Category: Thanksgiving

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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 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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Emulating Our Perfect Role Model

For July 17, 2022
Jesus Christ is our perfect role model for expressing the gifts and graces the world considers “abnormal.” As the “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27), we are at various stages of His exquisite model, because we don’t have His moral and spiritual perfection. (If we did, we’d have no need for Him as our Savior.)

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV)

The book begins with Jesus instructing His Followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Then, it tells how the Holy Spirit descended on those who were in the upper room, praying in one accord, and waiting intently for God’s manifestation. Then on the Day of Pentecost, they boldly proclaimed the message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life Under the Holy Spirit’s power. This Gospel or the “Good News” of Jesus Christ spread from Jerusalem to every corner of the world.

Miraculous signs and wonders followed these Spirit-powered men and women as they shared how they encountered the living Christ personally. He was no longer dead, but alive and victoriously seated at the right hand of God. As their message “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), they became a threat to established religions and the Roman government and encountered severe backlash. Although the world ridiculed, criticized, persecuted, beat, imprisoned, condemned, and martyred them, the Christian movement or The Way (cf. Acts 9:2; 22:4) continued to grow and flourish exponentially.

As they emulated their Perfect Role Model, the world around them quickly noticed that Jesus Christ was truly with them, and He gave them an “abnormal” response to their opposition (my emphasis),

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13 (NKJV)

Further,

So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5:41 (NKJV)

The First Century Followers of Christ did not retaliate by fighting back or by starting a protest campaign, as many do today. They did not evade the pressure their adversaries applied upon them, but they welcomed it wholeheartedly; rejoicing through it instead.

They did not retreat into isolation to hide from, ignore, or escape their persecutors. Nor did they conform to the demands of their adversaries by embracing unrighteous, worldly living standards. They accepted being in the world but not of it, knowing that as their Master suffered, they too would suffer, just as He forewarned them,

If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. John 15:18-20 (NKJV)

They resolved to endure all things for their Savior. Standing firm in their convictions, they continued their normal, day-to-day activities, preaching, teaching, and living out their faith in Christ. Each day they grew ever more resolute about the cause of Christ, rejoicing in tribulations, being fully persuaded that whatever the outcome—good or bad—He was with them in their situation.

They were confident, and always rejoicing, because Jesus Christ is preparing a glorious eternity for all His Children in Heaven. His shed blood, bodily resurrection, and Holy Spirit seal our eternal destiny.

These truths were the core of their message that we can boast with confidence—even during times of extreme hardship—and live a victorious life on earth because Jesus Christ gives us victory,

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33 (NKJV)

But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 (NKJV)

As if they were soldiers in the Lord’s army, they joyously faced life’s challenges. Standing tall and marching forward, they triumphed as this cherished hymn attests,

       Onward, Christian Soldiers3
Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924)

Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before: Christ, the royal Master, Leads against the foe; Forward into battle, See, His banners go.

Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God; Brothers, we are treading Where the saints have trod; We are not divided; All one body we, One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.

Crowns and thrones may perish, King-doms rise and wane, But the Church of Jesus, Constant will remain; Gates of hell can never ‘Gainst that Church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise, And that can-not fail.

Onward, then, ye people, Join our happy throng, Blend with ours your voices In the triumph song; Glory, laud, and honor, Unto Christ the King; This thro’ countless ages Men and angels sing.

Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus  Going on before.

Just like our First Century counterparts, we too have the unique opportunity  and privilege of living for Jesus Christ in ways that transforms our sin plagued world. With His Spirit living inside us, we have the power to be morally and spiritually distinct from anything the world can offer. Won’t you give your heart to the Lord, so that He can be glorified in us and through us?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Got Peace Today?

For July 10, 2022
In the Book of Acts, we witness the formation of the Christian Church and the evangelistic activities of the Apostles and First Century Christians unfolding before us. It begins with the Lord telling His Followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:4-5)

On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on those who were in the upper room, in one accord, praying and waiting intently for God’s manifestation. Under the Holy Spirit’s power, they boldly proclaimed the Gospel, the message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of eternal life. As a result, the “Good News of Jesus Christ” spread from Jerusalem to every corner of the world.

Miraculous signs and wonders followed as these Spirit-powered men and women as they shared their testimonies of having encountered the living Christ personally; He was no longer dead, but alive and victoriously seated at the right hand of God.

As their message “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6), they became a threat and encountered severe backlash from established religions and the government. Although criticized, persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, martyred, the Christian movement or The Way (cf. Acts 9:2; 22:4) continued to grow exponentially numerically while also spiritually flourishing as well.

In the face of opposition, they found that eternal peace that the Lord had promised them a few days earlier,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 (NIV)

This new paradigm is forged from an extraordinary inner transformation, through the Born Again experience that finds its power and scope in our eternal connection with God where we can fully practice our faith, hope, and love to His glory and our collective benefit.

The vicarious work the Lord performed at Calvary’s Cross on our behalf inspires our humility and gratitude. He loved us and died for us when we were sinners with no desire for Him or the things of God.

We now can have the presence of His Holy Spirit within us to impart a deep abiding faith in the Lord, a hope for His promise of eternal life, and an unselfish love for God and others.

Because we are sin-tarnished, we must place our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and His perfect righteousness at all times. There is no place for our self-righteousness, which will always be “filthy rags” even on our best day. (Isaiah 64:6)

When we encounter problems, God supplies us  with a peace that defies logic, as we pray and trust in Christ to resolve the issue perfectly, as the Bible teaches us (my emphasis),

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV)

Jesus wants to give us His peace as we await His glorious return. Won’t you give Him your heart today and receive His deep, lasting, incomparable peace? Got peace today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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