Tag: Christianity

The Way to Life

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Today’s promise is an essential one as it contrasts a life without Christ to one with Christ.

1 John 5:11-12  “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

We live in an age of tolerance and it is not thought to be polite, proper or loving to say there is only one way to God. Many would espouse the idea that there are many pathways to God. God’s Word does not allow for tolerance of other ways or the idea of multiple ways to reach a relationship with God. God specially says that Jesus is the only way to Him and that is through faith in Jesus. Knowing Jesus is the only way to have a relationship with God, have your sins forgiven, to be able to go to heaven and to have an eternal life with God. It is imperative that we stand firm on this basic truth for true salvation demands it.

What we know from these verses: Faith in Jesus results in eternal life and a relationship with God, not believing in Jesus brings death, Jesus is God’s Son who He sent to save us and redeem us from sin.

Lenten Reflections: Do you know Jesus and believe He is the way to God? Are you tolerating talk of many pathways to God or are you taking a stand on God’s Word?

As we can see from our verses, not accepting Jesus as the way to God and embracing faith in Him leads to death. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Without the work of Jesus we are lost in our sin and definitely not headed for eternal life with Him. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know God, be forgiven and will be able to spend eternity with Him. Be sure you know Him.

Linda

Related Verses: Jonah 2:8-9, John 3:16-18, John 14:, Acts 4:12, Romans 6:23

For the way to salvation- 1 John 1:8-10, John 3:16, John 14:6, John 1:12-13

The Book of Life

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Earlier I wrote about the promise in Joshua 1:9 and while I was reviewing the passage I was drawn to the promises of Joshua 1:8. They are both dynamic promises that make a difference in our daily lives.

Joshua 1:8 “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

Promise: God promises a way of life that leads to prosperity and success if we follow His Word.

This is not some type of prosperity gospel but a basic truth from God’s Word. God promises if we follow His word by keeping His commandments in our hearts and minds, meditating on His word, and by doing what His word tell us, we will find fulfillment, happiness, and success in living. This has nothing to do with money or possessions but God is promising those things in life that make life worth living. We will have purpose in Him. We will have an abiding faith in Jesus. We will have the sealing of the Holy Spirit on and in our lives. We will have Christ’s righteousness. We will have eternal life and spend eternity with Him. Those are things only God can give and cannot be purchased or earned. They are promised gifts from God.

What I can know from this verse: God’s Word is meant to be studied, internalized and meditated upon, God’s Word gives us guideline for living His way, God’s Word shows the way to good living and success.

Lenten Reflections: How am I doing on studying God’s Word? Is it daily, regularly, of haphazardly? Do I read God’s Word with the intention of apply it to my life?

So are you reading and studying your Bible? It is impossible to know what God desires or even who He is unless we delve into His word. God reveals himself in the Bible and we see Jesus clearly from His recorded time on earth. Don’t let anything keep you from reading and studying God’s Word. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can read and learn of God and His Son from the pages of His written Word. It is His love letter to me.

Linda

Related verses: Psalm 119:105, Psalm 119:11, Psalm 119: 9, Romans 8:28, Romans 3:25-26, Ephesians 1:13, Romans 1:17, Romans 8:10, John 3:16, John 17:3.

Power that Overcomes!

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Today’s promise describes to us the power of faith in our lives and its effect on the world around us.

1 John 5:3-5 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

Promise: God promises that faith in Jesus will overcome the world and that obedience to His Word shows my love for Him.

This promise is HUGE in God’s Word. Our faith in Jesus and His saving work on the cross holds the key to victory for us over sin that is present in our own lives and throughout the world. In these days where sin seems to be rampant and we see disrespect directed at those who profess faith, knowledge that our God is sovereign gives us true hope! We can be assured that God does reign and someday the words of Philippians 2:10-11 will be true. “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” He will overcome the world and will reign victorious.

What we know from these verses: my obedience to God’s Word demonstrates my love for Him, keeping God’s Word is not a burden for the believer, faith in Jesus gives power to live a victorious life, faith in Jesus is more powerful than the pull of sin, salvation from sin comes only through faith in Jesus.

Lenten Reflections: Am I showing God that I love Him by keeping His Word? As I studying God’s Word to know what it is He desires of me?

We think about God loving us and showing us how much He cares for us, but do we think about our love back to Him? This verse tell us that obedience is God’s love language. For those who love Him, He will see that they are victorious. Faith in Jesus is the key as it causes us to want to please and show our love for God. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know my faith in Jesus has power and I will be victorious in Him.

