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“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God; the benefits you reap lead to holiness, and the result is eternal life.” Romans 6:22 (NIV)

Paul writes to the believers in Rome. He reminds them God has set them free from their sinful pasts. Further, he relates they have become God’s servants.

When people ask Jesus to come into their hearts, they receive certain “benefits.” Believers have peace, wholeness, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and His gifts. These benefits work together…  ( Click for more )

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.” Psalm 37:5-8 (NIV)

“Commit your way to the Lord” David tells us to be sincere about our following the LORD. When we are serious about an action, we do not see anything else but what is in front of us. We spend large quantities of time…  ( Click for more )

“I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” Psalm 16:7-10 (NIV)

“I will praise the LORD” David chose to thank the LORD for being able to take refuge in Him. God has made his lot secure. The shepherd king has a delightful inheritance.…  ( Click for more )

“The LORD your God goes with you; he will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

Several of my friends are struggling right now. One reasonably young couple, the daughter and son-in law of very close friends, presently deals with his illness—one that had no symptoms until just over four months ago. Another couple faces her son’s reaction to prolonged stress and anger in his life.

All I can do at this time is pray for these friends and their loved ones. In both of these families,…  ( Click for more )

Jesus Prays for Himself

Scripture: John 17:1-5

Focus Verse: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3 (NIV)

In this chapter, Jesus spends time in prayer. He sets an example for us. Here He is; His time is getting short and he takes time to pray.

He begins by praying to the Father for himself. This is a very intimate time between Him and the Father. William Barclay states this intimacy between Jesus and God can only happen because of…  ( Click for more )

Abide In Him

Scripture: John 15:1-17

Focus Verses: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” John 15:7-8 (NIV)

The following lines comprise what the disciples might have thought as Jesus shares with them.

“Abide with him?”

“What does he mean?”

“We have followed him all these months…  ( Click for more )

One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11.

“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

One day I chose to read the context—the verses preceding this hopeful verse. Jeremiah sent these words in a letter to those from Jerusalem, exiled in Babylon. The words of that letter were from God. He tells the surviving elders, the priests, and the others who Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem to exile Babylon how they are to live. …  ( Click for more )

Jesus and His Love

Scripture: John 13:1-7

Focus Scripture: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1b (NIV)

Jesus, possessor of all authority of God, washed the disciples’ feet. We wonder why He would do something that servants would do.

He knew of His upcoming betrayal. He knew the hearts of the eleven others. Jesus modeled love to them. I am sure they were humbled because of this deed. It was very personal to each of them.

When we read this as new believers,…  ( Click for more )

In our Christian walk, we experience mountaintops and valleys. Valleys are described as those times when we go through adversities—when we do not feel God’s presence. Many times, we seem to experience more time in the valleys that mountaintops. Take heart; it is when we are in the valleys that we are the most teachable. Several Biblical heroes went through at least one valley.

In 1 Kings 19:3, the prophet Elijah “was afraid and ran for his life.” Queen Jezebel had threatened his life. He “prayed that he might die.” An angel ministered…  ( Click for more )

“This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel

‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’

says the Lord Almighty.” Zechariah 4:6 (NIV)

I attended the opening service of a revival in a church in the northern part of our county this past Wednesday evening. Our pastor was the guest evangelist. The pastor of the church and his wife are friends I met at church 30 years ago. Our focus scripture served as the basis of the sermon.

The Holy Spirit’s Presence

The friend who drove…  ( Click for more )

“Prepare the way for the Lord,

Make straight paths for him”

Matthew 3:3 (NIV)

Several years ago, a dear Christian friend shared with those in attendance at a Sunday evening service that we prepare for company, for vacations, and for work. She then said, “We should also prepare ourselves for worship.” How can we prepare ourselves for worship?

We have to do some preliminary work before we go before…  ( Click for more )

New

Early last month, people were wishing others a happy new year. We approach December 31 with hope that the upcoming year will be kinder than the one that will soon end.

God’s word has a lot to say about things new. Solomon pens these words in Lamentations, “. . . . his compassions never fail his mercies are new every morning.” (Lamentations 3:22) Wouldn’t it be great if, when we awoke each day, we asked God what new thing He had for us that day?

