Tag: salvation

Zechariah ‘Sings’ of Provider God!

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Zechariah was overcome by the power of God when he ‘sang’ forth these prophetic words. Only God knows the future and these words about John and the coming Messiah are amazing.

Luke 1:76-80 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

When I mediated on these words, I was overwhelmed by God’s gracious provision for us. He provided John to announce the coming Messiah. It had been 400 years since the last prophet Malachi had delivered a message to God’s people. They were hungry for word from God and needed to be turned back and tuned towards Him! The Messiah to come would bring salvation, forgiveness of sin, and light to a dark world. He would show God’s tender mercy towards His children by shining light on their pathways and guiding them in the way of peace. What a wonderful provider God is!!

God is our Provider. God provides for every creature He has made. He feeds the birds and gives us our daily bread. God gives us strength and goodness through the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit to enable us to live for Him. Isaiah 40:29 “He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. I love Romans 8:28 and the truth I can claim about His power of goodness in my life. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” He provides a way out of temptation and protects us from evil. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is a key verse to claim,“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” David knew the protection of God first hand as he claimed it in Psalm 140:1-2 “Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men 2 who plan evil things in their heart and stir up wars continually.” God provides salvation through our faith in Jesus and He assures us that we cannot be snatched away from Him!! John 10:28“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” God’s provision of His Son was His greatest gift to us. Paul describes this gift in 2 Corinthians 9:15“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

When you look at all these provisions past and future, you can only marvel at the power and love of God!

Linda

Peace through His Omnipotent Power

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This Second Sunday of Advent we light the purple candle of Peace. The peace here is the peace we have in Jesus. Jesus’ coming brought peace to the world and to each of us as believers. The attribute for today is Omnipotent. Only God in His great power could bring peace to the world and reconcile mankind to himself. God is all powerful meaning his power, authority and influence are unlimited. God is the source of life, energy, power and hope. All things would fall apart without God’s power. Nothing can stop God and evil and death will not win!

Only God could have brought about bringing His Son to earth with a mission to redeem us. Job reminds us in Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” The passage in John 3:16-18 is very familiar and reminds us of why God sent His Son on this mission, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

So this second Sunday of Advent as we light the Peace Candle, do you have the peace of Jesus in your heart? John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” Will you take His peace today and place your trust in our Omnipotent God? Remembering Matthew 19:25-26“ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, , “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” and 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.”

Revel in the God of peace today and the one who came to reconcile us to the Father and bless us with His peace! Salvation in Jesus brings PEACE!

Linda

Justification- a Big Deal!

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God promises that our faith in Christ will redeem us from our sins and leave us pure and holy. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can claim be presented to God as justified and free from sin. Wow! that is a big deal and a good deal for you and me!

Why is this so important to you and me?  To be justified means to be declared ‘not guilty’ and to be acquitted of wrong doing or shown to be innocent. Because of our sin nature we are guilty before God and can do nothing to help ourselves.  We can’t do enough good works or be really good and earn enough ‘points’ to be declared worthy or clean before God.  All you have to do is look around you to see that people do wrong things all the time even when they don’t really mean or want to.  Romans 3:23, “ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” is pretty plain that all mankind are sinners.  However, let’s look at verse 24, “and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”.   We are all sinners but saved by Jesus because He declares us ‘not guilty’ though His work on the cross.   It is a gift to us through His grace when we believed in Him.  We did nothing to deserve it.  Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”   Our faith in Jesus brings us into a relationship with God that is peace filled and free from the guilt and burden of our sin. Martin Luther declared many centuries ago that we are saved by grace alone, in Christ alone and by faith alone.  Christ did all the work to save us and justify us before God.

justifed by grace

As I think about this, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  Jesus saved me from condemnation and declared me ‘not guilty’ before our heavenly Father.  I will no longer be subject to the penalty I really deserve for my sins which is eternal death.  I am also now open to God’s peace and can let it fill me each day as I rest in His eternal redemption. Praise God!  How about you?  Are you resting in Jesus?  Let these final days of Lent be a time of peace, filling as you praise to Jesus for his sacrifice and His declaring you Not Guilty before God.

Eternally grateful for His justification and peace,

Linda

Justice, Eternal Hope and Righteousness

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Today’s promise looks to the future in various layers. Isaiah talks about “my salvation is on the way” which points to Jesus. “For the skies will disappear like smoke.points towards the end times. Even though we do not know specifics we can look at God’s promises and know that they will come true.

