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Mar

20

Is it the end?

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God’s children all around the world are groaning to see the Lord coming back in the clouds, and we feel that blessed time is nearing. The chatter around the water cooler these days is that we are in the final end times. But God’s word says that when we hear of war and rumors of war, this is merely the beginning of the birth pangs.

The world has been in the end times ever since Jesus ascended into heaven. Philosophers have waxed on the engaging topic of Jesus’ return for centuries now. With every catastrophe, we think this is it! But no one knows–only the Father.

God’s word also tells us that as long as we have life and breath on earth, our work as loving kingdom builders is our priority. While the strain of living on earth when we can all practically taste heaven is not arduous with the Lord supplying the strength. He will come soon enough. How precious is our life on earth despite the struggles when our strength and hope are strong in the Lord!

               

Mar

14

Walk in newness…

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To observe a seedling poke it’s head out of the garden soil where it’s been buried until it germinates and eventually comes to life, the image reminds us of how Christ was buried and then raised from the dead. We, too, are given newness of life when we put our faith in Christ and die to our old selves daily.

     “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer  I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” ~ Galatians 2:20

The Lord’s love for his creation is evident all around us as the seasons change and the cycle of life continues at his will.  As followers of Jesus, we are renewed as we follow the Lord and put on the new self instead of yielding to the old inner man, which is dying daily.

     “Put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” ~ Colossians 3:10.

The mercies off the Lord are new every morning, and we are renewed daily in Christ as we seek Him for everything. Great is His faithfulness toward his children.

Mar

06

Where’s your focus?

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Where are you focusing these days? When you rise in the morning and lie down at night, are you consumed by the day’s events or personal struggles that plague you, or do you cast your cares on Him? Do you search for solace in food or drink to assuage the unrest, or do you feast on His word to find your peace?

The worldly panaceas offering relief from the cares and burdens are available, but do they really help or change the situation? For the children of God, the ones Christ calls his brethren, our solace is met at the cross.

The world is a battlefield for control of our minds. The combat skirmishes will always be here until we’re promoted to heaven, but there is assurance that in Him, our battles are already won. Our deliverance is met in Jesus.

When struggles and trials seem bound to grab your soul and squeeze out your peace, rejoice in the Lord and count it all joy as the book of James states. Why? You have the Lord! Your trials and temptations are no match for the King. He uses these things to conform his children to be more like Jesus…to make us stronger. Let Him do a good work in you by faithfully keeping your mind on Him.

Feb

28

Time to rejoice

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 Today is tomorrow’s past and yesterday’s future. It’s somewhat scary to think how quickly the days come and go. The older we get, the faster time seems to pass. We often ask, where does the time go?

God’s word tells us that we should rejoice and be glad for each day. Today is one more day to share His love with others in the time he’s given us, for no one is promised tomorrow.

With every revolution of the earth as it rotates around the sun, our heavenly Father gives us a new dawn and new opportunities. Both the sinner and the saved are blessed by the time our Creator gives us each day, and we know that every day is a gift. What we do with our time is our choice. Though we know that wasting our hours is not always prudent, and time spent with the Lord is the best way to start our day regardless of how busy we are.

“So, teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom” ~ Psalm 90:12

 His mercies are new every morning. With each day having enough troubles of its own, let’s cast all of our cares upon him each day and believe his promise to give us rest as we abide in Him.

“Rejoice in the Lord always…” ~ Philippians 4:4

Feb

16

His steadfast love

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We know the Lord is coming back to earth one day and will reclaim the church to live with him in eternity. His faithfulness to us is a great thing and an everlasting promise. Though we may lack the faith to believe or waver in a shaky understanding, God can never deny his own faithfulness because He is truth.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning, great is your faithfulness ~ Lamentations 3:22-23.

Through our Lord, every believer’s soul is saved from the power, penalty, and presence of sin by the Holy Spirit. How lovely to know he’s coming back in victory, and we will dwell with him in eternity forever!

Feb

08

Watching the clouds

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They say a watched pot doesn’t boil. Though when we busy ourselves with something productive or focus on other things, before long the pot of water is bubbling. Such it is with the long-awaited appearance of our Lord.

As the men of Galilee once fixed their gaze above to the clouds as the Lord ascended with the hope that he’d return, we, too, are eager to see him come back in the clouds. But  watching the clouds won’t make him come back any sooner.

In the midst of our personal storms, we often cry out, Maranatha, Jesus! Come quickly is our plea. Yet, the time has not arrived. There is work still to be done. Until that time, Jesus has prepared us to do the work, and he’s left us with a comforter—the Holy Spirit—to help us until that time.

