Tag: God

Love for Me = Jesus on the Cross

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One of God’s greatest promises to us is that He loves us. Today being Good Friday, we can remember evidence of His love as He sent Jesus to die in our place due to our sin. He wanted us to be able to commune and live with Him but we needed to have a way to rid ourselves of our sin. Nothing we can do is enough- we can’t be good enough to erase our sin.

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am loved by God.  Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was motivated by God’s great love for me and you.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”  Love was what caused God to come up with a plan to save us as He desires to be in relationship with mankind and wants us to live with Him eternally.

Jeremiah-31-3

God repeatedly tell us in the Bible that He loves us.  Jeremiah 31:3  The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love;  I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.”   Paul describes God’s love for us in Ephesians 2:4-5  “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,  made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”  God saved us because He loved us and through His grace and mercy He sent Jesus.  

How do you feel today?  Do you feel loved by God or are you letting the cares, worries and circumstances of life block God’s love? As you think about God’s love today, let your mind be transformed by the love of Christ.  He died for you and me.  Know that He loved us enough to die for us.  God loved us enough to send Jesus to bring us into a relationship with Him.  Know you are loved by God as the proof is in His sacrifice on the cross.

As you look at the cross today, feel cherished and loved by God,

Linda

The Depths of Forgiveness

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Have you given much thought to the forgiveness you have in Christ? One of God’s promises is that our sins are totally forgiven through our faith in Jesus. What would life be like for you if you had no way to get rid of your guilt over the things you do wrong? They could be simple slights to others, a harsh word said in anger or ‘bigger’ sins like murder and stealing. There are no degrees of sinfulness with God- sin is sin no matter how big or small and it separates us from holy God.

One of the most important things I receive from Christ is forgiveness.  It is not just a little forgiveness for everyday sins but total forgiveness for all the things that I have done and will do because of the sin nature I was born with.  Jesus paid the price required by God for my sin and yours,  “The wages of sin is death.” Romans 3:23.  Through His death on the cross the penalty for my sin and yours was marked paid in full.  “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. ” Hebrews 10:10.   This sin nature I was born with is evident in my life each day.  The Apostle Paul said it best in  Romans 7:15  “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” It seems while in this world we are constantly susceptible to our sin nature.  I am so thankful that Jesus provided a way for me to be redeemed from sin, a way for me to be victorious over sin, a way for me to rise above the sins that would entangle me, and a way for me to live each day by His grace and mercy.

As you consider Jesus’ sacrifice and your sinful nature, consider Colossians 1:13-14 in the Amplified version.  13 For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,14 in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].

God's forgiven

Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can say with absolute assurance that I am totally forgiven through the power of Jesus’ blood.  Now that we have it- we need to claim it and live like we are forgiven!  Let go of the guilt and shame brought on by sin.  Don’t let Satan entangle you with guilt- he is a great liar and deceiver. He wants us bogged down by our past.  Pray and give it to Jesus- know that you are forgiven once and for all though Jesus!

Living forgiven, praise Jesus!

Linda

The Mind of Christ

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Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can have a mind that thinks and understands like Christ. The promise of a mind that can know and understand the things of God is a huge gift from God through our faith in Jesus.

In 1 Corinthians Paul is talking to the Corinthian believers about wisdom and how we can know and discern the things of God.  “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”  1 Corinthians 2:14-16  With our natural mind we can’t know the things of God but with the indwelling Holy Spirit we can understand God and know Him.  The spiritual person is not to be judged by the opinions of unbelievers who consider the things of God to be foolish.  We are only held accountable to God, His standard of conduct is the only one we need consider.  We are assured that the indwelt believer has the mind of Christ.

So what does that mean to you?  As I pondered that thought, James 3:17 came to mind, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere”.   Having the mind of Christ would mean we have access to godly wisdom as described here.   We could have pure thoughts, a spirit of peace in our words, gentle presentation of our thoughts to others, reasonable thoughts not prone to wander or be self-serving,  thoughts filled with mercy,  thoughts that produce good things for ourselves and others, thoughts without bias and thoughts that are always sincere not fake in any way.  I know that having the mind of Christ is a growing process and does not happen overnight.  As we draw near to God we are promised in James 4:8 that God will draw near to us.  The closer we walk with Jesus the more we can think and act as He would.  A mind that is governed by Jesus would be glorifying to God and produce a vibrant and whole life for us.  Consider the words of James today as you go about your daily routine.  What part of the mind of Christ, the wisdom that comes from above, are you seeing in your life?  Where do you want to grow?

guidance

Promise: God promises that through faith we can know Him and have a mind that understands the things of God. Thank you Jesus!

Linda

Knowing and Being Known

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Today’s promise is a small gem that packs a big punch. It is found in John 10:14 and tells us so much about Jesus our Savior.

John 10:14 “ I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.”

Promises: God promises Jesus is my good shepherd and that He knows me and I can know Him.

