Tag: Christian Living

Are you seeing His Fruit?

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HS fruitsBecause Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can have the Holy Spirit living within me. Scripture is filled with references to His indwelling Holy Spirit. We receive His Holy Spirit when we believe in Jesus.  It is His Holy Spirit within us that gives us hope, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These are called the fruits of His Spirit living within us.  When we see these character traits being manifested in our lives, we know He is at work within us.

Here are some assurances from God’s Word about this amazing Holy Spirit that lives within each believer:  Ephesians 3:16 “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,”  His Spirit with gives us power for living!     2 Corinthians 1:22 “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”  His Spirit is a seal and guarantee of our salvation in Jesus.  Galatians 4:6 “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  His Spirit declares our sonship and allows us to call God our Father or Daddy.    1 John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”  His Spirit helps us to stay connected to Jesus.   Romans 8:11 “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”   His Spirit gives us a His spirit to be with us forever.

1 John 4 13Belief in Jesus and His work on the cross brings the Holy Spirit into our lives.  Rejoice in that hope today and look for His indwelling work within you.  He is there-alive and working in you!  He gives us the power to resist sin, stay connected to the Father and guarantees results.  His fruit is eternal and always for our good and His glory!

Linda

HS pearSuggestion:  Today- look for His fruit in your life– peace where you might not have thought, patience where you usually would be impatient, joy where you did not expect it, a reaction to a situation with kindness, a deed unexpectedly done, a gentle touch or word to another, a trust in God that is unexpected but natural, showing self-restraint exactly when it is called for- any of these are the working of the Holy Spirit within you.  Rejoice and give Glory to God.

Where do you need hope? Jesus has it.

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hope as long asBecause Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have hope.  One of the most precious things we possess in Christ is our eternal hope in God and His power to transform and use us to do His work.   Romans 5:1-2 gives us a list of God’s provision that results in hope for us.  ” Therefore, since we have been justified by faith (declared not guilt of our sins), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”  Our hope in Jesus brings us freedom from sin’s guilt and punishment, peace, grace, and joy.  Oh! glorious 1 peter 1 21HOPE!   This same theme is repeated in 1 Peter 1:21 “Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.”   Because of Christ and His work on the cross,  we can know and trust God and our faith in Christ brings Him glory and us HOPE!

Where do you need the HOPE of Christ in your life today?  Are you feeling burdened by sin’s guilt? Give it to Jesus with a repentant heart and He will replace that guilt with hope.  Are you struggling with doubt or difficult circumstances? Give it to Jesus and He will replace it with peace which He gives freely bringing you hope. (John 14:27) Are you struggling as you feel alone or singled out?  Ponder God’s grace, His undeserved favor, and know that He promises His grace is sufficient for all our needs. (2 Corinthians 12:9) His grace will bring you hope.  Are you suffering from lack of joy?  Ask Jesus to restore the joy of your salvation and those thoughts of eternal rest and refuge with Him will bring you joy.     David knew the struggles of life and reminds us in Psalm 43:5              hope_in_god_by_blugi-d90ilc0 “Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
 I will praise him again—
   my Savior and my God!

May you Hope abound as you put your trust in God and firmly place your gaze upon Jesus.

Linda

Suggestion:  Pass on the hope of Jesus today– forgive someone you have been holding something against, be a voice of peace, calm or joy to someone, or be gracious to someone today (giving them undeserved favor in your eyes).  The look of hope you see in their eyes will bring joy to you and give God glory.

“Stand with me bro” I need you by my side.

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Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have brothers and sisters in Christ.  Jesus speaks of His family of faith and calls us His brothers, sisters and Bro and sis familymother in Matthew 12:48-50. ” 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”    Jesus’ earthly family had come looking for Him and this was His reply.   Those who believe in Jesus and strive to follow God’s Word are considered family by Jesus.   What a privileged position this is!  Not only are we linked to Jesus but we share a family position with all believers who know Him as Lord and seek to follow His ways.  

This family bond is something very special.  I have sisters in Christ that I see infrequently as our paths in life have taken different directions.  It is amazing to me that when we meet it is as if we were never apart.  That instant bond is there and we see love, trust and hope in being with each other.  When a brother or sister leaves, it is always with the hope of seeing them again either here on earth or in heaven.  The constancy of the bond of fellowship is always present and binds us in love.

Here are a few scriptures about brothers and sisters in Christ and how we are to work together:  Romans 15:30 “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf,”  We are to pray and strive together to do God’s will.    1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  We are to stand together firmly as we work for the Lord with hope.    Philippians 4:1 “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.”  We have a shared love in Christ and a desire to stand firmly for Christ.    2 Thessalonians 3:13 “As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.”   We are to work together to do good in the name of Christ.

