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God’s Got Your Back!

For August 21, 2022
The casual observer might take one look at the world’s events today; the overt domestic hostility, proliferation of armed conflict; pestilence, disease, drought, famine; social/political uncertainty and upheaval; rampant sin, self-serving interests, and contemptible behavior, and conclude that it’s out of control. I do not.

When ancient Judah experienced political and social uncertainty with the pending invasion of Babylonian forces, God reminded them of His control,

“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. O Jacob, how can you say the LORD does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:25-31 (NLT)

We have the assurance that our God, who created the heavens and the earth does in fact care for us continually. He provides us with a reasonable portion of health, strength, and sustenance we need to face today’s challenges. Then He supplies us with the strength to engage and overcome those challenges successfully in a way that gives Him the credit for the victory, just as He promises,

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD. Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV)

Also,

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I Corinthians 15:57-58 (NIV)

Before ascending into Heaven, Jesus warned His Disciples, and us, that in the Last Days (or in today’s world), we would face challenges and adversity for the cause of Jesus Christ. Our faith in Him would be the basis of much of the conflict since the world does not accept His message of faith and redemption. Yet He promises to remain with us throughout our pilgrimage (my emphasis),

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

The Lord is with us today. He will never leave nor forsake us, and He’s got our backs! Won’t you trust in Him and give Him your heart today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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God Cares For You!

For August 14, 2022
Our God created the heavens and the earth, and He still maintains them. Yet, He is not too distant or too big to concern Himself about us individually or collectively. He wants the best for each of us, although it does not take a rocket scientist to see that our world is facing a pervasive “sin problem.” Strong delusion, bondage to sin, guilt, shame, hatred, and unforgiveness consume us.

To the casual observer, it’s as if the demographic for discovering new ways to harm the most innocent and vulnerable of our citizens is growing still younger by the minute. Mere “lip service” has replaced human compassion and common courtesy, while hatred and unforgiveness has replaced civility as those whom you’d never expect violence are committing heinous and atrocious acts against both their family and strangers indiscriminately.

Jesus spoke of such things happening just before His return,

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold! Matthew 24:12 (NLT)

Our depravity prevents us from attaining moral and spiritual perfection. Although some falsely argue humans are not inherently hateful, self-serving, or prejudice, and that we can perform good deeds without malice consistently, we can perform good deeds, yet our tainted nature skews our moral compass to produce immoral outcomes consistently.

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV)

We all sin, and as the Bible teaches, and “if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8) Moreover, “good people” suffer from sin’s collateral damage, (e.g., fear, doubt, guilt, shame, depression, cognitive failure, and death).

God sent His Son to transform depraved human hearts and establish eternal fellowship with Him, through a personal contact with His Son, the Living Christ. For only a sinless person could shed pristine blood that would satisfy God’s righteousness and remediate our sin problem. Thus God became that Perfect Man (Jesus Christ), and paid sin’s price forever,

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NLT)

When we invite Jesus Christ into our lives by faith, we reveal how deep and wide God’s love and care is extended to us. His Spirit dwells within us to make us new creatures. (1 Corinthians 5:17) Our spiritually dead nature is quickened so that now we are free from sin’s bondage and our own selfish interest. Instead we now eschew worldly things and desire godly things so that we can truly give our all to Christ,

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV)

Our social profile and bank statements may not show the dramatic change, but we have been changed drastically nonetheless. The Lord cares for us and desires to transform human hearts, so He can have eternal fellowship with us. Once He performs this glorious work in us, everything else we have becomes His—forever.

With a new heart comes a new standing before God, and this is our greatest reward, Christ in us, the hope of glory! Won’t you give the Lord your life, and allow Him to transform you today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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The Holy Spirit and Our Spiritual Life

For August 7, 2022
We can never fully comprehend the vastness of our God’s majesty. Nor can we fully understand His perfect plan for our redemption. Although we were created to enjoy eternal fellowship with Him, we disobeyed Him and lost that fellowship forever.

