Tag: faith matters

Jesus, Long awaited Savior, Arrives

nofearlindaLeave a comment

As you have gone through this Christmas season and relived the vibrant story of Mary, Joseph, Zechariah, Elizabeth, the shepherds, the angels and even wicked King Herod, I pray you have seen the hand and character of God in all aspects of this story. This is the story of God’s Son’s arrival on earth and was totally orchestrated by God since the fall of man.

The attribute I have chosen for this Christmas Day is glorious. The glory of God is the total of all His attributes. God’s glory is displayed in the beauty and wisdom of His creation. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Throughout history , God has revealed His glory to His people through His power, mercy, grace, judgement, holiness, love and every other attributes. In the Old Testament we saw God’s glory in the cloud, known as the Shekinah glory, and He guided His people in the wilderness and filled the tabernacle and later the temple. In the New Testament, God’s glory is revealed in His Son Jesus Christ who reveals God’s glory completely.

Hebrews 1:2-4 describes Jesus the Son, “but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” Faith in the Son is essential as we are reminded in Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

So what is this faith? Hebrews 11:1 describes faith this way, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It is intangible and yet we know we have is as the Holy Spirit confirms with our spirit that we belong to Him. Romans 8:16, “ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” We also know this thing called faith is essential, Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Make this the best Christmas ever by putting your faith in Jesus, the Son of God. He loves you and is waiting for you to come to Him.

Merry Christmas!! To God be the Glory, All things He has done!

Linda

Promises that Come from Faith

nofearlindaLeave a comment

Lent was an intense writing time for me. Each day I blogged about a promise we have from God. His promises vary from protection, righteousness, hopes in heaven, benefits of knowing Him, etc. The list is long of the things we have because of our faith in Christ. I want to continue in this vein reminding all of us- me too, of what a glorious thing it is to have faith and know Christ. Our faith is truly a gift from God.

To begin our extended journey with God’s promises, let look at 2 Peter 1:3-4. This is the verse I claimed for my book Promises for Dynamic Living.

3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4

First, Jesus promises He has given us everything, absolutely everything we need for  a godly life because we know Him.  The promises He has included in His Word should be extremely precious to us as the promises help us to be one in the Spirit with Him and live a life that is above the corruption of this world that is motivated by evil.  I find this simple truth encouraging.  Satan wants us to believe there are things missing from our lives that only the world can provide.  Christ says, “NO!!”,  I have given you everything you need.  Satan wants us to believe that the world is fulfilling and will lead to a good life.  Christ says, “NO!!”, the way of the world leads to destruction and away from godly living.

unchanging God

So what exactly has Jesus provided for us in His promises?  As you study the scriptures, you find that we are promised many things- comfort, love, salvation, hope, peace, joy, understanding of godly things, fellowship with God the Father and Son, infilling of the Holy Spirit, eternal life…..  the list goes on.  Each of these are promised by our faithful loving God.    Hebrews 13:8 tells us “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”  God and His truth is unchanging from the creation of everything until now-God does not change and will not change.  We can count on this.  So all the things God promises in His Word from the beginning are still true and unchanging.    Hebrew 6:17-18 further confirms God’s mind for us.  17 “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. 18 God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.“

130907-Let-God-s-Promises

How can the truths of 2 Peter 1:3-4 effect our lives?  If we take Jesus at His Word and believe in His great and precious promises, we will live abundant lives that are filled with His Spirit.  He wants us to lead godly lives.   Take the challenge today and look into His Word- seek His precious promises and then claim them in your life.  Need help finding promises?  Get a copy of my book Promises for Dynamic Living- there you will find 70 different promises written in God’s Word just for you to enrich and lead you towards greater godliness in Christ. Or keep following my blog and rediscover His truths and promises to you!

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can trust in God’s promises and know they are for me, for my good and His glory.

Linda

Thankfulness Day 21: Faith A Gift for you

nofearlindaLeave a comment

What is your response when someone gives you a gift? Usually people say Thank you. Have you said Thank you to Jesus for the most precious of gift He and the Father have given you? Faith Hebrews 11:1 describes faith this way, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is knowing God exists and has the world now and in the future in His hands. It is the knowing in our heart, mind and soul that God is who He says He is and that He exists now and forever.

Here are some scriptures about faith to meditate on. Let them create in you greater thankfulness. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” Know that God desires all to come to Him in faith and He is waiting for those who still do not believe, or have faith in Him, to come. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

How did you come to faith in Jesus? How do you know for sure that He died for your sins, rose from the dead and now has His Holy Spirit indwelling you? Here is the truth, plain and simple, faith is a gift from God. We can’t make ourselves believe, work or learn to believe, nor can we ask someone else to give us their faith. Each person comes to Faith by answering God’s call upon their life by accepting His gift of faith. He gives it to us. For this we should be eternally thankful. The gift of faith is special and shows God’s love and favor towards us.

Thank God for your gift of faith. It is so easy to take it for granted or wrongly assume it is because of something I have done for God. No, it is a gift pure and simple. Let God know how much you love and appreciate His gift of faith.

Linda

Faith- does it really matter?

nofearlinda1 Comment

faith-mattersAs we all struggle with the racism that has surfaced yet again in America, we need to seriously ask ourselves if faith matters. People are carrying signs that say “Black Lives Matter” which is so true- as all people matter. We are all precious and made in God’s image. The question I am pondering is does ‘faith matter’? If it indeed does, how is it manifesting itself in your life?

As Christians we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and God is working within us.  That should make a difference in the way we see our world and the people, animals and the creation that make up our world.   We should be concerned about our life and the lives of others.  Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; make and female he created them.”  He created all of us and our faith brings God into us.  Our faith in God allows us to work and live for Him.  Many of God’s attributes are for Him alone- only He is Incomprehensible, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Sovereign and Almighty.  However, many of God’s attributes are characteristics that He desires us to emulate.

ephesians-3-17If we want to be more and more like Jesus, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to develop those characteristics within us.  He desires that we are kind, loving faithful, thankful, show goodness, gentleness, joy and experience His peace.  If we are to mature in faith, the actual term is sanctification, the we need to work our our faith and live it.  It does matter – it matters to God and it matters to me.  Jeremiah 9:24 tell us what pleases God, “But let him who boast boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”  Through faith we can know God, and w can act in ways that bring Him glory and us good.

Just like ‘black lives matter’, so faith matters. It matters to you and to me. We need to humble ourselves and be open to God’s leading in our lives. When Solomon was dedicating the temple in Jerusalem, God promised a way to return to Him and save their land should they veer off course. “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” 2 Chronicles 7:14

way-we-liveLet us pray for our nation and humble ourselves seeking to do as Jesus would when dealing with others… Faith in God and Love are the ways to peace.  Faith matters, let the light of Christ shine in and through you today.

Linda