Stand On His Word

Good Morning!! We have to eat to live. Yet, Jesus reminds Satan (and us), that food is not all we need. You could have all the food in the world, and yet remain empty and lifeless. The one thing that truly energizes, fills, and sustains, is the Word of God. With God's Word as our constant companion and sustenance, we can be content even when other food is withheld,...just like Jesus was after fasting for 40 days.

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.—Matthew 4:4 (NIV) 

But notice that we are to live by; every word, that proceeds from God's mouth,...not just our pet passages, or favorite verses. There is not a word in God's Word that we do not need, that we cannot profit from. So, are you attempting to live on bread alone? Even if you are right now, it's not too late to choose value over volume.

God's Word is a well-rounded meal,...and we are not meant to leave any part of it out.

Lord give us what we need for today,...and help us to choose substance or the superficial. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

"Feed your faith with God's promises,...and you'll starve your doubts." 

Salvation, At Hand

Good Morning!! Imagine, that you have never heard the gospel preached, or taught from the Bible.(and I recognize this may actually be true for some) If you then read today's scripture, wouldn't you immediately ask, or at least wonder, what man is this? And how could he possibly take away someone's sins? If you did ponder that question, it would be one of the wisest, and most important question you could ever ask. Because, ultimately, there is nothing more important than having your sins forgiven, by the One true Holy and sovereign God,...who will one day judge His universe.

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.—Acts 13:38-39 (KJV) 

The answer, of course, is in the context of Paul's sermon at an ancient Jewish synagogue. And he is speaking of the very man whom he used to despise and persecute,...Jesus Christ. Through Jesus Christ, Paul says, forgiveness of sins is found. By Him all that believe on Him are justified (they are declared innocent) in the court of God's judgment. This is because Jesus took the sins of His people upon Himself when He was crucified. Every believer is assured, then, that their sins have been paid for,...have already been punished,...and so they will not be judged for them.

How strange to the unknowing, that it could ever be truthfully said that "through this man",...any mere man,...could be found forgiveness of sins!

This is the gospel; This man is able to justify those who believe from all things,...no matter how terrible the sin may be. This is the good news of Jesus Christ, praise Him! Amen.

"Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives.
If we can't obey God,...then how can we walk with Him." 

The Effect Of Sin

Good Morning!! The senseless tragedy of the shaved, helpless,...and foolishly confident Samson, is an appropriate picture of each one who dabbles too long in sin. Samson had teased with Delilah on several other occasions,...pretending to confide in her the secret to his supernatural strength. But finally he revealed it to her, and she of course, promptly took advantage of the information. This pathetic scene follows, in which he goes boldly against his enemies,...but this time without the strength he has always had before.

Then she called, "Samson, the Philistines are upon you!" He awoke from his sleep and thought, "I'll go out as before and shake myself free." But he did not know that the Lord had left him.—Judges 16:20 (NIV)

The same thing can easily happen to any of us, if we are not careful. Your marriage, your relationship with your children, your moral purity,...all of these, are only invincible as long as Christ is the core of your life. If you dabble in sin long enough, assuming that you can keep the power of Christ, and enjoy the immediate pleasures of sin,...you too could wake one day to find that you have been shaved of the strength that you thought you would always have. Thankfully, as with Samson, God is only a prayer away.

When we return to Christ, in repentance and faith, God is able to restore what was lost,...even though there may be life-long scars from the mistakes we have made.

Holy Spirit, help us to stay on the righteous path, that has been laid out before us,...and we pray that You rob temptation, of it's would-be power. In the name of Jesus! Amen.

"Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives.
If we can't obey God,...then how can we walk with Him." 

God Is God, HE Is Sovereign!

Good Morning!! Job had lost everything he owned and all his children; he was covered with putrid sores from the top of his head to the sole of his feet,...and for an extended period of time, he felt utterly forsaken by God. Yet, when God does finally speak to him, there is not a hint of apology on God's part. Rather, God pounds Job with one question after another.

Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.—Job 41:11 (NIV)

And we see even this righteous man, quickly come to the end of himself,...and the realization of the sovereignty of his God. Job is made to realize this startling truth: although his present pains have not come upon him because of any particular sin on his part, (as his friends were suggesting) he did deserve everything that was happening to him, and more! It is Job, and not God, who repents in the end. No one can demand anything from God, because no one has ever given anything to God that they have not first received from Him. God is indebted to no one, for anything. If we enjoy good health, or prosperity, it is all because God has graciously granted it to us. Everything under the whole heaven is His.

God is the sovereign Creator of all things,...and everything and everyone receives their strength and life from Him.

Father in Heaven, we thank You, for being God all by Yourself! Amen.

 "Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives.
If we can't obey God,...then how can we walk with Him."

God Is Good

Good Morning!! God is good. He is not just partially good, or occasionally good, but He is goodness itself. As John reminds us, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). God's perfect character does not have even the slightest shade of imperfection or sinfulness about it. He is so good that His own character is the standard by which He will righteously judge the world.

You are good, and what you do is good;—Psalm 119:68a (NIV)

His goodness is not merely an internal attribute, however. God is good and so He does good! When He created the world, he made it "very good" (Genesis 1:31). And even now the sin-cursed earth benefits daily from the sheer goodness of God to send the rain and sun and food that we need. So, what should our response be, as creatures of such a good God? The psalmist justifiably cries, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness!" (Psalm 107:8). Our worship and devotion are the only reasonable response to the purity and goodness of our God.

God is Good,...all the time,...God is Good!!

Holy Spirit, help to emulate, the goodness of God, in our daily lives. Amen.

"Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives.
If we can't obey God,...then how can we walk with Him." 

He Will Return

Good Morning!! Paul gives us one of the clearest descriptions in Scripture, of the last day. First, the Lord Himself descends from heaven. This is not a "spiritual" visitation, or symbolic return,...the Lord, Jesus Christ Himself, will return in bodily form, descending from Heaven just as He went into Heaven. And not a single one of His children will miss His spectacular and victorious, descent. The dead in Christ will rise first, followed by every believer who is still living,...and together they will fly! They will meet the Lord in the air.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.—1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NKJV)

But here is the greatest promise of all: then we will be forever with the Lord,...no more separation,...no more waiting. This is the consummation of all God has planned, for this old sin-cursed world, and every future moment the people of God will be spent in the presence of God. What comfort these words bring to the heart of each one who has long anticipated the personal presence of their Savior!

This is the magnificent expectation of every believer,...to be forever with their Lord.

 Come Lord Jesus, Come. Amen.

"Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives.
If we can't obey God,...then how can we walk with Him." 

We're All Called To Evangelism

Good Morning!! Is this the message that your church,...your Bible teachers,...your ministries are preaching to the people? Are you proclaiming that God has appointed Jesus Christ to be the judge of the world,...the living, and the dead? I know, I know, our generation doesn't really like to hear about judgment, or hell, or condemnation. But, has there ever been a generation that did?...Of course not. Was it a popular message when Jesus preached it to the Jews?...No. Is this the only message with which the apostles were to equip their listeners?...No, they also exalted the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as Savior,...that "through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins". (v.43)

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.—Acts 10:42 (NKJV) 

This seem like a hard one-two punch message, for Peter to preach to first-time hearers,...and yet God blessed it with great success. His audience received the Word of God,...believed on Jesus Christ,...and the Holy Spirit descended on them in power. All the human machinery, ingenuity, and strategy in the world cannot replace the blessing of the Holy Spirit,...and His great power. The Spirit of God will only accompany and empower the message of God,...any other message is just human propaganda and marketing.

Jesus commanded His disciples to preach that He is the God-ordained judge of every person,
...and that remission of sins is received by whoever believes in Him.

Holy Spirit, help us today, to be more obedient to Jesus' command. Amen.

"If we engage with fools, we run the risk of becoming as foolish as they are."