What a great comfort and encouragement it is that we have brothers and sisters in faith that we can stand with in our shared love for Christ and work together to accomplish His purposes.

Linda

bro and sis in ChristSuggestion:  Tell one of your brothers or sisters in Christ how you appreciate their prayers on your behalf or how you love standing and working with them or how much you love and appreciate them or how much it means to you to have someone to share in the good work of Jesus or all of the above!  A kind work of appreciation brings glory to God as He works within us.

Dearly Loved, that’s me!

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Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have the Father’s love.  Knowing you are loved gives power, affirmation, hope and joy.  Knowing you are love by God the Father fills us with confidence, hope, security, and comfort.  Scripture speaks frequently of God’s love for us.  Jesus was talking to the disciples about God’s love and his imminent return to the Father shortly before His death in  John 16:27-28. “For the Father You-are-dearly-loved-facehimself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came from God. 28 Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.” Jesus said I am dearly loved by God because of my love for Him.  God loves that I love Jesus! When you think about one of your  loved ones, aren’t there things you really love about them.  Maybe it is the way they smile, maybe that they always hug you so tightly or say loving things to you for no reason except that they love you.  This little portion of scripture gives us a glimpse into God’s character and love.  He loves us dearly- not a little bit of love but a special love that is close to His heart.  The motivation for this dear love is because I love His son.  Isn’t that like a good Father?  As earthly mothers and fathers, we love the kids that love our kids.  We cherish them and want our kids to associate with them.  Being a good Father, God loves and cherishes us with a special love because we love Jesus.   What a privileged and heart warming thought to ponder today!

I love JesusLinda

Suggestion:  Think about your love for Jesus.  How has He brought you to faith, and provided you with hope, joy, security and comfort.  Know that the things you love about Jesus makes God the Father love you even more.

 

Given by Christ, Righteousness. Thank you Jesus.

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christ my righteousnessBecause Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have Christ’s righteousness.  Christ was a man while on earth, pure, holy, without sin, filled with integrity, virtuous in behavior, humble and the list could continue.  Most importantly He was sinless and therefore in right standing with God the Father.  God cannot look upon sin so unless we are pure and holy we cannot be in a relationship with Him.  By saying, “I have Christ’s righteousness” I am proclaiming that I am in right standing with God.  I can know and communicate with Holy God.  Romans 5:19 and 2 Corinthians 5:21 explain how this happened for us through Christ’s work on the cross. Romans 5:19 “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners (that was Adam), so also through the obedience of the one man (Christ) the many will be made righteous.”  2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  Through faith in Christ, I can have His Righteousness and come into a relationship with Almighty God.  Without Christ, we have no way get rid of our sin. We can never do enough good works.  We can never clean ourselves up enough to come before God.  Ephesians 2:8-9 puts it this way,“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”  What a precious gift Christ’s righteousness is to me!

How do we process this for Lent?  Recognizing that our position before God is totally dependent upon Jesus and His redeeming work on the cross and resurrection from the dead should give us pause and create in us a sense of gratitude and humility.

Prayer:  Thank you Jesus that through faith in  your work on the cross I am able to come before You in prayer, study Your word with understanding and be indwelt by your Holy Spirit.  Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice on my behalf.  Amen.

Linda

the-willing-spirit-can-do-good-deeds-by-grace-quote-1Suggestion for today: Pray David’s prayer from Psalm 51: 10,12               Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.                                                   Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Sometime today, instead of taking credit for something good you are doing or did – give the praise to God.  Have a willing spirit that desires to please Him. Acknowledge Him with your thoughts- He knows your heart and spirit.

Do you have what it takes to survive Lent?

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Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have a spirit of power, love and self-discipline in my life.  When you begin something new it takes time for your mind, body and spirit to accept your new commitment.  You often doubt you have the resolve to see it through.  However, God’s Word tell us that when we accept Jesus as our Savior and His Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts and minds, we have a new type of power living within us.  2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”   

2 Timothy 1 7Today thank God for the spirit of power He has put within you, for the love you have for yourself and others and the self-discipline to see things through.  We are not to be timid and shy away from difficult commitments but bold and filled with His Holy Spirit to contend with the world and the challenges it presents to us each day.  Take heart from Revelation 21:7 “He who overcomes [the world by adhering faithfully to Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior] will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

Linda

Suggestion:  work on your self-discipline today as you continue with the self-denial you chose on Ash Wednesday. Today will be easier than yesterday.  Watch your self-discipline grow daily as we journey through Lent.

Hope, now and for eternity. Thank you Jesus.