Linda

Related Verses: 1 Samuel 15:22, Psalm 119:33-37, Micah 6:8, John 14:15,21, John 16:33, Acts 4:12, Revelation 17:14.

God Promised Us A Helper, Do you Know Him?

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John 14:25-26 holds precious promises made by Jesus while he was with His disciples. Since we are followers of Jesus too, they apply directly to us also!

 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you

Promise: Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help, teach and remind us all things He had said.

We know that the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost and indwelt the believers. His Spirit gave them power and motivated them to fulfill Jesus’ great commission given in Matthew 28:19-20. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus told the disciples to go to Jerusalem after his ascension and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. Acts 2:1-4 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The disciples depended upon the indwelling Holy Spirit to witness and live for Jesus. He taught them and helped them recall all the words of Christ recorded in the gospels.

We too received the Holy Spirit when we accepted Jesus into our lives. As we depend upon Him, read God’s Word and pray, the Holy Spirit works within to teach us and help us to align our thoughts with God. He reminds us of what we have read or studied in God’s Word so that we can apply it to our lives. He convicts us of sin and leads us in a process called sanctification. As believers we are in the process of becoming more and more like Jesus!

What we can know from these verses: God sent the Holy Spirit to counsel, teach, and help us remember what we learn about God and apply it to our lives.

Lenten Reflections: Am I open to the teaching and leading of the Holy Spirit? Do I try to quench the Spirit and do things my way? Where do I need the Holy Spirit’s help?

Leaning into the Spirit of God and accepting His leading shows maturity in the Christian life. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can seek guidance from the Holy Spirit and trust Him to guide me in God’s ways.

Linda

Related verses: Acts 1:8, Ephesians 1:13, Titus 3:5, Luke 24:49, Acts 2:33, John 15:26, John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:10.

God is For Us! ALWAYS, Trust Him

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 Today’s promise was given to the people of Israel through Moses after 40 years of wandering and countless adventures with God. They were poised to enter the Promised Land and God wanted them to know they could count on Him in so many ways.

Deuteronomy 1:29-31 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be in dread or afraid of them. 30 The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place.’

Promises: God will go before me, fight for me and carry me protectively as a good Father does.

I particularly cherish this promise as it shows the heart God has for me, and how He cares about my wellbeing. He does not want me to live in fear of the problems or difficulties I will face in life but to take strength and courage from His promised presence. He will not wait for trouble to be present but will go before me preparing the way. When troubles and trials do come, and they will, He promises to fight for me. He has my back and wants me to succeed. Lastly, I love and take comfort in the image of God carrying me as one cherished and loved by Him. He knows what I need and will carry me without my even asking as He is my loving heavenly Father. He will always uplift, unburden and comfort those He loves.

What we can now from these verses: God’s presence dispels fear, God goes before me, God will fight for me, God loves me as His child and desires to protect me, God will see me safely to my appointed destinations in life.

Lenten Reflections: Am I pre-praying for events and thanking Him for His protection? Am I trying to fight my own battles or am I asking God to assist?

I have known God’s care as He has given me courage in times of great fear, hope when faced with adversity and comfort when broken hearted or in need of care. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can depend upon God’s loving care and protection. He will never leave me nor forsake me!

Linda

Related verses: 1 John 4:18, Isaiah 49:16, 25, John 1:12, Psalm 41:2, 2 Timothy 4:18, Nahum 1:7, Psalm 91:1-2.

Good News-Eternity Assured

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Have you considered the fleetingness of life? We look around and nothing seems to stay the same and is all so temporary. Seasons come and go and people are born and die. When we compare this to the eternalness of God and His kingdom we see a different picture. 1 Peter 1:23-25 gives a comparison for us to consider and examine.

“since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 for “All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.”

Promise: God promises that my new life in Christ comes from a living, eternal Savior and His Word will never fail or fade but will stand for ever.

Unlike our temporal body, our spiritual body in Christ is eternal. Even though we die, we will live on with Him as our soul, the spirit God gave us is imperishable. It will abide just as God will abide forever and we will be with Him. The comparison that Peter uses about withering grass and flowers is poetic language that comes from Isaiah 40: 6,8. Peter wants us to know that even though the world around us withers and dies, we will remain with God forever. God’s Word and His promises from His Word are eternal. Peter desires that we believe this about our future and see this as good news. The Good News that Jesus has to offer from His suffering on the cross and His resurrection brings a saving faith to each of us. Through Christ we can see the true nature of who we are in Christ, for we are His eternality.

