Stand for what is Right

 2 Kings 1:10
“If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!”

The boldness of Elijah the prophet in the face of being outnumbered required faith in One who can beat the odds. The odds were against him in every way, but he stood his ground for what he thought was right. I don’t pretend to know why God allowed 102 men to die because of the foolishness of a wicked king, but it does demonstrate to us that our decisions do have an impact on the lives of others. God came through for Elijah and put in the heart of the 3rd captain to honor the prophet and his God. Elijah boldly did what God wanted him to do, and God honored him and his faith. We often face things in our lives that may scare or frighten us, but we serve a big God and He knows the weakness of those that are against us. Let us stand for right and truth and allow God to work the circumstances in our lives.

Keep The Sabbath

 Deut. 5:12
Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee.

What was the purpose of keeping one day out of the week special? A day to be set apart from all the other days to focus on holy things. A day to pull away from the 
demands of labor and rest the body. This is one of the Ten Commandments that God gave to man to follow and observe. Many feel this commandment is no longer required in the dispensation of grace. That Christ is  Lord of the Sabbath, and therefore we have been set free from keeping this commandment. The New Testament does not specifically command in writing that we keep the sabbath day as they did in the OT. But, there are many references in the New Testament that the disciples met on the first day of the week to commemorate the life and death of Christ. A day where they gathered together to break bread and learn more about Jesus. Just like tithing of one’s income the principle of keeping this commandment is conducive to drawing closer to God. It is just good holy practice, and God delights in our willingness to set apart a special day in our lives where we focus on Him. Jesus made it clear that keeping the Ten Commandments does not save us from our sin, but keeping them does show that we love Him and desire to please Him in the way we live. Keeping the Sabbath and paying tithe will not get you to heaven, but to those who love Him, there is a desire to do what is right and holy. 
“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Isiah 58:13

Judgment of God

 Amos 5:24
But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Justice and judgment will some day fall on those who commit wrongdoing. It may not happen in this life, but in the end God will have the final word. Our nation and those who support the abortion of the unborn babies will someday face God and give an answer to their actions. Sin will not continue without justice. The judgment of God will also fall on those who profess to be religious, but have denied the power of the Spirit to control their lives. They give lip service to the things of God, but their lives are lived in opposition to God’s will. Our only escape is the blood of Jesus. His blood will atone for all our sin and unrighteousness. We have no other escape from the judgment of God. Yes, God is love, but the wages of sin is death. Because God so loved the world, he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Jesus should not perish (suffer the judgment of God),  but have everlasting Life. John 3:16

The Consuming Fire

 Psalm 104:35
Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.

“For our God is a consuming fire” are the words spoken by the writer of the book of Hebrews. God hates sin, and the wages of sin is death. God is Holy. In His holiness He shows us his love, grace, mercy, and long suffering. But, He is also a just God and He does not abide with sin and those who refuse to turn from it. The consequence of committing sin is death, but we have an advocate in Christ. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” God is Love, and has made provisions for us to escape the consuming fire that is to come. Let us call upon His name, and praise Him for all He has done. Let the wicked turn from their wicked ways, else they be no more. Let all sinners come to know Jesus before God’s judgment falls. “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways”- Ek 33:11.  “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”-James 4:8

Power of the Holy Spirit

 Roman 15:13
The God of hope fills you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Living the Christian life can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit. In our humanity, we can set our will and determination to do right and live justly, but living with hope and being filled with peace during times of hardship, uncertainty, and tribulation is made possible only through the power of the Spirit. Calling upon His power is made accessible to us as we keep our relationship with Him open. We walk in His word, we talk daily with Him as we go about our daily routines. The power of the Holy Spirit is made available to believers to live victorious and overcome unrest and discouragement. Call upon the Holy Spirit. Let Him fill you with love, peace and joy.

The Law Cannot Save

 Galatians. 5:6
  For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

The Law handed down to us by God was used to bring us to God. It revealed to us that we are sinners. The Law falls short of providing a way of escape from the punishment that sin brings. It is a taskmaster that keeps us in bondage. We can never measure up to the Law in our sinful state. Trusting in the law to justify our sins or to be acceptable before God is an effort to earn our way to heaven by works. It is faith alone in Christ who loved us and took upon Himself the sin of the world to save us. We were helpless and incapable of saving ourselves from eternal damnation. But God who so loved the world, provided a way of escape. It was by this love that we were made free. We are no longer under the bondage of the law, but have been made a love slave to Christ. We follow and do the law not because we have it, but because we want to. So, even though the law cannot save us, we with pleasure desire to follow the commandment of Christ.