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses…even to the remotest part of the earth” ~ Acts 1:8

The message about the second coming of Jesus to earth is spoken of in the New Testament scripture. Our Lord will come back as the King of Kings and will set up His millennial kingdom over the entire earth. He will reign with righteous power from Jerusalem. Among His divine itinerary, he will:  1. Judge the nations. 2. Save Israel. 3. Sit on the throne of David. 4.  Bring a righteous government to the earth. Hallelujah! But until then, we have to patiently wait.

So, we need not be distracted with watching the clouds, for he will return at the proper time. What an assurance of glory divine that our Lord will come again, and we will share in his reign as the prophets have foretold.  Meanwhile, we don’t need to watch the pot. It’s time to work to help build God’s kingdom.

Jan

31

Got faith?

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Apostle Paul appeals to the believers in the third chapter of 2 Thessalonians and reminds them: “The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”

God’s faithfulness is the pivot upon which turns his whole purpose for humanity. God calls, and then through his goodness leads us to repentance.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” ~ 1 John 1:9

Faithfulness is an essential part of who God is, and it’s multi-faceted. He demonstrates this to us in several ways. Through his faithfulness, God not only forgives our sins, but He protects us from evil, sets limits on our temptations, and leads us on our own individual paths to sanctification.

While God has faithfulness covered, our faith in Him has different facets as well. There are different ways to ascribe our faith to God:  Faith as belief, faith as commitment, faith in waiting on God, and faith in Him as our refuge.

The better we truly know God, the more we will want to trust, imitate, and rely on him. We cannot be faithful to our Lord without a total commitment to him as the most important thing in our lives. By having the right kind of faith, it will produce righteousness in us as opposed to pagan faith in one’s self, which leads to unrighteousness.

Jan

25

Whom do you love?

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It’s been said before, “To know him is to love him.”

In a worldly sense, we can’t help being endeared to someone who is loving and not a threat to our well-being. Some folks are easily lovable, and others take time to warm up to. In either case, as children of God, we are to love them all the same. It’s easy to love someone who loves you, but God says to love even the unlovable.

As for our God, it is amazing to know that he loved us well before we loved him. The question we ask is:  How do we love something so ethereal? Something we haven’t physically seen…or know?

The best place to start getting to know someone is by talking to them, spending time in their world, and finding out what makes them tick. It’s the same for God. His message to mankind—his love letter to us—is all found in the Bible. Along with prayerful meditation and conversing with him daily, reading about his story is how we grow close to him.

Becoming familiar with his word, the more we will be acquainted with his marvelous truth. When we become surrendered to him, the more we will grow to love him and allow his Holy Spirit to love others through us.

May the new year bring us into a deeper relationship with our Savior, so that we can grow even closer to him with our entire heart, mind, and soul as we love our neighbor as ourselves.

Jan

17

Can you enter the gate?

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When King David took it upon himself to bring the Ark of the Covenant—the symbol of God’s presence—to its rightful place inside the Holy of Holies of the temple, the restoration of religious life was able to continue in Jerusalem.

With much celebration, the procession of Levites and all of the others approached the gate of the great city on the hill. In the name of the King of Glory, they stopped and demanded to be let in.

“Who is this King of glory?” the gatekeepers asked those who’d gathered at the gate to Jerusalem.

“The LORD of hosts. He is the King of glory,” they replied. “He is Yahweh, the almighty God of Israel who gave the nation victory over its enemies.”

Who is able to enter the gates? Only those who have clean hands and pure hearts of loyalty to their Creator. These are the true believers, whom God defends against all opponents, and who will have the ultimate victory when he comes back to earth again.

As it was in the time of David, so it is today; our Lord and Savior—the King of all Kings—is still celebrated and dwelling with his people. May the gates open wide for those who put their trust in Jesus and who make their hearts the new temple.

 

Jan

09

In the light

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The world is a dark place. When walking in darkness, how can we not stumble? Only God brings the light. With God to provide the means of light to see, our paths remain clear to navigate, particularly as we draw near to Him.

Even as we walk with the Lord, every day trials can get us off track. In our imperfect fleshly state, our minds often race to quell the storms, and our reaction to life’s situations can be less than edifying.

In an effort to deal with what comes before us, the one sure thing that will steer us in the right direction and bring peace is leaning on the everlasting arms. When confronted with tough times, God’s word tells us to be slow to speak and slow to anger because “man’s anger cannot accomplish the righteousness of God” ~ James 1:20.

When we put on Christ, we are renewed by and through the Holy Spirit. We have freedom now to be different from the world. Confronted with trouble? Pause. Take a deep breath and yield to the spirit inside with humility and prayer.

As the new year is upon us, let’s take our first steps of the year being fully clothed in Christ!