Isaiah 51:4-6 “Listen to me, my people.
    Hear me, Israel,
for my law will be proclaimed,
    and my justice will become a light to the nations.
5 My mercy and justice are coming soon.
    My salvation is on the way.
    My strong arm will bring justice to the nations.
All distant lands will look to me
    and wait in hope for my powerful arm.
6 Look up to the skies above,
    and gaze down on the earth below.
For the skies will disappear like smoke,
    and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing.
The people of the earth will die like flies,
    but my salvation lasts forever.
    My righteous rule will never end!

Promises: God promises to provide justice, salvation and unfailing righteousness through Christ Jesus and it will be for eternity.

Isaiah’s imagery is captivating as he describes what God will do. There is no doubt in his mind that God is capable and will fulfill His promises to the nation Israel and all future believers through his mighty arm of righteousness, Jesus Christ. In God’s time, He see this occurring speedily, and that we should always look forward with eternal hope. It is the hope we have in Christ that allows us to live each day looking forward to God’s promised justice, salvation and righteousness. A reason for our impatience is we desire to see things completed quickly. God’s ways are not our ways we are reminded in scripture. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” His timing is not ours either. 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” While waiting for the Lord’s perfect timing, we need to wait patiently. Romans 8:24-25 “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.“

What we know from these verses: God rules justly, God provides salvation through faith in Jesus, Jesus will bring justice to all nations, things of earth are temporal but things of God are eternal.

Lenten Reflections: Which of these prophetic promises are you looking forward to most? Where are you struggling with the difference between God’s timing and your own?

I am encouraged by these ancient verses from Isaiah. We know that God will provide and see us through to a time where His justice reigns and his unfailing righteousness is available to all in Jesus. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can be assured of eternal salvation and a time of righteous justice for all.

Linda

Related Verses: Psalm 102:26-27, Psalm 45:17, Isaiah 30:18, John 3:16, Philippians 2:9-11

Who Told You?

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Who told you about Jesus and the salvation He offered? Was it your parents, grandparents, a friend or neighbor? Or maybe you were reading God’s Word and knew in your heart that what God said was true and believed. Scripture tells us that believing comes from hearing Romans 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.’ Our promise today comes from Genesis 12:3b.

…”and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Promise: All believers are blessed by Abraham’s faith that led to Christ.

Paul gives us additional information about the blessing to Abraham in Galatians 3:7-9. “Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” Abraham was considered by God to be a man of faith as he answered God’s call and followed him to a new land. God considered Abraham’s faith and counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Just as Abraham received righteousness through his faith in God so we too receive our righteousness though faith in Christ.

Knowing that we have to hear or see God’s truth to bring us to faith in Jesus, who do you have to thank for telling you about Jesus? Christianity is just one generation away from extinction as you cannot get to heaven on someone else’s faith. You need your own faith in Christ. Abraham was faithful to pass on his legacy of faith to his sons and daughters. Who do you need to tell about Jesus today so that the gospel message can live on?

What do we know from this verse: God has a plan of salvation for all believers, God intends for us to pass it on to the next generation until Christ returns, Abraham’s faith had an effect on all believers.

Lenten Reflections: What is my legacy of faith? Whom have I told? Who do I need to tell about Jesus?

Think about God’s precious blessing though Christ. Pray for those who brought you to faith and for those who do not yet know Him.

Linda

Related verses: Galatians 3:7-9, Romans 1:16-17, Titus 2:11, Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew 24:14.

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.

God Preserves

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Today’s promise comes from Psalm 31:23-24. It holds both promises and a warning- a cautionary note from God.

Love the Lord, all you his saints!
    The Lord preserves the faithful
    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
    all you who wait for the Lord!

Promise: God promises to preserve those who faithfully follow Him and chastise those who act pridefully.

The world present us with constantly changing circumstances. The life of one who follows Jesus requires strength and courage; it is not for the fainthearted! God promises that He will be preserve us as we wait upon Him and strive to follow His ways. He promises to look out for those who belong to Him and even calls us saints! This does not mean we will not have challenges or heartbreaks, but that we will be preserved. The best verse I can think of for this is John 10:27-29 “ My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” We are protected through our faith in Christ. No one, nothing, can take us away from God once we are His. Once committed to Jesus, we cannot lose our salvation as no one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand! He preserves us and our salvation is safe. Our eternal life is secure!! Another verse that helps us see this is Ephesians 1:13 “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,” We are sealed though the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s caution about being prideful is shown through multiple examples in the Bible. 2 Chronicles 26 tells us about King Uzziah who became prideful before God, 2 Chronicles 32 tells us about Hezekiah’s prideful actions that almost cut his life short until he repented. Daniel 4 tells of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon who admired all he had built  “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you,” He then lost his kingdom and spent 7 years roaming the woods like an animal until he repented. Only then was he restored to health and power. Proverbs 16:18 puts it this way, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.’

