Thrrough the Blood

 Ephesian 2:13
But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
We all were born in sin and are far off from knowing Christ. All our human efforts to draw close to God are made impossible because of the enmity of sin in our hearts toward God. There is nothing we can do to break down the wall of partition that separates us from God. He is holy, we are unholy, He is just, we are unjust, He is righteous, we are unrighteous. We are all unclean things, what righteousness we have are as filthy rags. It is all because of God’s amazing grace that we can draw close to Him. Christ, who came to earth, gave His life on the cross, paid our debt of sin when He made the supreme sacrifice for sin shedding His blood. Redeemed by the blood of the lamb, He removed the middle wall of partition and gave us access to the throne of God. Through the atoning blood of Christ we have been set free from the bondage of sin. We now have fellowship with the Father, His Spirit ever makes intercession for us, and through His blood we have been born again and are made new creatures in Christ.

Spiritual Darkness

 Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
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We often see our enemies as those who fight against us. People who have little regard for the Holy Scriptures. They see God’s word as some relic of fables, or stories that have been twisted over the years to fit someone’s philosophy of life. It is challenging for the believer to see past their spiritual blindness and see a lost soul in need of God. Yes, they fight against the truth and resist God, but they are controlled by an unseen spiritual wickedness that has darkened their hearts to believe a lie. There are those who have allowed this spirit to infiltrate their lives to the point that they embody the very spirit of Satan. Jesus, who has power over darkness was able to rebuke such spirits from people and cast out such devils. We, who are filled with the Holy Spirit are told to put on spiritual gear that will protect us from the enemy’s attack. It is the source of our defense and offense as we fight against the rulers of the darkness of this world.  Satan is out to destroy all who name the Name of Jesus. We must be ready, we must put on the whole armor of God. Prepare for battle, God is with us!

A Still Small Voice

 1 King 19:11,12
a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
It is most often in the still small voice that God speaks to us. Pulled away from the hustle and bustle of life. During our trysting place, alone with God, He speaks to our heart. He assures us that He is in control, and everything will work out according to His will. It may not be the way we think it should be, but God is good and He knows what is best. It is ours to trust Him. There are a lot of things that clamor for our attention, that is why we need to find a place of solitude, a quiet resting place to listen to what God has to say. “Speak Lord, thy servant is listening.”

Let Us Ponder

 Luke 2:19
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

We all find ourselves pondering from time to time. Sometimes our thinking is carried away with things that could have been, if only. We stop and often think and dream of the possibilities in life. As the word went out that a baby was born in Bethlehem, and this baby was to be the Savior of Israel, Mary wondered and mused to herself what all this would mean. How would all this come to pass? How could this baby save the world? We often face situations in life that cause us to wonder what will happen next. Mary really had no idea what the future would bring. She only knew that this child was of God, and her life was dedicated to raising this child. We don’t know what the future holds, we only have today to do what is best. To follow the light that God gives us and to do as He commands. Let us ponder on faith to believe God to take care of our loved ones and trust Him that all will work out to His Glory.

His Word is Profitable

 2 Tim 3:16

 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Many find inspiration from God’s word. Words of encouragement, promises of comfort during difficult times, words that lift the spirits. The word of God brings hope to many in a world that is lost and hurting. But His word has much more to give. It is God’s instructions for life. It is our manual for living, teaching us how to act and treat others, how to talk, how to make good decisions, things we should do and things we should not do. The world is no friend of God, and is opposed to anything that is holy and righteous. It may have a form of godliness, but they deny the power of God, and the truth of the Gospel, that Jesus is the only way to heaven. No man can come to God, except through Christ.

Every Knee Shall Bow

 Philippians 2:10,11
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;;; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

He is exalted above every name. There will come a day when every knee will bow to Jesus. There is a coming day when every nation, every religion, every atheist will confess that He is the Lord and the true God and Savior of this world. It is not arrogance and self-righteousness that Christians hold this truth to be self-evident. It is the absolute and undeniable truth that Jesus is King of kings, and Lord of lords. He will return to earth some day to receive His church, all that is washed and covered in His blood. He will set up His Kingdom and there will be no end to His reign.

