for our Public Relations class and I find that it was definitely a God thing that I read about faithful service the night before that field trip.
I hope you have a better understanding of what it means to do good works and what that looks like in your daily lives. Remember, we don't do good works to look good, but as an indication of our faith and love for Christ.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
What is going on up there?
What is going on in your head? What are you thinking about? Would your thoughts be pleasing to God? Would your thoughts be pleasing to your parents?
The answer to all of those questions os probably something along the line of you not wanting to share some of the things you think about, and that God and your parents probably wouldn't want to know about all of the things we think about. It's an evil, sinful, and corrupt world so of course there are going to be things that go through our minds that probably shouldn't.
One of the things that I pray for everyday is discernment that is pleasing to the Lord. Discernment in my thoughts, to be more specific. Every time I catch myself thinking about something, I hope that I have the awareness to recognize that I probably shouldn't be thinking that way.
"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." (Titus 1:15)
Some people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. After reading that sentence I am sure that you thought of a person who sees everything in a good and positive manner and then someone who is just negative all of the time. Our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see the goodness and purity even in this evil world. But the corrupt and unbelieving people find evil in everything because their evil minds and hers color even the good they see and hear.
Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act. If you want to think positively and in a pure way, will your mind that way and fill your mind and heart with Christ and that will happen. Everything is such a mind game.
We need to turn our thoughts to God and his word and when we do that we will discover more and more goodness, even in the evil world.
A mind filled with good has little room for what is evil.
I hope this post encourages you to fill your minds with what is good and when you do that, things will become so much more positive and uplifting.
The answer to all of those questions os probably something along the line of you not wanting to share some of the things you think about, and that God and your parents probably wouldn't want to know about all of the things we think about. It's an evil, sinful, and corrupt world so of course there are going to be things that go through our minds that probably shouldn't.
One of the things that I pray for everyday is discernment that is pleasing to the Lord. Discernment in my thoughts, to be more specific. Every time I catch myself thinking about something, I hope that I have the awareness to recognize that I probably shouldn't be thinking that way.
"To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted." (Titus 1:15)
Some people see good all around them, while others see nothing but evil. After reading that sentence I am sure that you thought of a person who sees everything in a good and positive manner and then someone who is just negative all of the time. Our souls become filters through which we perceive goodness or evil. The pure (those who have Christ in control of their lives) learn to see the goodness and purity even in this evil world. But the corrupt and unbelieving people find evil in everything because their evil minds and hers color even the good they see and hear.
Whatever you choose to fill your mind with will affect the way you think and act. If you want to think positively and in a pure way, will your mind that way and fill your mind and heart with Christ and that will happen. Everything is such a mind game.
We need to turn our thoughts to God and his word and when we do that we will discover more and more goodness, even in the evil world.
A mind filled with good has little room for what is evil.
I hope this post encourages you to fill your minds with what is good and when you do that, things will become so much more positive and uplifting.
Monday, February 4, 2019
God saved my dad's life
Five year ago I was a Junior at Archbold High School. It was one of the craziest winters I had ever experienced. We had like two straight weeks off from school and it was amazing. I loved having so many snow days. This snow day was different than any other...back in high school I would actually sleep in a little bit so I woke up around 9:30. I walked downstairs to hang out with my mom and right away I noticed that she wasn't herself. I could tell that she had been crying and that something must have happened.
The first thing she said to me was that: "Your dad is okay, he was in an accident."
My first thought was there is no way, everybody always says that when somebody is in an accident. Immediately my heart dropped. I never thought anything could happen to my dad. He is like superman! Being a child of someone who does what he does everyday, God has given me a lot of peace and not fear because my dad can be put into dangerous situations every day. I am forever thankful that God gives me peace and not fear. So with the peace that I had, I never really fear anything happening because I trust God to protect my dad everyday.
I remember bombarding my mom with questions. What happened? Is he okay? Are you sure he is okay? Where is he? etc. I had so many questions and she was calm with every answer that she had. I asked her if she had a picture and she showed me the picture of his car. The picture is what did it for me. Once I saw the picture, that is when I thought that there was no way that he is okay. His Dodge charger was totally smashed.
When I saw the picture it hit me. I was able to keep it pretty cool in front of my mom, but I decided to go upstairs and I went straight to my bed and balled my eyes out. I couldn't believe that something like this happened to my dad. Even knowing that he was okay, it was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced. I was in shock. It begin to sink in that if God wouldn't have saved my dad I would've lost him. I wasn't ready for that and I will never be ready for that.
While all of this was happening my brother was still asleep. I remember when we woke up to tell him and I could see in his eyes that he was shocked as well. All I wanted to do was drive to the hospital to see him. The roads were terrible but all I wanted was to see my dad. I remember driving to the hospital with knots in my stomach because I never thought I would be driving to see my dad in the hospital after being hit by a semi. I was more scared for that moment than any other moment in my lifetime.