Many of us have been running from knowing Him by consuming ourselves with sin, as if we were trying to erase Him from our human consciousness. Yet, He remains patient and longsuffering towards us; waiting for us to invite Him into our lives …as well we should!

Jesus Christ is our Mediator, and the moment we invite Him into our lives as our personal Lord and Savior, we are Born Again. His Holy Spirit enlivens (quickens) us instantly.

It’s as if God wakes us up from slumber, and we become alive and free. We are made alive for the first time. God opens our eyes so that we can know and love Him as our Merciful Redeemer. Like newborn babes, we desire to be with Him and learn more about Him through His Word. Christ in us becomes our ever-increasing hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27).

For the first time, we also realize how valuable we are in His eyes, such that He gave the best He had to redeem us and restore our eternal fellowship. Now free from sin’s domination, we are “alive and free” to know His deep, lasting peace, joy and fulfillment unlike anything we could ever know or experience on this earth,

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:9-11 (NLT)

The Spirit of God dwells within us, and as such, He must receive His share of attention, respect, and care. The Holy Spirit is most essential to the life of a Christian and performs essential duties we must acknowledge such as being the instrumental factor in our conversion.

It is the Holy Spirit who helps us to hear, understand, and believe the Gospel message of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (e.g., His death, burial, and His resurrection). He convicts us and shows us our sin, danger, and helplessness, and that Jesus Christ is the only hope of our salvation.

The moment we trust in Jesus with our whole heart, the Holy Spirit immediately takes up full-time residence within us.  He then becomes our Teacher, Comforter, and Seal of Righteousness before the Almighty. We who are saved are both moved and possessed by the Holy Spirit. He keeps us safe and consoles us as we move along our Christian journey.

He is also our Sanctifier, Who forms us into the image of Christ. Because God’s holiness mandates ours, the Holy Spirit moves us towards perfection through sanctification. As Jesus surrendered to the will of His Father, we surrender to Him each day.

God wants us to adopt the characteristics that resemble His holiness and cast off those that resemble this evil world. Thus we no longer have the inclination toward the fleshly spirit; to fulfill its desires.

Instead, God gives us a new spirit, influenced, empowered, and sustained by the Holy Spirit along with an inclination please God. He is our guarantee of being possessed by God in Christ and is our assurance of eternal life.  Won’t you give your life to Christ and experience the Holy Spirit’s wonderful power today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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The Blessing of Tribulation

For July 31, 2022
Feeling helpless and constrained; having exhausted every known option; “hemmed in” with no relief in sight expresses the Greek word for tribulation, thlipsis (Strong-G2347).1 Forged in the fire of tribulation can be beneficial to others and us, as we glory in them,

But we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Romans 5:3-5 (AKJV)

This is not the Great Tribulation or that turbulent period forecasted in Daniel 12, Matthew 24, and Revelation when Christians suffer worldwide persecution for their faith in Jesus Christ. Yet, persecution for the Christian faith remains a horrible reality, as one writer explains,

Therefore a merely external suffering, such as anybody may have, is not meant thereby, but the cross as a consequence of Christian faith. Faith leads into tribulation, because as peace with God, it leads into conflict with the kingdom of darkness, and also with sin in ourselves, because it endows the ordinary suffering of this life with a spiritual character.2

We are living in the “Last Days” when strong delusion to trust a lie encourages our blatant disregard for human dignity, through the killing of the unborn and helpless, the calculated destruction of the weak and aged, and the exploitation, abuse, trafficking, oppression, and violence perpetrated against all those who fall between these two extremes. Ultimately, we have reduced precious, God-given lives to mere dollars and cents.

