Inheritance in Christ

1 Peter 1:4 “to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for you,”

The inheritance that I receive from my mother and the inheritance I leave my children will fade away with the passing of time. It may buy a few things and may provide for a more comfortable life, but the inheritance of this world is corruptible, it will all turn to dust. After we pass from this life, the trails and temptations will also fade away. We have been promised a new hope, a new beginning. Through Christ, we have inherited eternal life, this inheritance will not fade away. The treasures of life are truly that which pertain to the Kingdom of God. We are not of this world, we are only passing through. Our final destination is Heaven, it is our inheritance in Christ.

This World

John 17:14,15 “ I have given them Thy Word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”

This world is no friend of grace. The world stands in opposition to all that is godly, holy, right, and despises those who declare an absolute truth. The world is driven to please the pleasure of the flesh, it has no regard to the commandments of God. Christian’s world view comes from the teaching of Christ and the Holy Spirit that leads the believer into all truth. The Bible is the final word of what is morally right and wrong, and the world does not like what it has to say. It goes against their own fleshly desires to satisfy self. Therefore, the world rejects God’s Word as absolute truth. We are not to behave as the world does, even though we live in this world we are to remain from the world’s inclination to satisfy the base desires of the sinful flesh. It was the prayer of Jesus that we be kept from the love of the flesh. This world will pass away, but the Word of God will remain and every knee will bow and confess that He is Lord of all.  

Count Our Blessings

Psalm 139:17.18 “How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with Thee.”

Count our blessings one by one, it will amaze you how high you can count. Remembering to count is often forgotten when we are in the mist of things happening that cause us despair or stress. It seems at times that everything is going wrong and nothing seems to be going the way we like it to go. Broken vehicle, flooded basement, late for an important appointment, car accident, and many other things that happen because we live in a broken world. But God, who knows what we are going through and sees our frustration still shows His love to us in many ways. The good things He provide cannot be numbers, they are as the sands of the sea. We should stop and start to count when it seems that all is falling apart. Daily He floods us with His benefits and His love is everlasting. Take time today and begin counting. 

Let Our Light Shine

Matt. 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”-

There is a light within each one of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The presence of God in the life of a person is manifest in the way we act and react to people and the circumstance around us. Our light ( the witness of Christ) is to reflect the Spirit of Christ in the way He treated others and responded to life’s happenings. It is sometime easy to forget when we are in the middle of conflict, or people are not treated us right to remember that we are the light of the world. People don’t always deserve respect, but we treat all people with respect because the light within us compiles us. Letting our light shine is to also reveal to others that Jesus is the answer to life’s questions and He alone is able to forgive sin and remove guilt from the heart. The light will reveal to others that there is hope in this world and we need not fear tomorrow. In a day where there is so much uncertainty in our world, may we let our light shine, and bring some sunshine into a world that is darken by sin. 

In Our Weakness

2 Corinth 12:9 “And He said unto me, “My grace is sufficient for thee, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”-

The power of God is able to work in us when we come to the place that we are depended on Him to be our strength. God has given us talents and abilities to accomplish many things, but when we come to the end of our human abilities, God is still there to take it beyond what we are able to do. We must always give our best it whatever we do, but our best is to depend on Him to provide the help we need to go beyond the human. In times of difficulties and hard places when life takes us to a dead end with no where to turn, God’s grace opens a door where there seem to be no door, His grace parts the sea when we don’t see a way out. Sometimes God just has to remove the things we have been leaning on, knock the props from under us, so we can realize that we must have Him to be our helper and strength. In our weakness, God shows us that we can be strong when we put our trust in Him.

Turning to God

Ezekiel 18: 28 “Because he considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live: he shall not die.”-

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life- Turning to God is the way out of sin and despair. Sin is a willful transgression against the known will of God. This is the sin that man is accountable for. We live in vessel made of clay and any transgression from perfect that resulted without choice is covered by the blood of Christ. Sin that is committed by our will and choice is also covered by the blood, but it must be confessed. if any man sin (willfully) we have a advocate, a mediator, who is Christ Jesus. With the mouth confession is made to to God and He in His love and mercy will forgive so that we can continue to live. Repenting of making wrong choices is the way we stay alive. Turning to God for forgiveness is the right choice. It is His will that we sin not, but if we do, He provides a way back.

He is Faithful

Lamentation:3:22b,23 “…because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness

He is Faithful to in His Love. The faithful love of God is seen in how He provides for those in need. His love is often taken for granted for He is always there even tho we don’t always sense His presence. As the sun rises in the morning each day with certainty we can be assured that the faithfulness of God will be with us. Through the difficult time that we face and the hard decisions that we must make, God is faithful to help us do what is right. His love is never failing and He will faithfully direct us in the path we should follow. Learning to lean on Him, for He is faithful and true to keep us from falling and going astray. 