Godly Counsel

 Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly…

The wisdom of a person that is not grounded in the word of God can lead to disaster. This is not to say that a person has to be a Christian to give good advice, but if such advice is not based on Biblical principles, then one needs to discard it. All advice should be grounded in prayer and seeking the will of God. His will is revealed in His word. It may not always seem logical, but it is the right thing to do. We are all faced with decisions each day, some of them are small, and others are big that are difficult to retrace. The decisions we make may not always turn out the way we thought they should have, but knowing we made them with pure motives and a right spirit can give us peace in the aftermath of events. May we always seek God’s wisdom found in His word, seek godly counsel from those that know God, and let the Holy Spirit direct our path.

Contentment

 1 Timothy 6:1

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

People seek many things to find contentment. Like the rich man in the Bible, they seek to build greater “barns” to store the things of the world they have gained. The love of money is said to be the root of all evil. Seekers of earthly things. Houses, cars, computers, phones, clothes, and all that money can buy cannot buy contentment. The love of family is to be cherished, but even with that, true contentment cannot be obtained. We all enjoy our creature comforts, they do bring a measure of contentment and a sense of safety. But we bring nothing into this world, and we will leave this world empty-handed. Like the rich man, Jesus says. “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of you.” Our contentment is found in knowing Jesus, knowing that our treasure is not of this world, but of the other world. Living a life of godliness and righteousness towards God. Knowing that each day we live to please and glorify God. Knowing that our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus, and our names are written in the book of Life. This is real contentment with great gain.

He Will Never Leave Us

 Psalm 139: 9.10
 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;…Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made by our heavenly Father. The apple of His eye, He will never leave us or forsake us. We may turn away from Him, or try to flee from His presence, but He pursues us with love and mercy. Like Jonah, we cannot hide from God. His Spirit entreated us to come to Him, to turn us into His loving arms. We may feel as if He has forsaken us and has left us to suffer in our troubles, but He is always there to hold us. His hand reaches to the four corners of the earth, desiring to hold us and comfort us. Whatever life has brought us, whatever we have done to cause us to walk away from Him, He will seek us and continue to love us regardless how often we fail Him or disappoint Him. Turn to Him, He wants to hold you tight.

His Word Dwells Within Us

 Col 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

To dwell is to live in. How does the word of Christ live in us? Reading His word and committing it to memory is one aspect of His word dwelling in us, “if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee”- Prov 2:1. It is good to know the word of Christ and know His teachings. But, His word living in us must be more than a mere intellectual knowledge of knowing his teaching, it is an abiding presence that lives in us from day to day. It is a fountain of life that springs from our heart. The word is living and working in our lives every day. It is not something we do on Sunday when we go to the house of worship. His word lives in our heart and is expressed in how we live. Through prayer, mediation, singing, and reading his Word, we learn to let the word of Christ abide in our hearts, to dwell in us richly.

Who Shall Be Saved

 Romans 10:13
 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Salvation is not automatic. Christ dying on the cross for the world does not save the world, but it provides a way for the world to be saved. The world is lost in darkness and sin remains lost and without hope, unless it calls upon the Name of the Lord. The Gospel is no respecter of people. Salvation is not restricted to a selected few or some elect hand-picked by God. All people from all lands, all cultures, all languages have access to this great salvation. It is truly for whoever will. We are not born Christians, or even raised Christians, we become Christians when we call on His Name, confess with our lips that we are sinners, and make Him Lord of our life. 

One Day at a Time

 Matthew 6:26
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they?

We worry about many things in life. It is the way our minds and emotions work. We worry about money, relationships, health, the wellness of others, both spiritually and physically.  Jesus tells us, “Take no thought.” Take your life one day at a time. Today God is able to provide, today, God is taking care of you. Tomorrow will be what it is, and there is nothing you can do about it today. We live in the here and now, and now is the time to believe. Now is the day when we trust God for our daily needs. “Give us this day, our daily bread.” Let us rest in knowing that He holds the future, and nothing will happen without His permission. Take no thought about tomorrow. Hold on to God today.