Jesus is the Way

 John 14:4,5,6
And where I go you know, and the way you know... Lord...how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way…

How does one obtain eternal life? Heaven, the dwelling place of God. It is the hope of all that have lived on this earth, that after death eternal life awaits us. Jesus made it clear that there is life after this earthly life. He also made it clear that there is only one way to have it. The teaching that Jesus is the only way to God does not sit well with those who say that there are many ways to get to heaven. My opinion in this matter really does not matter. God’s word makes this discussion mute. Those who believe in Jesus as the Son of God, have no other choice than to take the word of Christ as truth. I don’t claim to know the hearts of all who say that there is another way, I leave such judgment to God, who knows the heart of all who have lived and are now living. I just know that Jesus said it, I believe it, and that settles it for me. The religions of the world can disagree all they want, but I have no doubt in my mind and heart that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Redeeming the Time

 Ephesians 5:16
 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil

What does it mean to redeem the time? We have 24 hours in a day, and much of that time is spent doing things to keep our bodies alive and functioning. We work to buy food and provide shelter over our heads. We sleep, eat, and socialize with those around us. We who love God know that we need to take time alone with God and have a quiet time to pray, meditate, cultivate a relationship with our Creator. There is no time to waste with things that are meaningless. As it was in the days of the Apostles, so it is today. The days are evil and sin and wickedness abounds. What is good is now evil, what is evil is called good. We are living in perilous times, our nation is at another crossroad. It has turned away from the commandments of God and has made a new law. A law that makes evil good and degrades anyone who stands for God’s word. Redeeming the time is to take time to pray and call on God to deliver us from evil, because the days are evil.

Root of Bitterness

 Heb. 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

Bitterness is an evil spirit that holds resentment and indifference toward God or toward other people. It normally begins when one feels that they have been betrayed or been dealt unfairly. Bitterness will hold a grudge, will cause a person to respond unkindly, and may look for ways to get back. Bitterness goes beyond being angry at someone or having displeasure in someone’s actions. We may even feel at times that God does not care, or question the actions of someone that caused hurt. It is when we allow these circumstances to change our hearts from submitting to the will of God, or not letting go of the anger and allowing God to put a spirit of love, grace, and mercy in our hearts toward others. The solution is to follow peace and holiness. Let the Holy Spirit take control of your mind, body, and soul. Holiness of heart is not just a Bible doctrine, it is a life experience that we must live if we want to see God. Let God take out the root of bitterness out of your heart

Being Faithful

 John 1:41,42
 He first found his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ...And he brought him to Jesus…

It was not much, but Andrew’s witness to the work of Christ and telling his brother has impacted history. Peter became one of the main influential people in the New Testament Church. Andrew, only mentioned in the Bible as one of the Apostles, and only mentioned in relationship to the other Apostles. Yet, Andrew was faithful to spread the news, and he brought Peter to Jesus. It often appears that we are making very little, if any impact in the world that surrounds us. We are just common people living each day working to put a roof over our head, and provide food at the table. We seek to find meaning in life and what is God’s purpose for our life. We are one in billions of people that look to find answers. God, who knows our every waking and sleeping moment, watches over us and has an individual plan for each one of us. We may be invisible to the world, but God sees us, and He sees that we have been faithful in the little things of life.

Sins Not

 1 John 3:6

Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins hath not seen him, neither known him.

This is a Bible standard that many people have problems with. How is it possible for us humans to live everyday without committing sin. We were born sinners and it appears to be a part of our nature. John must have been living in a different culture where it was more conducive to live a holy life. There is no doubt that our nature is deprived and humanity has been scarred by the fall of Adam and Eve. ( Genesis 3). It is not possible for us to live a life without sinning. All have sinned, and come short of God’s expectations. But God, through Christ the spotless lamb of God, the sinless God-Man came to us to give His life so that this sin nature could be removed. It does not make us impermeable to sin, because we still have a free will, but it provides us access to God. We were alienated from God and now abide in Christ, the sinless one. As long as we remain in Him, He provides the grace and power to overcome sin. We no longer are transgressors of the law, but we are made a new vessel of honor. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit, through sanctification that we live each day without committing willful transgression. We are still human and prone to error in the human, but our hearts can be made perfect through the blood of Christ, purifying our hearts by faith.

Build on the Rock

 Luke 6:48
He is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.

Hard times will come. Christian are not exempt from the rain and floods that make havoc in our lives. Jesus compares our lives to a house that is exposed to the elements of the weather. The rain falls on the just and unjust, and at times the storms bring the floor waters that hit our house with such force that homes that have questionable foundations will fall. The foundation is broken down and starts to crumple, causing the house to fall and be swept away. Homes that are left standing are the ones that have been built on a solid foundation, a foundation that is founded on the Rock. The Rock in none other than Jesus Himself. He is the way, the truth, and the life, no man can come to the Father except through Him. Being grounded and settled in the Rock is not done by accident, it requires a willful obedience to the truth and a willingness to follow His will. Claiming Christ is the start of building this foundation, but it is a building process. If the foundation is sure, and the house we build follows the blueprint of His word, we can be assured that the storms of life will not bring ruin and disaster to our life.

Carry Us Through

 Isaiah 43: 2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you: when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon you.

As we enter into a new year, we can only hope that things will be better. 2020 brought us unprecedented life changing events. We passed through the waters and the fire, and God was with us all the way. The promise is still true for 2021, we don’t know what we will face, but this one thing we can be certain, that Jesus will not let the rivers overflow us, and though the fires burn all around us, He will protect us from harm. Nothing can happen this year that He does not already know about. Yes, tragedy may happen, life is uncertain, but we can be confident that all things will work together for good to those who have committed their lives to Him. Lean stronger on His everlasting arms, He will carry us through.