Constantly Abiding

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever”-

Constantly Abiding. The Holy Spirit’s presence in this world was made possible because Jesus came and provide a way for us to have access to the Father. The Spirit has always been active in the world, but it was not until Jesus came that the Spirit’s fullness was able to abide in those who walked with God. The Spirit was with and directed all those that lived Godly live before Christ came, but the Holy Spirit did not indwell the believers until the day of pentecost. The prayer of Jesus makes it clear that He had not yet come to dwell, but that He would come. The promise was to believers in Christ who had been saved through believing in the Name of Jesus. It is for us all today for our high priest has prayed to God the Father who always hears the prayers of His Son. He abides, He abides, every day and everywhere. He is constantly abiding in the hearts of those who keep His commandments.

God of Mercy

Psalm 136  “His mercy endureth for ever.”

He is a God of mercy and compassion. He is good, God above all gods, Lord of all, His mercy reaches across the oceans, to the ends of earth, to the moon and back, it is unmeasurable. In loving kindness, His mercy reached down to me and lifted me out of my despair and hopelessness. Lost in sin, the mercy of God sent His Son to die for me and gave me a new hope and new purpose. I now look at His creation and give thanks for all that He is and all that He is able to do. The Heavens declare His glory and show forth His mercy to all generations. May my children see the mercy of God and give thanks. May they see that life without God is meaningless. May their children also know that His mercy endures forever. 

Rendering our Hearts

Joel 2:13 “And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God; for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth of the evil.”

Rendering our hearts is more than just a lay me down to sleep prayer. To render the heart is to demonstrate a contrite and broken heart. A heart that is in mourning and grief stricken for the way it has treated God. A render heart will cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness. It realized that it has grieved it’s Maker and has brought displeasure to the One who loves them. A sincere heart will come to God with a minds eye to only please the Father. We may try and come to God and bargain with Him, but God is not interested in burnt sacrifices, He wants a heart that has been rendered and surrendered to the His will. May we turn from our sinful ways of doing things our way, and turn to God, who is merciful and mighty to heal a heart that has been rendered.

Called Unto Holiness

1 Thess 5:23,24 “ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He that calleth you; He also will do it.

Called unto holiness is more than just a song we sing in church. It is more than just a doctrine that is held by many churches that hold to the teachings of John Wesley. It is a Bible experience that every Christian can have. We strive daily to live in holiness, but God calls us not only to strive but to obtain the experience of being blameless before God. To be sanctify wholly is an experience of God’s grace by shedding in our hearts the Holy Spirit who purges out the carnal sinful nature. The whole of our body, soul and spirit can be made pure by the indwelling presence of God. This is the prayer that Paul gives to those who have come to Christ for salvation and forgiveness. He prayed to God that our hearts would be remain pure and holy until we see Christ face to face. The God who called us to holiness is faithful to answer prayer to anyone who is willing to let God sanctify them wholly.

He Alone is God

Psalm 86:10 “For Thou art great and doest wondrous things: Thou alone art God.”-

He alone is God. In all the earth there is none greater than the great three in one. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Holy, holy, holy is He and worthy of all our praise and worship. There is no God compared to Thee on God, no not one. The gods of this world appeal to our earthly flesh and passions to serve them, but God appeals to our soul and spirit. He works in ways that are beyond our imagination. He is God alone who is in control of world affairs and no matter who our world leaders are, He is greater and nothing that happens will change who He is and what He allows to happen. He alone is God and in Him alone will I put my trust.

Lay Down Our Time

1 John 3:16. Hereby we perceive the love of God: because He laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

The love of God is seen in those that profess His name when compassion is demonstrate by the way we give to others. If we hold back what God has given us then we have yet to perceive the love of God. If God’s love lives within us, we will show forth this love in the way we treat others and give as God blesses. Giving to help others is more than putting money in the offering plate. As needful as that is, we show our love to others by giving of our time and sacrificing things we might enjoy doing to help someone who needs our attention. Time is a valuable commodity. Our lives consist of time we spend on this earth. How we use our time reveals what is important to us. May we be willing to lay down our time to help the brethren who is in need.

Love Your Enemies

Luke 6:35 “ But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest; for He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.”-

It is not within human nature to love someone who hates you and is out to make life miserable for you. Loving your enemies requires a divine act of God. It requires that we say “No” to hate and “Yes” to love. It is a choice we make. We take sides with that which is good and holy. Being tempted to retaliate when someone does us wrong is a normal reaction as we try to defend our dignity and self worth. Being hurt and being tempted to hurt back is the part of the human nature that Jesus tells us that we must resist. He reminds us that Love conquers all and loving those who despitefully use us is possible when we know that God also shows mercy and forgiveness. Forgiving is not forgetting, but it does take resentment out of the heart and puts a love that passes human understanding. We love, because God first loved us.

