The Abundant Life

John 10:10

 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Living the Abundant Life. “In this life, you will have tribulation, but fear not, I have overcome the world.” The word of Jesus speaks to us about living life not just to survive, but living life to its fullness. Days of sorrow are inevitable and hardships will come to all who live, so how is it possible to live an abundant life. A life the rises above the mundane of things of earthly duty and responsibilities. A life that, in spite of the circumstances can flow with joy unspeakable and full of rejoicing. The abundant life is to live in the Vine. The source of vitality come from a deeper source. Christ, who is the Vine, lives through us, and in us. The light of Jesus shines bright in the darkness of the day. The abundant life is more than just being happy, but it is a life knowing the Jesus is with you wherever you go and whatever you are going through.

All things

Colossians 1:17, 18b And he is before all things, and by him all things consist…. that in all things he might have the preeminence.

The existence of all things starts with God. He is the first and the last, He holds the world in his hand and by Him all things are made known. As the creator of heaven and earth, He was there to spin the universe, the galaxies into existence. Who is man to think he can make his own way to salvation? Christ, the God-man came to this world to provide a way of salvation, and through Him, and Him alone can we be made reconciled to God the Father. Jesus, the one and only one who is able to save us from sin. Because He is God, He has the power to forgive sins, He is Lord of lords and there is not equal to Him. Other religions may claim their righteousness, but unless they come under the authority of Christ, they will be lost. He is the preeminence, surpassing all others in His power and authority. He is God, and He is my Lord and Savior.

The Lord Thinks Upon Us

Psalm 40: 17 But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

To think is to ponder and focus on one thing. It occupies your mind. It may be just for a moment or several minutes. “I have been thinking of you throughout the day”. Such words are comforting to know that someone cares about you enough to ponder your well-being. What a wonder to think that God’s thoughts are on us, that He not only looks down on humanity and loves His creation, but like a sparrow, He sees us individually and know all about us. There may be times in our journey that we feel like we are all alone and wonder if anyone really care. We may be despised and rejected by others, but to those who seek the face of God, He looks into our heart and thinks on us. Creatures of dust, and insignificant, the God of the universe is thinking of me, He thinking of you. Praise His Name forever.

What is Sin?

 2 Samuel 12:9 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight?

Sin, a total discard to yield to the commandments of the Lord. When did David’s action become sin? At what point did David disobey the commandment of the Lord? Some would say it was when King David stayed home from the battle, or when he went to his roof top and his eyes were fixed on Bathsheba. It might have been when he took that second glance. Jesus said, whosever looks on a women to lust after her has committed adultery in his heart. David’s action did not become sin until his desire overcame his knowledge to do what was right. We face decisions everyday to do what is right. Some of those decisions are clear cut because God has already revealed in His word what is right and what is wrong. There are other choices that we make that are neither right or wrong, but are made with good intentions and current knowledge. We might find out later, that it was not the right choice, it was a mistake, but this is not sin. To him who knows to do right and does it not, to him it is sin. Let us always walk in the light, be led the the Spirit, that we may always do what is right in the sight of God.

Fervent Love

1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

We all fall short from perfection. God is able to keep us blameless from willful transgressions, but we are still human with shortcomings in our personality, judgements and habits. In this respect we will never be perfect. Satan seeks to divide the people of God by causing friction and discord among the believers. Peter had his share of conflicts. His own prejudices caused Paul to confront his misjudgment. We will face situations in our lives where we will not understand the actions of others. We can become frustrated and resentful. In times like these, it is imperative that we asked the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His perfect love. Fervent love that will cover the wrong doings of others. Let love reign, casting away all forms of bitterness and hatred.  

Still The Storm

Psalm 107:29 He makes the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Man is making reasonable progress in predicting the weather. Warning us of a potential storm that is coming, we make preparation in the event the storm hits. Storms are nature’s way of balancing out the earth’s atmosphere. It is an accepted part of living on this earth. The after effects of the storm often leaves a trail of disaster. No matter how well we prepare destruction happens. The scripture uses storms to show life will not always be perfect. Being a Christian does not mean that bad things don’t happen. Storms sometimes come of our own making by the choices we make, other storms are beyond our control and sometimes hit us blind-sided. The loss of a job, illness of a loved one, the unexpected passing of a family member or friend, conflict in a relationship, a marriage on the rocks, the rejection of others, and the list of potential storms goes on. To those who trust in God, there is an anchor, there is one that can still the storm. The outward storm may not always go away, but He is able to still the storm that troubles our heart, causing us to fear. 

Thanking God for Your Food

John 6:11  And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks.

The practice of thanking God for our food and provision is taken from the life of Jesus. The scripture does not command us to pray before we eat our meals, but it appears to be something that was done regularly by Jesus. Because we desire to emulate the life of Christ, and walk in His footstep, we practice the ritual of praying and thanking God for our food before we partake. It is practicing thanksgiving in our everyday life. Acknowledging that all good things come from God and He is the giver of life. Taking time to give thanks for the food we eat is a good and spiritual practice. Will it save you? Probably not. But, it will draw you closer to God, and recognized His goodness.  

Life is Short

Psalm 90: 12  The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years…So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

For most of us, we will live 70 to 90 years. “For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away.” Every day is a gift given to us by God. When this life we hold passes, we will stand before God and give an account for the days we have lived. How important it is to apply each day with God’s wisdom. To take time in our day to read His word and spend time with Him alone. We should never be too busy with work and life’s responsibilities to put God on the back shelf of our life. Each day, He should be the center of life’s activities. Living each day with eternity in mind. To be spiritually minded is to live each day in the presence of God and to be ready when He choose to call us home, or when the trump of God is sounded. 

True Worship

Matt. 2:8 “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

God was not fooled by Herod hypocrisy. Neither is He fooled by our fake worship. Saying we love Him and believe that Jesus is the Son of God, yet our lives don’t reflect His loving spirit. Selfishness still dwells within the heart. We may call ourselves “Christians” but it is only lip service. We may even go to church, the place of worship and sing songs of praise, but our heart is far from living our life in the word of God. Herod never did find Jesus, because he really was not a true seeker after God. To be a worshiper of God, one must be a seeker after Him and desire to live in His presence. Seek Him with all your heart, and you will find Him. When you truly find Him, you will surrender your life in full obedience. He will be Lord of all, and your knees will truly bend in worship.

This Good Thing

2 Tim 1:12, 14-  …am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day…That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

What good thing? The Gospel of Jesus Christ has given us the spirit of love and a sound mind, and power to overcome all fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of death. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are able to keep this good thing. This good thing was committed to us in the hopes that we would not be ashamed of the gospel, and speak His word without fear of man. It is the Holy Ghost, the third person of the blessed Trinity that lives within our heart. He was the promise given to us by Jesus. This good thing is kept in our hearts by the power of the Spirit. Let us not grieve His Spirit in our lives by being careless with this pearl of great price. Let us hold fast this good thing.