I looked up the word diligent in the dictionary and it is means preserving, hardworking, industrious, and doing things with careful, steady effort.  Many of these words are used over and over again in scripture.  Here are a few examples that explain God’s desire for us to be diligent or persevering.

Hebrews 6:10-12  “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.  We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in ordered to make your hope sure.  We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has be promised.”     (Our diligence in faith lead us toward greater hope in Christ.  God also loves our work for Him and will remember or efforts on His behalf.)

Romans 5:3  “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”   (Our perseverance improves our character and leads to greater hope in God- builds our faith and trust in Him.)

Revelation 2:3  “You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.”  ( God commends those who persevere in faith.)

Hebrews 12:1-2a  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off  everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”   (Life’s pathway has obstacles and it requires focus and perseverance live the Christian life.  Jesus is the answer.)

Hebrews 10:36 “You need to preserver so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.”

James 1:12  Blessed is the man who preserves under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”  (Both of these verses commend us to proceed in God’s way and promise we will be rewarded by God.)

Because life is hard and required endurance to live the Christian life in our world, scripture is filled with encouragements.  God wants us to stand for Him, not lose heart, be enduring in faith, cling to the hope in Christ and know with assurance that God will reward his diligent workers.   Does this encourage you today?   What God asks is not easy but He promises a life lived for Him will be filled with hope, improved character and lead to the crown of life in Christ.   Does this help you today?  Remember the key is Jesus.  He is to be our focus in life and then all else will be under His control.

Blessings today as you preserver with diligence,

Linda

Loved this image- it so speaks to our needed perseverance in Christ.  Jesus is right there with us when we pick ourselves up.  Sometimes He has to do the picking up as it is beyond us.

As I was writing Bible Study discussion questions this morning to go with my book Promises for Dynamic Living, I was meditating on Matthew 6:19-21.    “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”    I was thinking about what I value in life and how that is reflected in my life.  I thought about my own heart attitudes towards God and questioned what in my life reflects godly purpose.   As I continued to meditate, I looked up the related verses.  1Timothy 6:19 stood out to me.  “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”  How am I storing up treasures that God has for me from His Word so I have a firm foundation?  How am I taking hold of the life that is truly life?    Am I sold out for God, working and thinking about how to serve Him each day or am I just trying to serve myself then God?   Is the life I am living- truly living for God?

Reflecting on our purpose, attitudes and actions in life are necessary to grasp who we are and where we want to be going with our life.  A life lead by God, striving to accomplish His purposes for our life is a true life.   Are you taking hold of that life for yourself?   Meditate on these verses, pray and seek God’s guidance.   He will reveal His pathway and direction for your life and give you peace in and through the process!

Blessings as you meditate and pray for godly direction,

Linda

 

 

I have been putting off writing about self-control for several days.  This is one of the most difficult areas for me, and I was trying to better understand the concept.   Proverbs 25:28 says “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.”    This would suggest that living a life without self-control leaves one defenseless.   Nehemiah considered the wall-less city of Jerusalem to be a disgrace so he set about to return and rebuild the walls.  Nehemiah 1:3  So living without self-control leaves one defenseless and disgraced.  This is definitely not where I want to be… so what now?

In the New Testament we are told to have self-control, and that it is a fruit of the Spirit.  2 Peter 1: 5-9 describes reasons for living a life that shows self-control and tells us that knowledge of God  leads to self-control and that self-control leads to perseverance in our faith.  2 Timothy 3:2-3 tells us that actions associated with the godless include lovers of self, boastful, ungrateful, proud… and without self-control.  Titus puts both of these ideas together in Titus 2:11-12 “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,”

So what does one do to achieve self-control?   Scripture tells us that growing in the knowledge of God helps us be grounded in  our faith and better able to stand in this world, thus showing self-control.  Saying “No” to worldly pursuits and striving to live for Jesus is the pathway towards self-control.    Peter adds one more thing to this in 1 Peter 4:7 “The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”    Being self-controlled  allows us to clear our minds and focus on God when we pray.

