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Finding Encouragement in Today’s Troubled World

For June 12, 2022
The Old Testament patriarch, Job, whose life is featured in the Bible book that bears his name, helps us find encouragement in today’s turbulent world. The NLT Bible depicts Job as a man who was “blameless with complete integrity,” and that he “feared God and stayed away from evil.” (Job 1:1)

The Lord blessed both him and his wife with children and abundant wealth. Yet, according to His infinite foreknowledge and wisdom, God allowed Satan to take away almost everything he had—including his health.

However, never losing his faith in God, Job recognizes the frailty of the human life. In addition, the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, follows up on this narrative when he observes how our life after death is the “great equalizer,”

Riches won’t help on the day of judgment, but right living can save you from death. When the wicked die, their hopes die with them, for they rely on their own feeble strength. Proverbs 11:4, 4 (NLT)

In today’s mixed up world, it often appears that we increasingly embolden the wicked to commit wickedness… with impunity. However, they may seem to get by, but they will never get away,

For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness. Proverbs 5:21-23 (NLT)

Job builds on the idea of justice and retribution under the authority of the Righteous Judge and discloses his unwavering faith in the Lord,

But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last. And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! Job 19:25-27 (NLT)

Job submitted to God by remaining patient in tribulation (Romans 12:12), as he withstood the faith test. In the end, God blessed him with more than he had before the period of testing began.

Again, Job never lost faith in God, even under the most disheartening of circumstances. Instead, he was absolutely convinced that even under the most severe of trials, the Lord was in complete control of his life and circumstances!

With the vicissitudes associated with our fleeting life, we are mere pilgrims swiftly traveling toward a certain eternal destiny,

How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear. (Job 14:1-2 NLT)

In the end, God is worthy of our faith in all things. His people can find encouragement knowing that He is sovereign in His power and dominion. Thus, He has established limits on all of Satan’s evil schemes and devices while He perfects His will in us,

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

Job also affirms how our Lord wants to complete His perfect work in us by any means necessary,

If someone dies, will they live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait for my renewal to come. Job 14:14 (NIV)

After a life of patient waiting, a glorious renewal comes to us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. We who have been to the cross by faith and saw the nail prints in His hand and feet; we believe He died for our sins and rose for our justification. Under the power of the Holy Spirit, we fight the good fight knowing we have the ultimate victory.

Burdened by the weight of our trials, we can lose sight of how God is performing His perfect work in us and for us. The fear of being oppressed and/or destroyed by Satan may interrupt our joy in the Lord momentarily. But we can take comfort knowing that he has neither the power nor the ability to destroy us because we belong to God,

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NLT)

Further,

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)

Our trials are not our destruction. And by His power, we can exercise patient endurance while waiting for His deliverance, which will happen in a manner whereby He receives the glory—not us.

Be encouraged; we shall live and reign with Christ forever in glory! Then, God will give us rest from all of our labors as we share eternity with Him. Won’t you trust Christ today, and experience His lasting peace, joy, and encouragement that can soothe troubled hearts?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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The Grace of God that Brings Salvation

For June 5, 2022
I am appalled by the heightened lawlessness, hostility, and violence where people should express civility, emotional maturity, and understanding. Although some would argue that humanity is growing into a morally responsible creatures and that life is getting better for humans everywhere. Yet—by nature—the human heart is desperately wicked; filled with hatred, greed, pride, lasciviousness and all forms of evil. And that outside of the transforming power of Christ, we are left to our own morally detestable devices.

But when a person feels the full weight of their guilt and shame associated with living a life of sin and selfishness, along with the emptiness from ignoring and rejecting God and godly things, they can realize that the only person who can deliver us is Jesus Christ the Son of God,

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Romans 10:9-11 (NIV)

When we come to Christ, by faith, the Holy Spirit enables us to grow into morally astute practitioners of the Christian faith who refrain from exploiting others. With our growing moral consciousness, we produce the living fruit that validates our Christian witness,

A person who has genuinely repented will stop doing evil and begin to live righteously. Along with a change of mind and attitude, true repentance will begin to produce a change in conduct.1

We become new creatures in Christ and literally turn the world upside down (Acts 17:6). In the home, we attend church regularly, read God’s Word, serve the Lord and others, and pray as uniquely gifted members of one homogeneous entity, safe from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, as we treat each other with dignity and respect and not as objects of personal gratification.

The family is not exempt from sickness, poverty, death, and other life issues that affect us all. We can remain true to God and each other by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to meet every need.

In the workplace, we are God’s faithful stewards. We are reliable and responsible for company resources, we submit to authority, we follow instructions, and we do not express petty sentiments toward our coworkers. We are also positive, exemplary team players who celebrate the achievements and comfort the distresses of our colleagues.

In addition, we are prompt, work hard, take only allotted breaks, leave when scheduled, and never defraud the company with bogus sicknesses or injuries to get time off or to collect disability payments. Trustworthy with the Lord’s resources, we will receive His eternal commendation.

