The Gift of God

Eph. 2:8,9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:..Not of works, lest any man should boast.

As good and kind as we try to be, it is not the key that unlocks the door to eternal life. By no fault of our own, we are all born in sin. The fall of Adam and Eve place the curse of sin on all humanity. At birth, lays within us an enmity against God that refuses to submit to the will of God. But God has also put in each of us a desire to know Him. The struggle between good and evil is the conflict of ages. The victory over evil cannot be achieved by doing or being good. Sin must be removed, sin must be cast out, sin must be destroyed. All our goodness and righteousness is but filthy rags, it will never be able to make us clean and fit. God so loved humanity, that He sent us a gift, His only Son, Jesus Christ to earth. His life paved the pathway giving us an example how to live good and righteous, but that example was not enough. The gift of God was to provide a way to remove sin. The propitiation was made, Christ died on the cross and shed His blood for our sin. By this grace are we now able to come boldly into God’s presence. This gift of God is only obtained through faith in believing that Jesus died for our sins and through His blood we are made clean. It is this grace that gives us the earnest desire to do good works and to live a life that is pleasing to Him. Doing what is right and good is product of our faith. Faith ceases to exist when our deeds become evil. It is the lost of faith that separates us from God, manifested by our works. No amount of works will save us without believe and accepting Jesus as our propitiation for sin.

Peace in Conflict

Roman 5: 1 Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

A world without conflict will always evade us. Peace is an illusion that we continue reach out to grasp, but always out of our reach. War and conflict go back to the beginning of time, before the foundations of the earth were created. Satan, the arch angel is heaven stood in opposition to God, exerting his will over the will of God. The root of all conflict begins when man is unwilling to submit to its Creator. Peace is never found when man refuses to believe God and trust that He is Lord of all. Christ came to bring peace. Peace in the midst of conflict. The war and battle may rage all around us, but the God’s peace can abide in the heart of man. Coming to terms with our sin and turning to the one who is able to forgive us of our sin, we are made right in the sight of God, and God who reconciles us to Him gives us peace that passes the conflict of this world. Wars and rumors of war will continue till the end of time, but real peace need not evade us. Reach out to the prince of peace, Jesus Christ, the God of peace. 

Helping Hands

Prov. 3:27 Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

We don’t own anything. We are all stewards of the things we have. God who gives us strength, life, and opportunity to be willing to give to those who are in need. God loves a cheerful giver, one that gives because giving is an extension of God’s grace. Helping hands reaching out to people that are not able to help themselves. Giving because God puts a desire in our hearts to reach out to the less fortunate. “I have shewed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.”(Acts 20:35) Such is the life style of those who love God with all their heart and their neighbor as themselves. Let us open our resources, and show the love of Christ, not in word only, but also in deed.

Prayer is Always in Order

Nehemiah 1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper…

In time of crisis, praying for God’s intervention is always in order. Nehemiah was facing a situation of dire need. The walls and gates of Jerusalem were in ruins, and it appear that all efforts to build the walls again was being resisted. Nehemiah realized that all that had befallen Israel was because they failed to obey God’s commandments, yet he beseeched God to have mercy and once again come to their aid. How often do we come short and need to fall on our knees and ask God to once again rescue us. God has the power to keep us from falling, but the devil is mean and shows no mercy. It is possible to fall from the favor of God, but it is not God’s desire that we be cast away. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father..” Such is the prayer of Nehemiah, “I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy”. Prayer is always in order, and never inappropriate or a waste of time. Let us make prayer a priority in everything we do.

Fix Our Heart On God

Psalm 57:5,7 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth… My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise.

Many people are fixed on the things of this world. Fixed on this temporal life. Pleasure, power, or personal gain occupied our time and attention from the time we wake till the time we lay our heads on our pillow. On the other spectrum, there are those that are fixed on their problems, trails and disappointments in life. Life is not fair, and their heart is fixed with bitterness toward all that seem to have it better and ultimately toward God. Life happens, and it is not always fair, but what is fair is that we all have a choice to fix our heart on Jesus, and lift up our heart in praise. Exalt the Name of Jesus. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a Name which is above every name” Where our treasures, so is our heart. Who do you treasure in life? Fixed your heart on God and praise Him for all He has done.