In ancient cultures shepherds were needed to care for the sheep. There were not fences to keep the sheep in and the predators out. The sheep are not the smartest of animals and would follow anyone. The shepherd would sleep with the sheep at night, lead them to water and pasture and lovingly care for them. He would give his life for his sheep to keep them safe. By calling himself our good shepherd, Jesus is letting us know how much he loves us. He will provide and care for us and He willingly gave His life so that we could be reconciled to God. The passage continues in verses 16b-17 “So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.”

The other promise included in this short verse is that God knows us and that we can know Him. What a privilege that through faith I can commune with God in prayer, feel His love and support and be indwelled by His Holy Spirit. He knows all about me and allows me to come to know Him through His Word, prayer and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Someday we will see Him and be in His presence. Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

What we can know from this verse: God is accessible, Jesus is our caretaker, God knows all about me, I can know God.

Lenten Reflections: Am I looking to my good shepherd for advice, protection and guidance each day? How much time do I spend getting to know God through His Word and prayer?

Because God created me and is omnipotent He knew me before I was even born. I need to study His Word to learn more about Him, to be able to understand how He wants me to act and to think bibically. 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.” Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can learn to know God and can rest in His care and love.

Linda

Related Verses: Hebrews 4:16, John 10:1 and 11, Nahum 1:7, Psalm 119:105, Psalm 139:1-3, Psalm 139:13, Revelation 21:3.

Power from Within- in Jesus!

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Many passages in the Bible clarify the role of Christ and what His indwelling Holy Spirit does within our lives. Romans 8:10-11 is one such passage.

Romans 8: 10-11  “But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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.“

Promise: God promises to give life through His Spirit and make all believers alive because of Christ’s righteousness.

The old saying goes “nothing is sure except death and taxes.” These verse say that is not true. God promises life in Jesus and all this is possible because of Jesus’ death on the cross. His sacrifice covered your sins and mine. 1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” 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.” Our sins are forgiven and covered by the blood of Jesus. How then are we alive in Jesus? Paul explains in Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,” This work of grace and mercy from God we owe to our faith in Jesus. Paul continues to explain in 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,” Thank you Jesus for this amazing gift of faith and forgiveness.

What we can know about God from these verses: Jesus’ blood covers our sins-past, present and future, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, faith in Jesus makes us spiritually alive, Jesus is righteous, Jesus paid the price for our sins on the cross.

Lenten Reflections: Am I experiencing God’s Spirit within me each day? Am I thankful for all Jesus did for me on the cross?

These are sobering verses when you consider what our salvation and freedom from the power of sin cost Jesus. His blood was shed for me and you. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can live forgiven and experience His life within me. I am alive in Christ!

Linda

Related Verses: 1 Peter 2:24 1 Peter 3:18, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 1:7-9, Romans 6:10-12, Ephesians 2:3-8, Colossians 2:6-7,

Cling to God’s Faithfulness- He will bring you through it!

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God’s faithfulness is a subject you can never talk enough about. Today’s promise is found in 2 Timothy 2:11-13 and is in a poetic format in the Apostle Paul’s letter to his ‘son’ Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 11 Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,  we will also reign with him.
If we disown him, he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,  he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.

Promises: God promises that our actions towards Him will be rewarded or punished in kind and that above all He is faithful.

Have you ever felt your actions for good will go unrewarded or that the things you say when trying to witness have fallen on deaf ears? This promise call us into account for our own actions towards both man and God. What we say and do does matter! The thing that makes this doable is God’s faithfulness towards us in spite of our failings. If we will cling to Him in faith, we will be victorious. Today if you are tempted to doubt that what you are doing is right then stop and ask God to guide you. Lean into Jesus and call on God’s faithfulness to see you through. Jeremiah 33:3 is one of my favorite truths to hold onto, “3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’

What does this verse teach us about God: faith in Jesus brings assurance of salvation, God rewards perseverance, rejecting Christ will result in judgement, when I stumble in my faith God does not lose faith in me, God is faithful.

Lenten Reflections: How am I being faithful in my walk with Jesus? What doubts or temptations do I need to turn over to faithful God?

These lines make me think seriously about how I am relating to and speaking about God. He expects a lot from me in faith but He has given me everything for eternity. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can know the faithfulness of God and cling to Him.

Linda

Related Verses: Jeremiah 33:3, Proverbs 3:3-4, Colossians 3:23-25, James 1:2-4

What Rainbows mean

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When asked if you know any promises from God, today’s promise probably comes to mind. It is one of the first ones we learn as a child and comes from Genesis 9, the rainbow.

Genesis 9:11-13, 16  I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: 13 I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth…..16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Promise: God promises to never again destroy the creature of the earth by flood, and the rainbow will be our sign that God remembers His promise.

Don’t you love to see rainbows in the sky? Usually they occur after or during a storm and remind us of God’s faithfulness to His creation. Storms will come but God promises that whatever may come it will not destroy us. I think you can take this literally with storms of nature but it also applies to emotional storms that invade our lives. God’s rainbow gives us hope that He is eternally present and His Word is everlasting. We can depend upon Him no matter what the storm may be because He is sovereign and greater than anything we can or will ever face. Like Noah, we can have faith in God as He keeps His promises.