Using Jesus Christ as our role model, we can improve our social condition by advancing the causes of others and treating people with the esteem and dignity they deserve. Understanding that God created us as equals in His image, we show it is possible to interact with others with sincerity, honor, and respect, regardless of class or gender.

Giving and receiving forgiveness is at a premium as we avoid keeping records of past wrongs as self-appointed judges, since we are equal debtors in the sight of God. Jesus rightly says in John 8:7 (NLT), ”All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”

Our new life influences all areas of our daily human interaction as expressions of Christ’s love through responsible service to others. Exploitation, euthanasia, abortion, violent assaults, and degrading media have no place where Christ’s scepter of righteousness rules our hearts,

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. Titus 2:11-14 (NKJV)

The unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God and we are bought with a price and belong to Him only (1 Corinthians 6:9, 20). The Tree of Life reflecting in us can heal the nations, as God promised in Revelation 22:2.

Our understanding of who we are from God’s perspective enables us to practice a pure religion that is Spirit-driven and undefiled before God and the world. Won’t you trust Christ today as your personal Savior and experience the grace of God for yourself? Your world, and that of others, will change in ways you can’t begin to imagine.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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God Will Sustain Us

For May 29, 2022
While on earth, our Lord submitted Himself to His Father, our Lord God, and resisted the Devil successfully. As we emulate Christ, James 4:7 teaches we too can “resist the Devil, and he will flee from us.”

Because Christ persevered and triumphed, we have the victory with the promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper (Isaiah 54:17). He dispatches His angels to keep us from danger, while His Holy Spirit dwells within to comfort us (John 14:16-18). Here is what the Psalmist observes,

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my ortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” Psalm 91 (NKJV)

We are not invincible, for even the Lord’s Apostles were persecuted and martyred. Nevertheless, eternal blessing is certain because we belong to the Lord, whether we are living in this world or have gone to the next. He sustains us through our persecution and suffering while protecting us from Satan and the other forces at work against us (Romans 14:8, Revelation 14:13).

The Apostle John was the last remaining disciple. While in exile on the Isle of Patmos, he had time to reflect on the three years he shared with our Lord, the other disciples (now gone), as well as Pentecost and the growth of the New Testament church. Despite the persecution from the tyrannical Roman emperors, John did not renounce his faith. Instead, he persevered, just as the Lord predicted,

Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:11–12 (NKJV).

There may be times when persecution and adversity cause us to doubt the Lord. As with the three Hebrew boys presented in Daniel 3, we may find ourselves in a “fiery furnace.” But we can be assured God has not abandoned us. He will give us the extraordinary resolve to count it all joy because our unspeakable treasure is not on the earth—it is in Heaven.

We face many hardships in today’s world, and to the casual observer, there is much uncertainty. However bleak our situation might appear, our circumstances do not negate God’s love, grace, and mercy, nor do they reveal His desertion because nothing can separate us from His love. In the final analysis, all the things we experience will work together for our good (Romans 8:28).

The Lord Himself will acknowledge us as He does His faithful Philadelphia Church,

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, ‘These things says He who is holy, He who is true, “He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens”: “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ’ Revelation 3:7-13 (NKJV)

Our toils and disappointments serve as constant reminders of the presence of sin in our world, which contrasts His magnificent Kingdom. There, all our toil and suffering will be forgotten instantly the moment we see Jesus Christ in His full majestic splendor (Revelation 21:3-4).

The Bible assures us we can be steadfast and ever vigilant in pursuing our incorruptible inheritance because we are kept by God’s power “through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3–5). Won’t you trust the Lord, our God, to sustain you today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Forgiveness Is Personal With Eternal Consequences!

For May 22, 2022
In Matthew 18, Jesus Christ offers a timeless lesson on forgiveness that features a somber warning to those who will not forgive others. His parable’s central message is that God forgives us—through faith in Christ—and He expects us to forgive others likewise.

A comparison and contrast between the Forgiving King and the Unforgiving Servant reveal some startling implications.

The man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart. Matthew 18:28-35 (NLT)

One initial impression notes that the servant imprisoned his fellow servant to recover the money by doing whatever was necessary to collect any outstanding debt. However, as we study the passage, it becomes clear that the Lord is teaching a profound lesson on forgiveness: We should have compassion on others, even as He has shown pity towards us!

We tend to keep track when we are offended and we bear grudges when we should overlook the offense and forgive the offender. We also construct a “sin sliding scale” by comparing sins as if one is more heinous than the other. Such comparisons are futile since all of us have sinned and are equal debtors in the sight of God. (Romans 3:23)

The parable begins with the Forgiving King reckoning a servant who owed ten thousand talents. The talent was the largest measurement for precious and non-precious metals for the Jews. Its weight ranged anywhere from 90 to 120 pounds, (or what a “normal man” could carry), and it represented the wages a common person earned over a “lifetime.” The value of a talent was worth somewhere between $1,000.00 and $1,500.00 in today’s US dollars. Multiply this by ten thousand, and we have a debt ranging between $10 and $15 million to illustrate our sin debt and how much the Lord forgives us.

