The Cross = access to God!

March 14, 2020April 16, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Paul concludes this section on the mystery of the gospel and his work among the Ephesians as a teacher and preacher with a revelation about the unique freedom they now have in Christ. Ephesians 3:12 “Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.^”³So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.” Paul wanted them to focus on the position available to them because of their faith in Christ and not to feel sorry for him as he writes to them from prison in Rome. He felt it was a privilege to suffer in the name of Christ, not a burden.

So what is this unique freedom we now have as believers in Christ? Paul says we now have the ability to come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. This is a unique status given only to believers. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we have access to the God the Father in prayer. We do not need to go to or though anyone to have our requests made known to God. In the past, the Israelites had to go through their High Priest to present their needs to the Lord. Now, each person can approach the throne of God in prayer and lay your heart’s desires, needs, hopes and dreams before the Lord. The Lord Jesus is now our High Priest and presents our prayers to the Father. When we struggle for words or thoughts, Jesus intercedes for us and knows exactly what we are thinking or feeling. Hebrews 8:1b “we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,”

Here are a few verses that talk about this unique privilege of prayer:

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

1 John 5:14: ^“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Pray with confidence today, God hears your prayers. Pray to stay in God’s will and He will give you the grace and mercy you need. God is faithful and keeps His promises. I love Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” God is 100% faithful and will hear our prayers. His ways are not our ways, so we need trust Him and not seek to demand our own way or try to tell God what to do. I am always amazed at God’s answers to my prayers as He often answers in ways I could never have imagined. Pray in faith, knowing He absolutely hears you and let God take care of the details! Thank you Jesus for interceding for me as I approach the Father in prayer.

Linda

The Cross = unity for all believers

March 11, 2020April 16, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Paul concludes this Chapter 2 of Ephesians with very persuasive words for the Ephesian Christians. They are all indeed part of the family of God! Gentiles are no longer considered aliens but full members in God’s house. This house of God is built on Jesus, as the builders would say, He is the chief cornerstone of the church and it is filled with His Holy Spirit. The faith of those before us, the apostles and prophets, are solidly at the foundational level of this building called God’s church. All believers in Jesus add levels to the ‘building’ God is building with us. Paul also wants us to know that no one is without family, all belong with the Father through faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:19-23^“So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. ²¹We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²²Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”

I am sure that Paul’s letter was a great relief to the leader’s of the Ephesian church as Paul tried to settle the issue of differences, entitlement, arrogance and snobbery. We are all one in God’s church and Jesus is our foundation. Praise God! I love this message and have been a part of several Interdenominational Bible Studies for many years. I love the community of believers and the strength of the gospel message that we are all believers in the same cross, the same Lord and the same Spirit. Paul’s message brings unity to believers and open handedness among believers.

Who can you reach out to today with an open heart of love and acceptance? Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we are united in Christ as He is our foundation and chief cornerstone.

Linda

Experiencing His Power within

March 3, 2020April 16, 2026 nofearlindaLeave a comment

As Paul wrote that he was praying for the Ephesian believers, he eloquently told them he was praying for the eyes of their hearts to be flooded with light. He wanted them to know God, know His power and believe that they possess a portion of that same power in their lives. Ephesians 1:18-20 “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. ¹⁹I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power ²⁰that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.”

Ask yourself, do I feel flooded with His light in my life? Am I confident and assured in my faith? Do I feel like I belong to Him? Paul says we can be sure of His love and power in our lives as it is the same power that raised Christ from the dead! His indwelling Holy Spirit is that power in our lives. The same power that created the universe and defeated death lives within us. When we truly grasp this truth, there is nothing that can shake or defeat us. In Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Today ask God to show you His power within as you step out in faith to engage in your day. May you have a new sense of confidence and awareness of His Holy Spirit within you.

Linda

#9 Practicing Devotion to God- by relying upon His Grace

February 24, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

What is Grace? It is defined as God’s unmerited favor towards us. We did nothing and can do nothing to deserve His favor. It is something that God gives us freely by faith in Jesus from the depth of His love for us. Scripture teaches us that God’s grace is always sufficient and because God is omnipotent He will never run out of grace. 2 Corinthians 12:9 is one of my go to verses for power, strength and assurance about God’s grace. Paul recalls the words of Christ to him, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God graciously gives us what we need in our weakness and brings glory to Himself by showing His power in our lives. I cling to the sufficiency of His grace.

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” We are saved by His grace, certainly not by anything we have done or will do. We cannot be good enough, clean enough or pure enough on our own. Salvation is a gracious gift of God given to us through our faith in Jesus. He saves us by grace and graciously uses us to do His good works. He could do everything himself, but He graciously allows us to participate for our good and His glory.