What we can know from these verses: Newbirth comes from God through Christ, God and His Word are eternal, Christ is the living word of God, things on earth are temporal, knowing Jesus brings good news to everyone who believes.

Lenten Reflections: Do I have this eternal life or am I still on the fence deciding if Jesus is right? If this is your question consider these verses in Romans 3:10-12, John 3:16, 1 John 1:9. After praying and confessing, ask Jesus to come into your life and then rejoice as He lives within you! Read these passages to confirm your new faith. John 1:12-13 and 2 Corinthians 1:21-22.

Knowing Jesus changes our lives and gives us an eternal perspective on life. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can trust in the eternality of God, His Word and my place with Him forever. Thank you Jesus for your assurances and the hope that they bring.

Linda

Related Verses: Romans 6:4, Psalm 90:1-2, Psalm 119:89, 160, Ephesians 2:5, 1 Peter 1:12, 2 Timothy 4:17-19, Ephesians 1:3 and 2:6.

Priorities Matter

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 Today’s verses are often quoted when speaking about the sacrifices missionaries make in choosing to go to foreign lands to preach and teach about Jesus. However, there are applications we can make for these verses to our own lives in the city, suburbs, country or wherever God has placed us.

Matthew 19:29-30 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Promise: God promises generous blessings and eternal life to those who sacrifice and put Him first in their life.

These verses are about priorities and putting God first. This maybe harder, if say you choose to believe in Jesus, and your family rejects you. But, choosing to follow Jesus takes full commitment and rejection of the world and its ways that surround us. Jesus warned the disciples, in John 15:18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.’ We are to be in the world but not of the world.

Keeping the mindset of Jesus first in our lives opens us to receive his promised eternal life and blessings upon blessing. Jesus is sovereign and controller of all things and circumstances and giving him our praise, honor and heartfelt devotion He promises will result in our blessing. The blessings Jesus refers to are both physical and spiritual! Romans 5:17 speaks of the difference, “For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.” The new Gentile believers were to share in Christ’s blessing through faith in Jesus. In Ephesians 3:1 Paul explains “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” Our blessings may be tangible- here on earth, but most assuredly they are spiritual. These spiritual blessings like salvation, righteousness, a heavenly home, a loving forgiving Savior, etc. are priceless. Putting Christ first takes prayer, commitment, study of His Word, faith, dedication but most of all a passionate love for Jesus and what He did for us on the cross!

The order of God’s kingdom is unlike the world’s kingdom. The best, most aggressive and accomplished will not be first. The humble with a servant attitude who love Jesus beyond measure- those will be the ‘first’ in God’s kingdom. Remember when thinking about this Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

What do we know from these verses: God honors sacrifices made in His name and for His purpose, God can bless beyond our greatest imagining, God is eternal and promises life with Him, God’s reward system is not like earthly man made plans and is at his direction.

Lenten Reflections: Where do I need my priorities adjusted? Are my goals more worldly or spiritually motivated? Where am I seeing God’s blessings in my life? Count away!

These verses hold me accountable for runaway goals that are worldly. They help to ground me and point me towards having Jesus’ as the main focus in my life. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can keep my priorities and focus aligned with Jesus and will open myself to untold blessings. His blessings will be for now and eternity!

Linda

Related verses: Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 5:17, Ephesians 3:1, John 5:24, Isaiah 55:8-9. Genesis 15:1.

Second Sunday of Lent, 2025 Righteousness His and Mine

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Today my focus of thankfulness is on Christ’s righteousness. Last Sunday we considered our salvation but today let’s expand this to look at how we now look to God. Because of Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, I am considered righteous before God. When God looks at me, He sees the blood of Christ covering my sins. Praise God! Thank you Jesus.

The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:21 that Jesus, the perfect Son of God died so through faith we could be righteous. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” All the sins of mankind were put upon Christ at the cross, so that we might be freed from the penalty of sin which is death. 2 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit,” Isaiah 53:5 explains “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Our healing is from sin and the penalty of sin which is death. We are reminded of this in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 5:19 tells how we got in this state of sinfulness, though the sins of Adam and Eve and how Christ restored us. “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Our restoration is dependent upon our acceptance of Jesus and faith in His work on the cross. 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Take some time today and thank Jesus for his sacrifice on the cross that allows you to be forgiven, cleansed by His blood and made clean before God. Thank you Jesus!

Linda

Where Do You Get True Wisdom? Ask God.

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How many times have you been criticized for not knowing something or stuck because you did not know what to do? It happens in life, as we cannot know all things. God is wise and promises to give us the wisdom we need. I find that very comforting and reassuring.