What we can know from these verses: God is worthy of my love and praise, God is committed to preserving me for eternity, God hates pride/arrogance, God supports those who wait upon Him with courage and strength.

Lenten Reflection: Do I truly believe that you belong to Jesus? If in doubt, pray and ask God for assurance of His promise that you are sealed and preserved for all eternity. Do you suffer bouts of pride or arrogance? Be quick to repent and acknowledge God as your Father and provider.

Knowing the Lord loves you and has your back for all eternity is a great comfort in this hectic and often evil world. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, I can live with assurance of God’s faithfulness and His safeguarding of my salvation.

Linda

Related Verses: Psalm 145:3, John 10:27-29, Ephesians 1:13, Proverbs 16:18, 1 John 2:16-17, Psalm 97:10, Romans 1:7.

First Sunday of Lent 2025, Salvation-Thank You Jesus!

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Lent is a time of self-reflection and prayer. Each Sunday during Lent, I will post a passage that will hopefully turn your hearts towards Him in thanks. Because Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can be eternally grateful and secure in our salvation.

Psalm 85: 7-9 Show us your unfailing love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation. I listen carefully to what God the Lord is saying,
    for he speaks peace to his faithful people.
    But let them not return to their foolish ways.
9 Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him,
    so our land will be filled with his glory.

 Acts 4:11-12 “For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Ephesians 2:7-9 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

John 10:28 is a favorite verse of one of my Sisters in Christ as it assures us that we belong to Him and NO ONE can remove us from His care and love. “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.”

Thank you Lord for sending Jesus so that we might be reconciled to you through our faith in Him. Thank you Lord for sending Jesus to redeem us eternally and make us his own. Jesus paid the price for my sins and I am eternally grateful. Amen.

Linda

Advent Day 22, 4th Sunday of Advent, Lighting the Love Candle on our wreath

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Today’s scripture is from Isaiah 9 and describes the coming Christ. It tells us that He will come as a child but his potential for impact will be enormous. All of creation will rest upon Him and His kingdom will be eternal.

For a child is born to us,
    a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
    And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor,  Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His government and its peace
    will never end.
He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David
    for all eternity.
The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies
    will make this happen!

As you reflect on the Love of God that caused Him to send Jesus to provide for us, to redeem us and reconcile us to Him, say a prayer of thanks for his generous love. John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” It was love for you and me that motivated God to send Jesus. I am continually touched by the message of Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” He loves me that much! He loves you too. Turn to Him this season and feel His love.

Linda

Advent Day 12, Fears for the Future

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The scripture highlighted in today calendar is from 2 Peter 3:8-15. In this passage Peter is speaking about the end times when Christ will return. The content can be scary if you are not grounded in Christ and can take the long view of historical events.

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 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. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation,

Things we know for certain: Christ came before and provided a way for our salvation. God’s character is unchanging and he is always faithful and keeps all his promises. God invented time for humans- night/day but He is not bound by time. God is patient and does not want anyone to miss the salvation Jesus provides. Christ’s return will come unexpectedly (in timing). God desires that we live holy lives waiting patiently for His plans to unfold.

Things we need to trust God with: The timing of future events, the future itself, the new heaven and new earth He promises, the return of Christ, the judgement of earth.

Here are some promises to encourage us as we read about the end times: John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” God keeps his promises and having faith in Jesus gives us eternal life and freedom from sin’s judgement which is death.

1Thessalonians 1:10 “ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” Paul was writing to the Thessalonian Christians and confirming for them, and us too, that faith in Jesus delivers us from God’s wrath over sin.

1Thessalonians 5:9-10 “ For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” I love this assurance that believers will indeed not be subject to God’s anger over sin and our lives are meant to be lived in and with Jesus!

As we consider Christ’s first coming and the hope He brought through salvation, we can rest in Jesus as we read about the end times. Jesus is the key to hope in the past, present and future!

Linda