Even in Old Age

Isaiah 46:4 And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Time quickly passes and the hairs of my hair are now peppered with gray. In my youth I gave my heart to Jesus. My hair jet black and full. To this day, He has not forsaken me. Even as the years have pass He has led me each step of the way. The gray hairs are more abundant and my years are numbered. I may have 20 or 30 years left if God wills. From the womb, He made me, in life, He sought me out as a teenage boy. Through the trail and hard times He carried me, and in that day when when life on this earth comes to an end, He will deliver me into the bosom of the Father. Jesus, lover of my soul and keeper of my heart.

Bow The Knee

Phil 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Many see Christianity as an arrogant religion. Those who claim the Name of Christ proclaim that Jesus is the only way to have have eternal life, in other words, get to heaven. Such teaching flies in the face of those that think that there are many ways to have eternal life after death. That the path to heaven is made possible by having faith in what you believe, and to follow its teachings. Jesus, says, “I am the way, the truth, and life, and no mans comes to the Father except through me.” This declaration of Christ has portrayed the followers of Christ as bigots. Not willing to accept or tolerant the belief that obtaining eternal can be achieve by other means other than through Christ. It is the foundation truth of Christianity that Jesus is God, who came in the flesh and dwelt among us. He being fully God and fully man died for the sins of humanity that we might have access to the Father. I stand not in judgement of others who claim otherwise, but to believe in Jesus, is to believe that what He is is truth. Ultimately, every religion will bow the knee and acknowledge that He is Lord, and the only way to have eternal life. 

The Whole Armor of God

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The devil is out like a roaring lion walking about seeking whom he may devour. Both Paul and Peter realized that there is an enemy out there who wants to destroy everything that is good and righteous. Satan hates Gods and everything that is holy. Satan despises  anyone who will stand for truth and do what is right regardless of the circumstances. Peter tells us to be vigilant, on our toes, be alert that we not be taken unaware. Paul admonition us to be ready to fight and defend what we believe to be true. Put on the armor of God. Have faith that God is able to deliver, protect our minds again false doctrine, gird ourselves with living lives that our unspotted by the world, and stand up for truth when Satan and those who follow him seek to twist what God says. And above all, take the Word and use it not only to defend but to defeat the enemy. We live in world where the prince of the air rules in the minds of all who rejected God’s truth. He uses whatever means he can to destroy the kingdom of God. Let us stand strong in the face of our adversary, not in our own strength, but by putting on the whole armor of God.

Plucked Out of the Fire

Zach 3:2  And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

From the flames of sin and destruction, God reaches into the fire and pulls us out. He calls us to walk in His ways and to take up the banner of righteousness. Plucked out of the fire of selfish living, and the life of sin, He has a purpose for each one of us. The charge is given to us to let our light shine in a world that is dark with sin. We stand against the evils of our day and show others the path that leads to eternal life. We offer hope to the world that there is a better life. In Christ we have hope and through Christ we can make a difference.

Abide in Love

John 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.

Love flows from the Father through the Son and to them that follow in His footsteps. Love continues to flow one to another as we allow the love of Christ to work in our lives. One of the commandments of Jesus is to abide in His love. As the vine abides in the branch, so are we to abide in Christ. A sign of His love abiding in us is that we keep and walk in His truth. Failure to abide in His truth is evidence of our lack of abiding in His love. For a person who is in love, will do all they can to bring pleasure to the one they adore. This is the foundation of holy living, or living a sinless life. Is it possible to live a life without sinning? It is possible to always decide that love will win over what is wrong? Can we who are earthen vessels, made from the clay of the earth choose to love Him in every decision we make? Such is possible if we are filled with the  Holy Spirit, who will guide and lead us into truth. The promise of the Father given to us, the Comforter will come and He will abide with those who surrender all to follow Christ.