The Apostle Paul gives us a very special message…  ( Click for more )

John 17:1-5 His prayer for Himself

Jesus addressed the Father and tells Him that He has done the work He came to earth to do. Christ further asks God to bring fulfillment to Him. Wm. Barclay expresses it this way, “For Jesus life had a climax, and that was the Cross. To Him the Cross was the glory of life and the way to glory of eternity.” (1)

There was a time I wondered why Jesus had to go to the Cross. I later understood that the outcome was to save us from our sins and from perdition. But, why such a terrible death?

“The Cross was the glory…  ( Click for more )

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,

which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water

, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit 1:4-5 (NIV)

I had to learn to be patient and wait for future events or for things to happen. These episodes never turned out to my liking. As I matured, I found myself less intense about those things for which I had to wait.

…  ( Click for more )

When difficulties come into our lives, we have the option of giving those circumstances to God, allowing those issues to shape us, or going it alone. Devout believers in Christ take their needs to the Lord.

We take our griefs and our woes to God because we know He can handle them and will guide us through the problem.

In these tenuous times, we need to remember God is in control, we are not. It is a comfort for me to know that He protects us from harsh circumstances in our lives.

Jesus…  ( Click for more )

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,

which you heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but

in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4b-5 (NIV)

During my recent stay at a rehabilitation center/ nursing home, a friend gave me a book entitled, Mr. Jones, Meet The Master, by Peter Marshall. I decided to get back into it this week. I began at the beginning of the book, reading a forward by Catherine Marshall. This book is a compilation of several of his sermons.

…  ( Click for more )

I say these words believing them with my whole heart. I have been on a forced sabbatical. On September 20,2015, I chose to participate in a Cancer Walk-a-thon to benefit an 11-year-old girl at our church. (She went to heaven in early November.) I took a nasty fall. I severely broke my right ankle and dislocated my right foot.

I had to go to a nursing facility to receive therapy. I was there for three months. I came home three days before Christmas. While I was there, I received excellent care, for the most part. I made a few friends among the CNAs and the nurses.…  ( Click for more )

“And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.’” Luke 2:10 (KJV)

Behold

The angel brought the most important message the world has ever heard. He needed the chosen shepherds to understand the importance of the event that had happened.

When we want another person’s attention, we might say, “Look.” We may mean to direct his or her to something we desire them to see. When I was on edge or angry, I used to say, “Look,”…  ( Click for more )

Enter With Thanksgiving

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

The writer of this psalm tells us in one sentence how we are to approach God. He tells us to enter thankfully to count it a privilege to enter God’s realm. We are to enter praising Him for even the smallest thing.

We all can recall times when we praised God for His goodness to us. A little over a year ago, a friend’s mother, a Cancer patient,…  ( Click for more )

Matthew 6:9-13

We often repeat the prayer Jesus taught His disciples without really focusing on the meaning of the words and phrases. When we spend time with God and reflect on this prayer, we come away with a different outlook on the Christian life, on our relationship with God and ourselves.

“Our Father in Heaven,” Christianity is about the relationship between God and humankind. God the Creator becomes our Father. He lovingly takes on this parental role for all who accept Him. We notice the pronoun used here. Jesus the Son…  ( Click for more )

“ . . . I know my sheep and my sheep know me-

just as the Father knows me and I know the Father . . . .”

John 10:14 (NIV)

Some belief systems take the stance that God made the world and then sat back and chose to watch what human beings would do to it. This view of God portrays Him as being distant and uncaring; our God is neither. We have a Lord who cares for us. He knows everything about us.

Several years ago, I fell in a parking lot and did damage to an ankle. We had already made reservations for a special trip-a cruise…  ( Click for more )

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12 KJV …  ( Click for more )

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,

and all these things will be given to you.”

Matthew 6:33 (NIV)

Jesus spoke to the people on the mountain top. He told them how to insure their relationship with God in order to be victorious over worry.

He also speaks to us about this ‘joy stealer’ of modern life. We have certain issues in these times that cause us to become anxious-stretching our income to allow us to get through until the next paycheck, maintaining peace with those who chose not to understand…  ( Click for more )

We receive word of the death of a friend, neighbor, or relative. The next few days are filled with preparations to say farewell to the departed person. If possible, we spend time with the family.

When the person has been close to us, we can go through a time of sadness. Granger Westberg, in his book Good Grief calls what we feel the grief process. He breaks this process into ten steps. These ten steps break down as follow:

Step One: Shock; We receive the phone call. Someone comes to our home and shares the news with us. We can’t…  ( Click for more )