Dead to the World

Col. 3:2,3  “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”-

Dead to the world means that the world no longer holds any attraction. We hold on loosely to the material things of life and the temporal. Prestige and earthly power is but a vapor when compared to life in eternity.  Being “dead” in Christ implies that we have been to the cross. Once again, we have made the choice to pick up it up and follow Him, even the death of the cross. Our sins have been nailed, the old man has been crucified, and we are now made alive, a new creature. Being alive in Christ means that our desires and affections are focused on Christ and the teaching of His word. We find pleasure in serving Him and doing His will. Tho the earthly pleasure of this life have some appeal, they are nothing compared to what God has to offer. For in Him is life and the reason we live.

Conforming to the Cross

Phil 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death,”

Conforming to the cross of Christ implies that one also comes to realization that the sin of self must die. The Cross, the emblem to those who bare the marks that they belong to Jesus. “Pick up your cross, and follow me” are the words Jesus spoke to those desired to see God. The cross is not some magical amulet, that we carry around to ward off evil and danger. The cross is an emblem that reminds us that Jesus died for us, giving us the hope of eternal life. We too can take the way of the cross, giving up sin and the things of this world that are in opposition to the way God wants us to live. We go forth daily baring the cross of Jesus showing others that the cross is our hope and salvation. It is the cross, the blood of Christ that was shed on that cross that empowers us to live victoriously. We conform to the cross in our lives, so when others see us, they see Christ.

Talking to God

2 Chron 6:19 “Have respect therefore to the prayer of Thy servant and to his supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which Thy servant prayeth before Thee:”

Basically, prayer is just talking to God. When we say, “I’ll be praying for you”, we are telling that person that we will talk to God about them and their needs. Prayer implies that there is a relationship established. It is not likely that we would be approaching strangers and start up a conversation. That is not to say that we never do, but it is not something we normally do. But, if we see someone we know, we visit and talk about what is happening. Having a relationship with Jesus, gives us an open door to talk to Him at anytime of the day. Continue always in prayer is to continue to speak to Him no matter where we are or what we are doing.  Depending on our needs, this conversation with God can take on different facets as we enter into conversation. God desires us to come to Him and make our needs know, He hears our voices as we lift them up heavenward. It is good to take time out of the our busy day to talk to God, putting aside the busyness of our day and just have an intimate talk with Him. May we always have an open heart and listen to the voice of God and take time to stop what we are doing and have a quiet visit with the lover of our soul. 

Be Anger, and Sin Not

Eph. 4:31.32 “ Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice; and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”

Becoming angry is seen as an out of control emotion. Normally when one becomes angry it is because someone else has inflected pain or has treated us wrongly or carelessly. Becoming angry can also happen when we see an injustice take place, someone is hurting or abusing someone else. Anger is a normal human emotion, but God’s word says to put away anger. In the work of holiness, or sanctification, God deals with us about our carnal anger that stirs within our heart when things don’t go our way, or when someone has treated us wrongly. The Holy Spirit removes carnal self from the throne of our life and put the love of God that constrains us to treat others with love and kindness. Not all anger is carnal, but we must always beware of the reasons we are angry and allow the Holy Spirit to direct us in our actions and behavior. We can be anger at what sin does and how it destroys lives, but we must be careful to direct our anger toward the sin, and not the person, who God loves and desires to save and forgive. “Be angry, but sin not”

A Prisoner set Free

Psalm 146:7-8“…the Lord looseth the prisoners…The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind; the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down;…”

Sin is binding, it shackles us with chains that keeps us from being free to serve God the way we should. A prisoner to sin, we live in bondage to Satan who keeps us trapped by deceiving us into thinking that leaving the pleasures of sin will take the fun out of living. The carnal nature enjoys the lust of the flesh, but the fulfilling the lust of the flesh drive us further into a prison that keeps us trapped. Sin leads to a life style that keeps us from serving God in righteousness. Jesus came to set the prisoner free, He has the keys of life that will give us real freedom. Freedom to worship God is the Spirit of holiness. Freedom to be what God wants us to be. His grace, causes the chains of sin to loosen and break. We don’t have to be a prisoner of sin, we can be set free if we choose to live in truth. He is truth and the Truth shall set us free.

No Longer Strangers

Debt. 10:17,18 “ For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty and a fearsome, who regardeth not persons nor taketh reward. He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger in giving him food and raiment.”

We often take caution when a stranger is seen. We don’t know anything about this person, we don’t don’t know anything about their character. They have not proven themselves to us, so we approach them with caution. Caution is good, but rudeness is uncalled for by anyone who names the Name of Christ. We our representatives of God’s house and are to treat all people kindly without regard to their station in life. It matters not who they are or what they have to offer, the love of God constrains us to reach out and give to others who are in need or in want. Let us put aside our prejudice and judgement and execute compassion to those who are strangers among us. May they seen the love of God and turn their hearts toward Him. No longer strangers, but friends among us.