Although this is not in the Great Tribulation, our modern society seeks to remove Judeo-Christian principles and teaching from the public discourse under the guise of “separation of church and state.” Our society respected and welcomed prayer, the Ten Commandments, and other Judeo-Christian values. Now, we vilify the righteous and praise the wicked to our own peril, just as the Bible warns,

Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20 (AKJV)

Persecuting Christians and eradicating our God from society is the most destructive approach to maintaining our civility and progress. For it is not our technology or military that make us great, it is our faith in God, and the Judeo-Christian upon which we were founded and yet embrace and uphold, just as the Scriptures attest,

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV)

The Lord is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). He does not cause our self-inflicted calamities. Nor does He tempt us to commit sin. He is loving and longsuffering while leading us “in the path of righteousness” in ways that credit Him for what will always be the most beneficial outcomes for all concerned. (Psalm 23:3)

He often uses tribulation to show His power, to encourage or edify us, and to give instruction. To show His power and teach a valuable lesson, Jesus told His Disciples that a person’s blindness would reveal “the works of God.” (John 9:3) When He healed that person, it dumbfounded the religious leaders, solidified His claim to be the Son of God, and it showed how our loving God can restore sight to the blind.

God also uses tribulation (or trial) to chasten or correct us. Sometimes we take the wrong path, and God will use adversity to turn us in the direction He wants for us. God uses trials to guide us towards achieving the noble behavior patterns that show we are His beloved sons and daughters,

My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:5-6 (NKJV)

Through trials, we can count it all joy as we collaborate with God in our spiritual completion,

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 (NKJV)

In our trials and tribulations, His Spirit moves us to keep our minds on Him, so that He can replace our insecurities with His peace through prayer,

You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV).

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

Philippians 3:10 tells us we can experience the Lord’s mighty power through our tribulations. We can glory because they connect us with Christ and further distinguish us from the world.

The Lord is a special, loving companion Who guides us during our tribulation. He is also our Friend and will never leave or forsake us, even in our most desperate moments. Thus, we can glory in our tribulations, having peace with God without fear of torment. (cf., Proverbs 18:24, Philippians 4:4, 1 John 4:18) Won’t you trust Him today, even in tribulation?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Jesus Is Coming Soon

For July 24, 2022
Over the past two-thousand years, we have been waiting, with great anticipation, for the glorious return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ just as He promised,

And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved… And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. Matthew 24:6-13, 30-31 (NLT)

No one can deny the similarities of the times immediately before the Lord’s return and those we are witnessing now in the world,

    • Escalating hostility and conflict between peoples and nations.
    • Famine, pestilence and earthquakes occurring around the world.
    • Heightened persecution against Christians and the Christian Faith.
    • Increased disloyalty, betrayal, and religious fanaticism.
    • Increased immorality and declined civility and benevolence.

We Christians look forward to our Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious return with great anticipation. While we wait, we should not fear because a wonderful future awaits us, as 1 John 3:2 (AKJV) reminds us, “We shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is!” We also have the added comfort that when He returns, He will reward us for our faithful endurance as well.

No one knows the day and hour when the Lord will appear, but it is certain to be growing sooner day by day as the signs of the times indicate. Then in an instant, we shall forever know the fullness of His love and grace, where the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest forever. (Job 3:17)

Our loving God provides the only way for our redemption that washes away our sins, makes us righteous, and restores our lost fellowship forever.

Blood is essential to maintaining human life, so God institutes it, though sacrificial death, as the means to achieve our atonement. (cf. Leviticus 17:11, Hebrews 9:22) Sin-soiled humans cannot offer the unsoiled blood required to meet His righteous standards. Only someone perfect could shed pristine blood suitable to remediate our sins successfully. Thus, God had to become the perfect human sacrifice in Jesus Christ, to pay sin’s price fully. (cf. Isaiah 53:4-6, Hebrews 9:11-15)

Yet, all He requires is our faith in His vicarious, redeeming work, as we trust Him for salvation,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John 3:16-17 (NJKV)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NKJV)

Without considering our “good” works, God takes away our sin and gives us Jesus’ righteousness because of our faith in His sacrifice at Calvary,

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:1-2 (NKJV)

God’s eternal purpose is that we enjoy eternal a life with Him that is uncontaminated by sin, So as we put our faith in Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we become Born Again as His Holy Spirit inhabits us to enliven (quicken) our sin-deadened spirits eternally.

Christ in us is our hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) Through Him, we have a restored position and standing with God that makes us suitable and proper in every aspect. The Lord Jesus Christ’s return is imminent. Are you ready for His arrival?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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