James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”

The Bible tells us God is wise and has all widom. Job 12:13 “With God are wisdom and might;  he has counsel and understanding.” Daniel elaborates on this in Daniel 2:20-24 “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,  to whom belong wisdom and might. 21 He changes times and seasons;   he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise  and knowledge to those who have understanding;22 he reveals deep and hidden things;  he knows what is in the darkness,  and the light dwells with him.” The picture of God’s wisdom given by Job and Daniel shows us that God’s wisdom extends to all things. He is omnipotent, all-knowing.

Knowing that God is the sources of all wisdom, leads us to the conclusion that if we desire wisdom on any given subject or matter, God is the one we should turn to. This promise in James encourages us to come to God and ask Him for wisdom. He promises to give us wisdom without judging us for not knowing. There is no condemnation from God because we do not know what is the wise course of action. He has compassion upon us and promises to guide and direct us in life. The only way to get the true wisdom we need is to ask God. The promise says that He will give it to us generously. That means He will provide wisdom liberally, openhandedly and in abundance! I am also encouraged by Ephesians 1:7-8 “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight.” Through our faith in Jesus, He will grace us with all wisdom and insight. Accessing God’s wisdom can be done in several ways. We can pray and ask God directly or we can search God’s Word for wisdom He has already given to us. Sometimes when I pray about a problem, He will direct me through the Holy Spirit to His Word to find the answer. Sometimes He will use a fellow brother or sister in Christ to give me a good idea to pray about for confirmation.

What we can know from this verse: God is wise, God gives wisdom, God does not judge us for not having wisdom, God knows I need wisdom to live for Him, to receive His wisdom I must ask.

Lenten Reflections: Where am I struggling to make a decision that needs God’s wisdom? Have I asked God or searched His Word? How can I used God’s wisdom wisely in my life?

God acknowledges that we do not have all the wisdom we need for living and He promises to provide it to us abundantly. He does that when we ask Him in prayer or search His Word. The Bible is God’s manual for living and has God’s wisdom inside. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can ask God for answers and He will give me the wisdom I need to make the right decisions. I can live confidently that God has all the answers.

Linda

Related verses: Job 9:4, Job 12:16, Psalm 104:24, Ephesians 3:10, Matthew 7:7, John 11:22.

When God says, “I Will”, He WILL!

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In some Bible passages the Lord spoke to His people and gave them multiple assurances. They were nuggets of gold that the people could cling to in their lives which enable them to live with confidence and assurance from God that He was there for them! Those passages do the same for us today. Psalm 91:14-15 is one such passage. Let the truths of God’s words sink into your soul.

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
    I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them. 16 I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

Promises: God promises to: rescue, protect, answer, be with us in trouble, deliver, honor, favor with long life, and save those who love and acknowledge His name.

Any time God says “I will”, we can take that as a truth. God does not lie, Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?” God is not like us and will not ever lie nor will He change His mind! God is immutable, unchanging. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” So unlike us, God means “I will’ with certainty and will not change from it. We can totally count on those promised words.

What a wonderful long list of promises from God of how He intends to care for those who love and honor Him in faith. Which of these means the most to you right now? Do you need God to rescue you from a difficult situation? Pray. Do you need protection? Pray. Do you need answers? Pray. Do you need His presence with you right now? He is omnipresent- pray and ask for Him to comfort you and quiet your fears. Deliverance can be different from rescue. Do you need a new idea at work, something in working with your children, an extra job? Pray and be specific about what you need. Remember the promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Ask God to show you your way of escape. It might be right through it though for only God knows what that escape looks like. How has God shown you favor? It may come as providential care, blessings in our lives or mercy. All of us our days are numbered and He determines the length of our life. He promises salvation for those who believe in Jesus. John 17:13 “And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”

What we can know from these verses: God desires for me to love Him, God in His sovereignty can rescue, protect, defend and deliver me from life’s situations, God is accessible and will answer when I call upon Him (pray), God number’s each person’s days, God offers salvation with eternal life, Faith in Jesus shows our love of God and acknowledgement of His name.

Lenten Reflections: How am I showing God that I love Him? Where do I need to call upon God to receive His promised help?

These verses require us to think about the many things we take for granted about God. If we love Him, He is integral in our lives and is our partner in living for Him. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can call to God in faith with all the details of my life and He will be there for me. He is faithful and will not let me down.

Linda

Related verses: Numbers 23:19, 1 Corinthians 10:13, John 17:13, Galatians 1:3-5, Hebrews 4:16, Proverbs 3:1-3, John 3:16.