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Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have hope.  Lent it a time of reflection and I was thinking what life would be like if Jesus had not come.  I would be dead in my sins without hope.  I would face eternal punishment because there would be no way to approach holy God.  Jesus’ death on the cross changed all that. Praise God! Thank you Jesus!  Here are some verses to offer up in praise for the work of our Savior.hope jesus blood

Psalm 62:5 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”

Romans 5:1-2 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we  rejoice  in hope of the glory of God.”

1 Peter 1:21 “who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”

Jesus_Christ_Our_Reason_For_Hope_637_637Because Jesus came, died and rose again, I can have hope for a life lived by faith today and a hope of future glory.   That is a blessed hope!  Thank you Jesus.

Linda

Suggestion:  Today as you consider the hope you have in Jesus, express to someone something you are hopeful about and why.  It could be as simple as “I hope you have a good day” to “I am hopeful because of Jesus.”   Show someone you possess hope. If they ask you why you have hope then you can explain,  as today you have the answer! Jesus.

Mercy is ours. Thank you Jesus.

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Because Jesus died on the cross and rose again, I have received mercy.  What mercy have I received?  By definition, mercy is kindness or compassionate treatment; relief from suffering.  Before I knew Jesus as my Savior, I was a condemned person.  Romans 3:23 tells us that we are all sinners before a holy God.  “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”  Romans 6:23 tells us that sin has to be atoned or paid for and Jesus paid the price for my sin and treated me mercifully.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  I did nothing to deserve His act of mercy towards me.  Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  

1 Peter 1:9-10 explains this state of mercy I received because of Jesus in a beautiful way. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.  How glorious it is to be the recipient of God’s mercy.  He treats me with His loving kindness and rescued me from eternal condemnation.  

Prayer: Thank you Jesus for giving and treating me with your eternal mercy and loving kindness. Open my eyes today to receive your marvelous light and treat others as you have treated me.  Amen.

Linda

popefrancis1Suggestion:  Try to grab hold of God’s mercy today in a new way.  Pray for an opportunity to do a random act of kindness or mercy towards someone.  That means look for ways to act with kindness/mercy when it would be unexpected,  like going out of your way to help someone without them even asking for help.  Be open to giving out mercy in God’s name today.

Lent- let it begin with my heart, mind and soul

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Lent is a time of reflection, fasting, praise, worship and thanksgiving as we walk daily towards the cross.  The number 40 is used in the Bible to signify a time of testing and trial.  During your Lenten journey which is from today, Ash Wednesday, to Good Friday when Jesus died on the cross, we are to think about the price Jesus paid for our sins through His own death.  How we do that can take many forms.  Daily devotions with prayer and scripture, fasting for a meal or even a whole day can bring your focus on Jesus to a greater height.  Or you can choose to let go of something you really like to do, say or eat as a form of penance or identification with Christ’s suffering for you and your Pope Lentsin.  Last year, I found this quote from Pope Francis and it brought a new perspective to fasting during Lent.  It isn’t just denying myself chocolate or alcohol,  it is denying myself in other ways.  I love his suggestions to fast from stress and pressure by being intentionally more prayerful, or letting go of bitterness and focusing on love.

Today as you think about Christ and His suffering and the price He paid for your sins- think about ways you can honor Him in the next 40 days.  Each day at the end of my devotion I will have a suggestion of what you might do that day to honor Christ by doing for others in love as Christ did for you at the cross.   My daily blogs will focus on what we have in Christ because Jesus died on the cross and rose again.  I pray that my blogs and suggestions will help you to gain greater love and appreciation for your Lord and Savior and be prepared in your heart, mind and soul when Good Friday and Easter arrive.

Let the journey begin today in your heart as you set your mind towards the cross.

Linda

Suggestion:  attend an Ash Wednesday service or spend some time reflecting on your own sins.  Take a piece of paper and write them down.  Then take that paper place it before you as you pray and ask God to take those sins away and fill you anew with His love and devotion.  Symbolically placing your sins on the cross of Christ helps us to see that He died for me and my sins. Romans 5:8 “But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

 

Lent- are you ready?

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Lent-renewal2Join me during the Lenten Season beginning tomorrow March 6, Ash Wednesday.  I will be blogging daily for the 40 days leading up to Easter, April 21.   40 is a biblical number that signifies a period of trial or testing.  You can begin a new habit and in 40 days it will have become second nature to you.  Begin each day with a message from God’s Word.  Begin each day with a desire to do an act of kindness towards others.   Begin each day by carving out time to listen, pray and reflect on what Jesus did for you at the cross.  It will prepare your heart for Easter in a new way and deepen your walk with the Lord.

Last year, I was mightily bless as I wrote each day about who I am because of Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection.  This year I am going to focus on what I have because of Christ’s death and resurrection.  I am looking forward to all God will teach me through His Word during these next 40 days.

Join me on this Lenten journey to the foot of the cross.

Linda