Is self-control something we can actually attain?   Jesus said, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”  Mark 9:23   I have to believe that the closer I walk with God the more self-control I will be able to exercise in my life.  Being with Jesus, being filled by His Spirit, give me the power to live for Him.    That is why He wants us to be self-controlled.  It shows His power within us as it is not something we can do on our own.   Will you strive to know Him more, pray and walk with Him?   It is a life long journey with Jesus filled with adventure and challenge.  If it were easy we would not want to do it and without Jesus it would not be possible.

Learning to preserve with Jesus,

Linda

Who was there?  Scripture tells us in Acts chapters 1 and 2 that the disciples and many other Jews from every nation were gathered together.

What?  The arrival of the promised power from heaven that would empower them to be witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Where?  Jesus told them to go and wait.  They returned to Jerusalem after Jesus’ Ascension.

When?  Pentecost was the first Sunday 50 days after the Passover.  It was called the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament.

Acts 2:2-4 describes to us vividly the arrival of the Holy Spirit.  “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”    Peter stood and preached to the gathered crowd and told them that this outpouring from heaven was from God.  He quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel in Acts 2:17 “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”   The arrival of the Holy Spirit was dramatic- tongues of fire- and noisy- as a strong wind and filled with many languages.  It was a surprise arrival yet it had been expected.  Jesus told them to go and wait, so they knew something or someone was coming.  In John 15 verses 15-17, 25-26,  Jesus had promised them the Holy Spirit would come.  “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.   And all this I have spoken while still with you.  But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”   Luke 24:48-49 “Your are witnesses of these things.  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 

What does this mean to me?  When I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, His Holy Spirit came to dwell within me.  This Spirit that arrived on tongues of fire and with a great sound lives within me.  He empowers me to live a godly life and to speak to others about Jesus and His salvation.  1 John 4:4 puts it this way, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is great than the one who is in the world.”      Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ”     2Corinthians 1:21-22  “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”     So, what are you allowing God to do with this Holy Spirit that lives within you?  Are listening to Him, walking in obedience to His Word and are you  stepping out in faith to tell others about Jesus?    Jesus wanted the disciples, and us too, to use the power the Father sent to do the work of telling others and living for Him.  Will you begin today to use God’s indwelling Holy Spirit to live for Him?

Praising Him this Pentecost Sunday,

Linda

 

 

 

 

Matthew 8:26  “And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”  Let Jesus bring calm into your life today.  What ever your storms, Jesus is greater than anything you face.  Let Jesus be your answer just as He was for the disciples that night on the Sea of Galilee. Why not pray right now and ask Him to calm you and give you direction?   Jesus will answer as He is faithful.

Linda

The day of Christ’s Ascension has arrived.   Jesus appeared many times to His followers in groups and to individuals before He returned to heaven.  His return is recorded in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and Acts 1:4-11.   It was 40 days after His resurrection and they were gathered on the Mt of Olives.  He gave them words that have become known as the Great Commission and told them not to leave Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.  They would wait 9 more days for the Holy Spirit’s arrival on a day we know as Pentecost.

Jesus’ final words were commands to them and to us.  “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  An surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:18-20  “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  ‘Men of Galilee’, they said, ‘why do you stand there looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’  Then they returned to Jerusalem.”  Acts1:9-12a

I have often wondered what it would have been like to stand and watch Jesus go up into heaven and to have heard his last words of command.  I would have felt a real since of loss and aloneness as Jesus was leaving.   He had promised to send His Spirit to help and comfort them.  Jesus promised to be with them always and then to return.  The thing is, I do hear His words in my head every time I read them in Matthew.  I don’t feel the aloneness his followers felt that day as His Holy Spirit lives inside me.  Jesus is with me 24/7.  Nine days after His ascension into heaven Jesus sent the Holy Spirit just as He promised.  The Holy Spirit lives within the believer and gives us His power to follow His commands and live obediently for Him.  Jesus keeps His promises so I know He will return just as He said.

Just as the angels questioned the disciples, are you stuck where you are in your walk with Christ?  He wants us up, moving, witnessing, teaching, telling others about who He is and that He will return.   Step out in faith today trusting Jesus for the words and actions that tell others about Him.  That will take all the stickiness out of your walk with Him and get you moving.  Who can you tell today?  It is good news for a lost and dying world.  Jesus Saves!

