Getting Ready For The Lord’s Return

There is one wrong attitude we must take care to avoid. We must not sit back and say, “Let’s just wait and see what happens.” We dare not think like this. We dare not live like this. We must get ready for the Lord’s Return. At the heart of 1 Corinthians 15, there is a …

Important questions to which each one of us must give our own answer

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? (Mark 8:36) Each of us must make choices. Which world are we going to live for: the world that is passing away, or the world that will remain forever? Which world is most important to us? That is the question …

Christ’s love for us: growing, showing, glowing and flowing

Christ’s love compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14). At the heart of our life, there is to be Christ's love. His love is to shape the way we live our lives. We should no longer live for ourselves but for him who died for us and was raised again (verse 15). The love of Christ for each …

Is there something missing?

Without me, you can do nothing (John 15:5). How are we to understand ourselves? When we try to understand ourselves without, also, confessing our faith in the Lord, is there something missing? We look at our life from several different angles, yet, still, we wonder, "Are we missing the point?" Is there something more than …

Are we content to live our life at the surface level? or Are we looking for something more than that?

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me (Psalm 42:7). The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God …

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing …

Peace with God, the grace in which we now stand, the hope of the glory of God

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:1-2). Peace with God, the grace in which we now stand, the hope of the glory of God: …

There is a way for sinners to be saved.

God's Word holds out no hope for any of us, saving ourselves: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).There is, however, a way for sinners to be saved: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"(1 Timothy 1:15).

Saved by the grace of God

What are we to say when we hear the words, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23)? We're to say, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" (Luke 18:13).

The darkness will not triumph over the light that Jesus has shone into our hearts.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”(John 8:12). Everything changes when Jesus brings us out of our darkness and into his light. What does this mean? Does it mean that we will have perfect …

We go to the Scriptures, the written Word of God, and we pray that we will find Christ, the living Word of God.

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17, King James Version). Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ (Romans 10:17, Revised Standard Version). In both of these translations, the emphasis is on "hearing" and "what is heard." I began to think …

The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20)..  "The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me." As we read these words, …

What a wonderful thing the Lord has done for us!

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you …

What will make us love Jesus more?

But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).  "God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ": Paul loved Jesus so much. Why did he love Jesus so …

A question that each one of us must answer

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the …

When the Word of God is preached to us

It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me (Galatians 2:20). When the Word of God is preached to us, we are to pray, "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.", When …

Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus.

Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law (Psalm 119:18). This is a prayer we can pray when we're reading or hearing the Word of God. What we're really praying is "Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus." https://youtu.be/4XJu0mnn_b4

The amazing grace of God

One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see! (John 9:25). Our eyes have been opened. Jersus has opened our eyes. What a contrast there is between what we were without Christ and what we have become through Christ. In Ephesians 3:17-24, Paul contrasts the darkness of our old life and the …

What is the preaching of God’s Word without the power of God’s Spirit?

The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6). What is the preaching of God's Word without the power of God's Spirit? We hear the words, and we wonder, "Where is the power?" We need more than the words of the preacher. We need the power of God. It's the power of God …

In the name of Jesus, by the power of Jesus, for the glory of Jesus

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer, at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, …

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Here, Peter is speaking about his Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is exalting the name of Jesus. This is what we must do. We must exalt the name …

What’s the story of your life?

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). As we make our way through life, there are two stories that are being told. They are two very different stories. There's the …

Searching the Scriptures and finding the Saviour

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse …

One Spirit, one Lord and one God and Father of all

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when …

Getting to know what Jesus is like and praying that we will become more like him

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of …

Where would we be without the love of God?

Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had …

Less leaning on our own understanding and more trusting in the Lord

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought …

What does it mean to believe in God?

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4). There are many people who say that they believe in God, but when they're asked …

What about God? What about what he says to us?

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path (Psalm 119:105). Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89). We live in a world of "this is what I think." What about God? What about what he says to us? What about Christ? What about what he says …

God is always greater than all our words about him.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3, verses …

How are we to win people for Christ? Don’t forget the working of the Holy Spirit.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15). How are we to win people for Christ? Are we to present them with arguments for the …

Impossible?

But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (Acts 2:24). This turns the world's way of thinking on its head. It's the exact opposite of what the world says to us. The world tells us that people don't …

Enlightenment?

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). The word, "enlightenment", means different things to different people. To some people, it has to do with breaking free from God. For other people, it …

There’s a difference between life under the sun and life in the Son.

There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17). There's a difference between life "under the sun" and life in the Son. It's important that we understand this difference. Life under the sun: this is life, …

Miracles?

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name (John 20:30-31). Some people will tell us that talk of miracles is a …

Revelation or discovery?

The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel" (Ezekiel 1:3). The word of the Lord that came to Hosea (Hosea 1:1). The word of the Lord that came to Joel (Joel 1:1). The Spirit of the Lord is on me (Luke 4:18). I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive …

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1). The Psalmist's words reach out to us, down through the centuries. They call us to put our faith in the Lord. They call us to walk in the light of the Lord. They …

God’s unfailing love and his great salvation

May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise (Psalm 119:41). We come to this prayer of the Psalmist, and we are reminded of God's unfailing love. We are reminded of God's great salvation. How often and how easily we forget God's words of love, his words of salvation. We look at …

May God help us to keep our hearts open to his words of unfailing love and comfort.

May your unfailing love be my comfort, according to your promise to your servant (Psalm 119:76). What does the Word of the Lord have to say to us? So much time has passed since its words were written. Can we really expect very much from reading the words of Jesus? Can we hope to learn much from …

Something very special

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation (Psalm 13:5). God loves us, and he saves us. How are we to respond to the Lord's unfailing love? We are to trust in his unfailing love. We are to rejoice in his salvation. What are we to say about our trusting, and what …

Studying the Word of God

Study to show yourself approved to God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15). Study: what does it mean to study the word of God? What about hearing and reading the Word of God? When we hear the Word of God, we must accept …

The Holy Spirit is our teacher.

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because …

Many questions and one very important question

How can I possibly make sense of life? Many people are asking this kind of question. They're trying their best to make sense of life in this world, but they're getting nowhere quickly. Everywhere they look, there seem to be more and more things that leave them feeling confused. How can I possibly make sense …

When we ask questions about God, what kind of answers are we expecting to get from him?

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:18-19). Whenever we speak about God, …

How can I get the most out of life?

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; …

This is not a perfect world, and we’re not perfect people.

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, Lord, and grant us your salvation (Psalm 85:6-7). This is not a perfect world, and we're not perfect people. We might wish we lived in a perfect world, but it's just not the way the world is. We might wish …

When we speak the Word of God, we need both humility and courage.

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Deuteronomy 29:29). We are to speak for God with humility, and we are to speak for him with courage. Why must we speak with humility? When we speak …

Faith that leads to obedience, and obedience that arises from faith

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection …

God loves us with a great love. He loves us with a faithful love.

I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations. I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your faithfulness in heaven itself (Psalm 89:1-2). As we read through God's Word, we read about many things, and we read about many …