Hebrews 4:16 adds one other dimension to His grace towards us. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Because of our faith in Jesus, our high priest, and His work on the cross, we have access to God and can approach Him in prayer. When we do, we are assured that we will find grace and mercy in our times of need. There is never a time that God is not with me and I can always know that He will meet my needs with grace and mercy. What a blessed hope!

May you grow to trust in His grace, lean into and depend upon His grace and let His grace give you Hope as you draw near to Him with a heart of love and devotion.

Linda

I pray you have been blessed as much as I have by going through these 9 practical ways to show our loyalty and devotion to God. We can practice devotion to God by: recalling His attributes, remembering His good works towards us, relating to Him in prayer, reading and meditating on His Word, resting in our identity in Christ, repenting regularly, responding to the world biblically, remembering our Savior and relying upon His grace. May you remember to incorporate these into your life on a daily basis and receive His blessings!

Total Hope, where do you find it?

January 17, 2020 nofearlindaLeave a comment

These first few weeks of 2020 I have been looking into HOPE as it is my chosen word for the year. I saw survival hope in Psalm 71:14 “But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.”, Hope in God’s Word, Psalm 119:114 “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.”, Hope in God’s steadfast Love, Psalm 33:18 “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,”, Hope in the future, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” and daily Hope for living, Lamentations 3:21-23 ” But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Today’s verse helps me to see that God is my Total Hope, Psalm 62:5-7 “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
⁶He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
⁷On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.”

I love the truth of these words written by the psalmist David so long ago. They are truths confirmed throughout scripture. My hope comes from God alone. He is the one who stands by me and holds me in times of distress and trouble Psalm 107:13 “they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.” God is so strong and mighty, so sure and complete that He cannot be shaken, Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe. He gave me salvation through faith in Jesus, 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.”. God alone is working in my life to mold and shape me into the person He desires me to be and shares His glorious attributes with me, Romans 5:3-5 “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, ⁴and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” He is the holder of my salvation and sent the Holy Spirit as my guarantee, 2 Corinthians 1:22 “and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”

Do these truths about God alone give you Hope for surviving, loving, learning and leaning on the truth of His Word, for looking into the future and for daily living? God is my total Hope and that Hope is in Him alone. He is and has all the hope I need. “Thank you Jesus for bringing God’s Hope to me.”

May you grab hold of His Hope today and be uplifted and strengthened.

Linda

What Stops You from Giving Thanks?

November 12, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Daniel was an upright believer in God who was in a position of power in Babylon. His adversaries hated him and sought to discredit him. They tried but could find nothing to hold against him. So, they got the idea to ask King Darius, over the Medo-Persian Empire, to make a law that no one could pray to any other god but him for a whole month. The king was pleased, puffed up and overtaken with pride, so he signed a law making it unlawful, on penalty of death, to worship any god but him. The men who hated Daniel knew Daniel prayed to the God of Israel three times a day without fail. They were hoping that he could continue this and then they could catch him and have him put to death.

Daniel 6:10 “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Daniel knew of their hatred and deceit but he trusted God more. The story continues and Daniel is called before the king for praying to his God. The king realized his mistake but could not change the law, since once a law was signed even the king was helpless to change it. The penalty was being cast into a den with hungry lions. The king liked Daniel and did not want to see him killed but was powerless. The unbelieving king did something amazing, “Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” “Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him. Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions. ²⁰As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” ²¹Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! ²²My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Daniel 6:16,18,19-22

The lesson for us in this favorite Old Testament story that is that Daniel was committed to God. He knew his God was more powerful than any earthly king, and he would not relinquish God’s place of preeminence in his life to anyone, no matter the cost. Daniel 6:10 said he prayed as was his custom and gave thanks. Nothing could deter Daniel from prayer and thanksgiving. Romans 12:12 describes Daniel’s attitude towards prayer. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

What about you? What stops you from praying daily? Our obstacles could not be any bigger than death by lions, but we let them rob us of our prayer time and take away our opportunities to give thanks and praise Almighty God. Will you mediate on this today and ask God to reveal to you what is taking preeminence in your life that keeps you from regular prayer? Confess it to Him and start praying regularly with praise and thanksgiving.

Linda

Are you in the crowd? Why did Jesus come to you?

June 4, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

There is one other post-resurrection appearance I want to think about as we wait for Pentecost. Paul recounts to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 the appearances between Christ’s purposeful death and resurrection and His ascension back into heaven. “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,(Christ died and rose again with purpose foretold in scripture)⁵and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. ⁶Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.⁷Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (Paul is referring to his encounter with Jesus on the Road to Damascus that happened sometime later.)