As we got closer to the hospital I kept getting more and more nervous. We walked into the hospital and we asked to see Vern Fisher. I remember walking into this room and he was still had most of his patrol uniform on and he was hooked up to some IV's or something like that. He had a couple scratches on his face and a sore neck. He looked a hundred times better than what I expected. When I was able to walk in, see him smiling, hug him, and tell him I loved him, I was immediately at peace. I was so happy to see that my dad was okay. He was smiling and joking around just like he normally does. There were other state troopers there to see him and it was cool to see the brotherhood that those men have. Every officer who came in was in shock that my dad was okay after seeing the pictures of his car.
So what exactly happened? What miracle took place?
My dad was citing a crash while he was sitting in his Dodge charger on the media of the toll road. While he was sitting in his car, he was rear ended by a semi truck that was going about 40 mph. The semi smashed the back of his car all the way up to where he was sitting. The Dodge charger he was in had a cage in the middle of it and that is where all of the damage was pushed too. The cage saved my dad's life.
Here is the crazy part. That morning, my dad was supposed to drive to Findlay, Ohio to get a different patrol car. I believe he was supposed to get a Ford explorer. This explorer didn't have a cage in it. If my dad would have been in the explorer like he was supposed to be, he could've been injured even worse or even killed.
Looking back at everything even right now as I write this post makes me emotional because God really did save my dad's life that day.
God saved my dad's life that day and that day changed our lives as a family forever.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
God never lies
A simple and short post is what you are about to get today. This is nothing special but I hope you can be encouraged by it.
I would think that we would all know this, but God never lies.
"...in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not like, promised before the beginning of time...." (Titus 1:2)
The book of Titus was written by Paul, to Titus who has on the island of Crete. Paul had originally sent Titus to Crete in order to organize and oversee the churches that were there. This is a letter that is telling Titus how to do his job. The island of Crete wasn't a very glamorous place, it was full of liars and laziness.
Since lying was a commonplace in Crete, Paul made it clear at the start of the chapter that God does not lie. The foundation of our faith is trust in God's character. Because God is truth, he is the source of all truth, and he cannot lie. Believing in him leads to godliness, living a God-honoring lifestyle. The eternal life that God has promised will be ours, because he keeps his promises. Build your faith on the foundation of a trustworthy God who never lies.
God never lies. God never lies. God never lies. Let that be your encouragement today and as you start out your week.
I would think that we would all know this, but God never lies.
"...in the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not like, promised before the beginning of time...." (Titus 1:2)
The book of Titus was written by Paul, to Titus who has on the island of Crete. Paul had originally sent Titus to Crete in order to organize and oversee the churches that were there. This is a letter that is telling Titus how to do his job. The island of Crete wasn't a very glamorous place, it was full of liars and laziness.
Since lying was a commonplace in Crete, Paul made it clear at the start of the chapter that God does not lie. The foundation of our faith is trust in God's character. Because God is truth, he is the source of all truth, and he cannot lie. Believing in him leads to godliness, living a God-honoring lifestyle. The eternal life that God has promised will be ours, because he keeps his promises. Build your faith on the foundation of a trustworthy God who never lies.
God never lies. God never lies. God never lies. Let that be your encouragement today and as you start out your week.
Friday, February 1, 2019
Keep the faith
The day that we decided to make Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior we begin running the race. I am sure you have heard that before, it's all over the word of God. 2 Timothy is the last book of the bible that Paul wrote and in chapter 4, he begins to write the last words he ever wrote.
"For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the good faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will reward to me on that day-and not only me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
Paul knows and understands that his time is coming to an end and he is fully confident that he fought the good fight. He knows that he has finished the race that he has talked about his whole life and that he has kept his faith through it all. Paul knows that there is a crown of righteousness that the Lord will reward him and all of those who have longed for his appearing.
Paul was fully confident that he has fulfilled his call. In this final time of his life, he is facing death with a certain calamity knowing that he was going to be rewarded by Christ. Are you prepared for death right now? Do you share Paul's confident expectation of meeting Christ? I hope you do! What is encouraging is that the heavenly reward isn't just for people like Paul, it's for all who have eagerly looked forward to Jesus' second coming. The words that Paul gave are very encouraging, and Paul wants to encourage all of us to keep fighting the good fight and running the race no matter how difficult it may seem. When we are with Jesus Christ, we will discover that it was all worth it.
Although Paul would not receive in earthly reward, he would be rewarded in heaven. Whatever we may face-discouragement, persecution, death-we know we will receive rewards with Christ in heaven. Way too often we focus on earthly rewards, I don't know why that is. When we have an earthly reward focus we get distracted and forget about running the race to receive the heavenly reward.
I encourage you to keep faith and to keep on running the race. Listen, this race doesn't end. You don't get to take a break when you get tired. You can't get tired and not decide to run anymore. You can't decide to take a couple of days off. The race begins when you give your life to Christ and it ends when you are in heaven someday. Keep on fighting the good fight, it will all be worth it.
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