Linda

 

The National Day of Prayer is tomorrow May 5th, the first Thursday in May.  In 1952 the Congress passed a law establishing an official date for a day Americans are called to pray and meditate.  Often in our history presidents have asked the nation to pray, meditate or fast but it did not become officially set aside as a specific day until 1952.  It was challenged in court in 2011 but upheld as constitutional.

The Bible has a lot to say about prayer and Jesus modeled how to pray in his prayer to the Lord.  You can find the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray so they would not be like the hypocrites that made loud noises to the Lord but did it all for show.  Jesus would often pull away from the disciples, the crowds and pressures of his daily life and seek solace, comfort and renewal from His heavenly Father in prayer.  We are told in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray continually”.  James 5:13-18 tells us to  pray for others, pray for the sick and pray if you are in trouble.   We are told to PRAY.  When our prayers are answered we are told to rejoice and praise God. What situation has brought you to your knees before Almighty God this year?  Was it a death, natural disaster, troubling circumstances, problems with addictions or money problems?  For what answered prayer have you thanked God?  We are told in the next verse of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”   Prayer and thanksgiving are to go hand in hand.

As we rise on Thursday, let us give thanks and offer prayers for our great nation.  Our problems are many but so are our blessings.  Turn to God and acknowledge Him.  I am reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6 as we celebrate this day of prayer together.   “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”     Let us thank God for our many blessings as a nation and then turn to Him with petitions and prayers asking forgiveness for our sins and looking to Him to lead our way.

Linda

After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to individuals and groups both large and small. Those that He met individually seemed to need a special reassurance from their Savior.  Luke 24:34 tells us that Jesus appeared to Peter, Mary Magdalene met him in the garden and mistook him for a gardener in John 20:14-18 and He came specifically to see Thomas in John 20: 26-29 and sometime later in Acts 9 Jesus met Paul on the Road to Damascus.  In each case, Jesus met them with the assurance that He was the firm foundation of their faith and that He was real.   Peter had denied knowing Jesus and needed to ask his forgiveness, Thomas doubted and needed to be assured of his resurrection, Mary was overcome with grief and needed to gain a heavenly perspective and see hope and Paul needed to be confronted in his unbelief.

What do you need from Jesus today?  Whatever it is- forgiveness, hope, assurance or faith, Jesus will supply your need.  Jesus told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 1Corinthians 12:9a   We are likewise assured in Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”    What ever your needs, what ever your feelings of inadequacy are- Christ is the answer. Remember He promised that His grace and mercy are sufficient.  He is can and will supply what you need, you only need to have the faith to ask Him.  Look to Jesus today and feel His reassurance, His grace and hope that is found only in Him.

Jesus is your answer, what are you seeking today?

Linda

 

I love these elegant looking flowers with the funny name- Bird of Paradise.  What do you think paradise will be like?  Jesus told the thief on the cross, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”  Luke 23:41.

What do you know for certain about heaven?  From scripture was know that it is a physical place, Jesus told his disciples how to get there and that He and God reside there.  Jesus told the disciples, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me.  In my Fathers’ house are many rooms; if it were not so I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.  You know the place where I am going.”  John 14:1-4    Ephesians 1:20  tells us Jesus is there, “which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at this right hand in the heavenly realms,”   Jesus also told us how to get to heaven, Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”   John 14:6

These are just a few things we can  know for certain about heaven.  Here are a few other references if you want to do some additional research:   we will have new imperishable bodies- 1 Corinthians 15:42-44,  we will have a more Christ like character- 1 John 3:2, God will be fully revealed to us there- 1 Corinthians 13:12,  it will be a New place- Revelation 21:1-5, there will be gates of pearl and streets of transparent gold- Revelation 21:21 and God will light the city day and night- Revelation 21:23.   Scripture gives us a brief glimpse of what a glorious place this will be!

Heaven is a real place we should look forward to, know that it exists and  know that it will be glorious and eternal.  Why not pass on some hope today?  Ask God for conversations that will allow you share with others your faith in life eternal and the place God promises to all believers.

Looking towards heaven, even today.

Linda