Have you ever wondered about the large gathering of 500 that saw Jesus? What was His purpose? In each post-resurrection appearance, Jesus purposefully met with those who needed to see Him most- the grieving Mary, the doubting Thomas, the guilt ridden Peter and the unbelieving disciples. What could have been His reason for appearing to 500? Perhaps He wanted those who did not know Him as intimately as the disciples to experience His love and power first hand? Perhaps He wanted to make known the reality that He was alive and they could carry on. Perhaps He wanted to comfort, ignite, give hope, …. Seeing Him again, knowing the reality of His death on the cross, knowing He had been buried and was alive for them to see must have been eyeopening, challenging, fearsome, awesome, unbelievable….. One can only imagine what it must have been like to see Jesus.

Today as you think about this, try to picture yourself as one of the 500. We have an advantage as we have His indwelling Holy Spirit within us to convict us and bear witness to our faith. We do not need to see Him to believe. Jesus addressed this issue in John 20:29 as He spoke to Thomas. “Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Faith is a blessing from God. Thank Him today for your ability to believe even though you were not there with the 500. You can know that He loves, cares for you and is with you always.

Linda

Are you like Thomas? Encounter the Living Jesus today!

May 14, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

The disciples had gathered on Resurrection Sunday evening and Jesus appeared to them coming in even though the doors were shut. Thomas had not been with them that evening and they eagerly told him all that had happened. This was his response from John 20:24-25. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” This is the passage that earned him the nickname of doubting Thomas. He was emphatic that unless he saw the evidences of Jesus death marks himself he would not believe it to be Jesus. Do you know people that are doubters too? Do they reject any evidence that Jesus is the Son of God in scripture purely because they can not see Him for themselves? I’m sure the disciples were totally convinced as to what they had seen but saddened that Thomas would not share in their joy that Christ was alive.

A week passed and they were all gathered in the upper room when Jesus appeared again. John 20:26-29 continues the story, “Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus knew what Thomas needed and came right to him. Thomas was amazed and proclaimed Jesus his God. To him, seeing was believing. He needed a personal encounter with the living Jesus! Jesus added this next verse for Thomas, the disciples and all of us. ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Faith is a gift from God and we who believe in Jesus are blessed with the knowledge of Him as our Savior. However, each one of us who believes encountered the living Christ and came to know Him in a personal, vibrant and living way. Even though we do not physically see Him, we can and do know within our being that Jesus is Alive! The Holy Spirit indwells us when we believe in Jesus and testifies to us about Him. Jesus had promised this in John 15:26 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” Later Paul, explains in Ephesians 1:13-14 how the Holy Spirit works within us, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Praise God we too can know Him and experience Him in our lives. We are blessed – Just as Jesus said we would be through our faith in Him! Have a blessed day as you ponder the wonder of Jesus being alive in your life!

Linda

I have the keys to a home in heaven. Thank you Jesus.

March 12, 2019March 29, 2019 nofearlindaLeave a comment

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have a place in heaven. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about my eternal home in heaven because I’m usually so preoccupied with life in the here and now that it seems distant. However, the older I get the more I have pondered what this home will be like and who will be there with me. I realize now the urgency for telling others about Jesus and His saving power, so that they will not be left behind.

Today’s scripture comes from John 14. It is a familiar passage about the home Jesus is preparing for us and gives us great hope. I like the extra meaning the Amplified version John-14-2 gives John 14:1-4 ““Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe[confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me.²In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you.³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.⁴And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.” We are not to be afraid because through faith in Jesus we know that He is preparing our eternal home and that He will come get us when the time is right.

Another passage in Ephesians reassures us that through faith in Jesus and because of God’s great love for us, we will be seated with Christ. It is truly by God’s grace, His unmerited favor, that He made such a place for us, as we did nothing to earn the riches we will receive. Ephesians 2:4-7 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— ⁶and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,⁷so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

In our eternal home will have a place of honor that is prepared for us by Christ himself, and we will be with Him for eternity. My finite mind can only try to imagine such provision, but I know I only need to believe in Jesus and His saving work on the cross for it to be mine.

Linda

Suggestion: Give some thought to heaven today and make a list of at least 5 things you know about it. Need some help- read Revelation 21 or go back and reread today’s passages. They are filled with promises about our heavenly home. Hint- one of my favorites is Revelation 21:4

Given by Christ, Righteousness. Thank you Jesus.

March 11, 2019March 29, 2019 nofearlinda1 Comment

Because 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— ⁹not 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

Suggestion 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.