Wisdom From Above

 James 3:17
 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Our relationship with people, especially those of the world, who are void of the Spirit of God must exhibit the peace of God. During the time of Covid 19 pandemic, there were many viewpoints that could cause conflict and strife among friends and family. It is given to Christians to make sure that we maintain a peaceable relationship with our neighbors and all those we come in contact with. We all have a right to our opinion, but we must be wise when and how we express it. As Paul states, “I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” This does not mean that you give up your opinion, or you compromise your Bible beliefs, but it does mean that we should be willing to stand down and allow the love of Christ and the peace of God to rule in our hearts. This is the wisdom from above.

Love Others

 Galatians 5:14

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

If you love God, you will want to keep His commandments. If you love others, you are going to treat them with respect and kindness, forsaking your own wants and preferring one another. On this, hangs all of God’s law. How is this possible? We are born in sin, and the carnal nature rules our flesh. Sin has dominion and the focus is taking care of number one, “me”. All is made possible through Christ. We who have given their lives to Him have been grafted onto the Vine. Through Christ, we can do all things. There is nothing impossible to Him who believes and looks to Him for love and grace. True and selfless love comes from God. There are those who may give for humanitarian reasons, but a Christian gives to show the love of Christ. This is what it means to live in Christ, and Christ in me.

Name Written in the Book

 Luke 10: 20 

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven…

We rejoice when we see God’s power demonstrated through those who believe in Him. He has given power to us to overcome the enemy and to face dangerous situations. But, Jesus was more concerned about humanity coming to know His love and grace. That everyone comes to know forgiveness of sin and have a new life in Him. We get excited about many things, and God’s goodness to provide for our needs and heal those we love is worthy of praise, but His power is demonstrated for one reason, that people will turn their life over to Him, and their name be written in the Book of Life.

Bleeding of the Sheep

1 Samuel 15:14  
And Samuel said, What meaning then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?

Doing good deeds to cover up sin will not work. Saul was given direct instructions to destroy the enemy and all they possessed. His ambition to save the best for himself backed fired on him.  He thought he fooled God and got away with his actions by justifying his actions by saying he was doing it to honor God. Good intentions are not good if they go against the commandments of the Lord. Giving offerings to the church or some charitable organization does not do away with committing sin. Eternity is not determine by the balance of good deeds out weighing evil deeds. When God speaks, it is best to trust and obey. The word of God makes it clear that the only way to eternal life is through Christ. Seeking the approbation of God by any other means is futile. Walk in the light, follow Christ, and obey His voice, and the bleating of the sheep will have eternal benefits.

Pleasant Words

Proverb 16:24

Pleasant words are as honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

There is little value in ever speaking harshly. Even when correctly a behavior of a child, speaking harshly without compassion can leave emotional scares that may never go away. It is sometimes necessary to speak firmly and with authority, but it should never be the intent to damage the spirit or demean someone. Anger can sometimes cause people to say things that they will regret later, that is why we must allow the Holy Spirit to check us before we speak. Are the words kind, are they true, and are they really necessary? The best way to diffuse a situation is speak positively and with a gracious attitude. Pleasant words will break the tension and allow others not to feel threatened. Speaking pleasant words is always in order. 

Knowing the Love of Christ

Heb 3:19- And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fulness of God.

We admire those who are full of knowledge and know how to take that knowledge and use it. We spend the formative years of our lives putting information in our heads in hopes that we can apply that information into something productive in our lives. Our careers and social status are often determines by what we know. But all our knowledge is wasted If we have failed to know or come to the knowledge of the love of Christ. It is the pinnacle of all that one really needs to know. All knowledge short of this is found wanting and comes short of what really matters. To know the love of Christ is more than acknowledging that God loves you, or that you say you love Him. Knowing Him is to abide in Him and Him in you. It is to have the fullness of God living daily in your life. This fullness goes beyond the knowledge of books and Google. Knowledge is the path the leads us to know the love of Christ, it is not the ultimate goal, but the vehicle to obtain eternal life in Christ.