In this parable, God is the Forgiving King who loves and forgives us in ways that are far beyond our comprehension. We take for granted the enormity of our sin debt, which has been canceled through the redemptive work of Christ. He exercised special, individualized care to blot out our sin debt and restore our lost fellowship as our great High Priest, as Hebrews 9:11-12 (NLT) tells us,

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever.

 Immediately after the Unforgiving Servant left the king, he met another servant who owed him 100 denarii. The denarius was the most basic unit of Roman coinage and equaled a normal day’s wage of approximately sixteen or seventeen cents in today’s US money.2 When multiplied by one hundred, we have a minuscule debt totaling no more than about seventeen dollars.

Compared to the massive debt forgiven, this minuscule debt could have been easily forgiven—and forgotten. But instead, the Unforgiving Servant explodes in anger and assaults his fellow servant by grabbing him by the throat, violently choking him, and yelling: “Pay me what you owe me!” (Matthew 18:28)

The unfortunate fellow servant acknowledges his debt, and he begs for mercy: “Have patience with me and I will repay you!” Although both servants made similar requests for mercy, there were two vastly different outcomes.

As equals, we should forgive and forget offenses because God forgave and forgot ours at Calvary. The Lord commands us to express His kindness toward others, especially those who need our forgiveness. Although sometimes forgiveness is difficult for us, Jesus warns it is required to secure God’s forgiveness. Thus, He requires us to extend forgiveness equally—to those who ask for forgiveness—and to those who do not ask for forgiveness in all other areas of our daily, human interaction.

Matthew 18:15-17 outlines a three-step process that can guide us towards radical forgiveness for church settings that can be modified for everyday use,

      1. Contact the offended person(s) for reconciliation.
      2. Use a mediator or mediators to help clarify the issue(s) to everyone’s understanding.
      3. Utilize appropriate church leadership (i.e., pastors, deacons, elders, etc.), who are led by the Spirit to resolve the matter through the Word of God and prayer.

The Unforgiving Servant suffered the consequences of his actions as the Forgiving King imposed severe punishment. The Bible rightly teaches, “It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31 NLT)

Performing the ministry of reconciliation is part of a lifelong process of spiritual wholeness and harmony. Won’t you show God’s love towards others today through your forgiveness, to the degree and magnitude He’s forgiven us? Our world needs it today—as do we.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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The True and Living God

For May 15, 2022
There is one true, living God. He is the Creator and Sustainer of Heaven and earth. As Jeremiah attests,

But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth will tremble, And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them: “The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.” Jeremiah 10:10-11 (NKJV)

Jeremiah offered this message to the ancient nation of Judah around 615 BC, a nation in a state of severe moral decline. For their sin, they would face God’s judgement when He sent them into Babylonian Captivity for seventy years (around 607 BC to 537 BC).

Jeremiah tried to convey the ideas that Jehovah, the Covenant God of the Hebrews, is the true God, distinct from the false idols they worshiped, and He is also the living God, distinct from the lifeless idols they worshiped.

From Jeremiah’s message, we can learn that idols are lifeless, unprofitable, and unfulfilling. But our Lord God is the embodiment of life itself. In other words, not only is He the source of all life, He gives it true meaning and purpose as well.

Today, we can celebrate our capacity to know God on an intimate, personal level. We can know God by faith, as one theologian suggests,

Faith is knowledge, and a higher sort of knowledge. Physical science also rests upon faith—faith in our own existence (and senses), in the existence of a world and persons external to us. Physical science is not invalidated because of faith, for it is yet a cognitive act of the reason and conscience.3

Also, we can know God when we desire to know Him. Only the renewed heart can properly seek divine revelation and understand the revelation once it’s given.

Psalm 25:14: The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.

Proverbs 8:17: I love those who love me, And those who seek me early shall find me.

Hebrews 11:6: But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

We can know God as the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds to apprehend Him.

1 Corinthians 2:14: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

We can take pleasure about how God is true, living, and loving towards us. True is God’s special characteristic whereby His being and knowledge are always in perfect harmony. Thus, all truth, real or abstract, logical, moral, or religious, will find its foundation in the existence and being of God. A person can say: “I speak the truth,” but never: “I am the truth.” Only God can make that claim:

Deuteronomy 32:4: He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Living is having His own being and activity for Himself and His creation. In other words, God is the source of all life and existence. He is the living God.

Matthew 16:16: Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Acts 17:24-28: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands… for in Him we live and move and have our being.

Loving is that unique characteristic of God’s perfect nature whereby He expresses a selfless benevolence towards us. In other words, our God expresses a rational, voluntary affection toward us that is grounded in His perfect reason and deliberate choice.

John 3:16: 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.

1 John 4:7-8: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4:10: In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

There is one living and true God, an infinite intelligent Spirit, whose name is Jehovah, the maker and supreme ruler of heaven and earth. He is inexpressibly glorious in holiness, and worthy of all possible honor, confidence, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; each equal in every divine perfection, and executing distinct but harmonious offices in the great work of redemption.4

God is true, living, and loving because He broke down the “middle wall of partition” that separated us. (Ephesians 2:14) All we need to do is accept His free gift—Jesus Christ. Won’t you trust in Him today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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