What we can learn from these verses: God’s covenants are eternal, I do not need to fear destruction of the earth by flood, God wants me assured of His promises, the rainbow is His sign to us, God’s Word is eternal, God’s promises do not change.

Lenten Reflections: What does God’s faithfulness look like in my life? How am I thankful for His faithfulness to me?

I know rainbows are a matter of science but God made all the parts of the universe and knows how they work together. They are His rainbows and He uses them to remind us of His faithfulness. Because Christ died on the cross, and rose from the dead, I can trust in God’s faithfulness 100%.

Linda

Related Verses: Job 42:2, Psalm 86:15, Hebrews 6:17-18, Hebrews 10:23, James 1:17, 2 Peter 3:8-9

The Perfect Manual

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Psalm 119 is a treasure trove of truths and promises about God’s Word. Each of the stanzas of this poetic scripture tell us more and more about the reliability and truthfulness of God’s Word.

Psalm 119:9, 11, 105, 160 “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word…..11 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you……105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path….160 All your words are true;  all your righteous laws are eternal.”

Promise: God promises that His Word is eternal, righteous and a guidebook for godly living.

When you get new appliances they come with a manual for operation or installation. Once I purchased a new sewing machine. The purchase came with 2 introductory classes to learn about the machine and the things you could make it do. When I got to the class I sat down, set up and threaded my machine in preparation for our work. The instructor came around and asked me, “How did you get the machine threaded?” He was shocked that I had accomplished that task without his assistance. I replied, “I followed the directions in the manual.”   In today’s world Google and YouTube have become our convenient manuals for resolving questions about how things work.  What about in the area of godly living? Where do you go for guidance when you have problems with people, money, conflicts of faith, jobs, stress, etc? God tells us that all we need is in His Word. We do not need to worry that God’s manual will become out of date, have misleading information or lead us into wrong actions as He says His Word is true, eternal and righteous.

What we know about God from these verses: following God’s Word leads us in the direction of purity for our lives, God’s Word will guide us, God’s Word is true, pure, righteous, and eternal.

Lenten Reflections: Am I using God’s Word as my guide for living? How much time do I spend reading God’s manual for godly living?

His Word is our perfect manual for living our lives His way. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can trust God’s Word to lead me in godly living. Be sure to consult your manual often. You can depend on it!

Linda

Related Verses: Proverbs 30:5, Matthew 24:35, John 6:68, John 17:17, Hebrews 4:12, James 1:22-25.

WE Belong to God- a family!

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Today’s promise is essential in building our spiritual esteem.

John 1:12 “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—”

Promise: God promises that knowing and accepting Jesus brings us into His family.

We all want to have value and worth. We want to belong. God placed us in families for a reason. He wanted us to have the love and support of a family. The same is true of our heavenly family. God wants us to know we have worth and purpose as His child. As believers we have the Holy Spirit within us and know Him. Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” He also claims us a his sons and daughters, those who will inherit from their Father God. Romans 8:17 makes this clear, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

What we know from this verse: Faith in Jesus brings privileges and rights, God has a family, those in God’s family believe and accept Jesus.

Lenten Reflections: Am I acting like a child of God or a child of this world? What privileges do I have as God’s child that I need to thank Him for today?

As a child of God we are a member of His family, He has a home and an inheritance for each of us. We have brothers and sisters in faith because of our shared bond in Jesus. His spirit lives in each of us. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I have a place and a purpose in God’s family.

Linda

Related verses: Matthew 5:9, John 1:13, Romans 8:14 and 8:17, Galatians 3:26. 1 John 3:1

The 5th Sunday of Lent 2025, Sealed

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Each Sunday during Lent I have talked about something special we have because in faith we belong to Christ. So far we have looked at: Salvation, Christ’s Righteousness, Our home in Heaven and the ability to approach God in prayer. Today, I want to look at the sealing we have in the Holy Spirit.

Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, I am sealed by the Holy Spirit.  Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.  This amazing Biblical truth gives me assurance of my salvation and hope for today and a future with Christ.  It also assures me of where and to whom I belong through my faith in Jesus.  Paul also spoke of this guaranteeing seal in 2 Corinthians 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.”  2 Corinthians 5:5 “ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 

What does a seal do?  A seal protects the contents (us) from harmful things getting in and it marks it as authentic.  By being sealed with God’s Holy Spirit we are insulated or protected from the power of Satan over us and His Spirit marks us as belonging to Him, we are His- authentic believers in Christ.  His seal gives me assurance that I belong to Him for eternity and is evidence that He is working within me.  What a wonderful promise to claim in Christ!

What about you?  Do you feel His Spirit within you?  Do you listen when He speaks and leads you away from wrong choices?  Scripture says in Romans 8:16 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”  God will give you assurance and hope that you belong to Him through His indwelling Holy Spirit.  Believe it, embrace it, and cling to it today.  As a believer, you belong to God and are sealed by His Holy Spirit and NOTHING can change that!  His Holy Spirit gives us an eternal promise with hope for now and into eternity.  Thank you Jesus!

romans 8 16

Linda