In the previous post, we talked about using what God has given us to further His kingdom. When Christ returns, how will we answer the question, “what have you done with the talents I gave you?” Another question we might ask ourselves is, “how are we living to prepare for Jesus’ return?” Will He say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Will there be other people in heaven because of us or other believers who have become more mature because of the work God has done through us? Did we follow His will and fulfill the ministries He gave us? Of course the most important question, is, “Do you know Jesus and is He Lord of your Life?” Does He know you? So, let’s talk about what the Bible says we should do in our lives to prepare for The Day of the Lord. It is going to be a great day for those of us who are in Christ, but terrible for those who have rejected Him. Thanks be to God for His grace! I pray that you have accepted that grace or will accept it. Continue reading “Be Ready: Live for Jesus’ Return”
Tag: faith
Blessed Assurance…Encouragement from God’s Word
As a follower of Jesus Christ, I am grateful for God’s promises. He always keeps His promises and I am especially thankful that He promised me eternal life. He promised that He will never leave me or forsake me. He promised me that the Holy Spirit indwells in me to guide me, convict me and pray for me. He promised to work in me to grow. He promised me understanding of God’s Word. He promised me that He would answer my prayers and provide my needs. As we read through the Bible, it is full of promises from God. There are many words of encouragement for the believer. We can learn of God’s character and who we are in Christ. We can learn how to live. I hope these scriptures give you encouragement this day and I hope you will be strengthened and inspired to follow Him wherever He leads you and to overcome any doubt or distraction, weakness or temptation that comes to you. Continue reading “Blessed Assurance…Encouragement from God’s Word”
Love and Forgiveness
God is a loving and forgiving God. He is also just and sin is detrimental to any relationship with him. Sin cannot be in His presence. But, He wants to have a relationship with us and He loves us so much that He provided a way to atone for our sins. As the Israelites, His chosen people, were delivered from the bondage of the Egyptians, a system was created to appease God of sin. That is a long story for another time, but basically, a blood offering was needed, a sacrifice for the sins of the people. But, because of the sins of the people, including the priests, this was needed over and over, every year. Read through Hebrews to learn more about this. So, God the Father, sent His only Son, Jesus, who had no sin, to be that blood sacrifice to redeem all who believe. Jesus Christ came to this earth, becoming fully man and fully God, giving freely His life, taking the sins of the world on His shoulders, being nailed to a cross and being raised from the dead on the third day. He showed true love, unconditional love. Because of what Christ did, we can be forgiven.
Continue reading “Love and Forgiveness”
Cost and Blessing of Following Jesus
At first I thought of titling this post, “Strength through Tribulation and Persecution.” But it is more than that. Every trial we go through, every time we are persecuted, every struggle, God is with us and we grow spiritually and become a better person and we have an opportunity to help others in similar situations. He is always there whether we realize it or not. As a believer, we need to realize we will go through trials. There is a cost to following Jesus. But it does not compare to the blessings and the reward we will receive by knowing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. As the last of the series on “I am Saved…Now What Do I Do?” I want to prepare my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, in particular those who are young believers of things they may face while giving words of encouragement that it is all worth it. I also want to start this discussion by making it clear that what we do does not determine our salvation. It is what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Our sins are forgiven because of Him. We just need to accept that gift of grace He has given us. What we do is a result of that salvation. When we are saved, there will be a change in our hearts, our lives and our actions. The blessings are tremendous, but that does not mean things will be easy. It just means it will be worth it. Continue reading “Cost and Blessing of Following Jesus”
The Armor of God
The third in our series on how to live as a believer once we are saved is:
Put on the full armor of God; Submit to God and resist the devil.
What does it mean to ‘put on the armor of God?’ and how do we do that? Spiritual battles are a part of a believer’s life. Not only do we have the battles within, the struggles between wanting to do what is right and desiring to do the things of this world contrary to the will of God, we also have an enemy who desires that we fail and not get close to God, and he wants to keep others from coming to God. He will use those desires and your weaknesses to come after you. But, we can resist him and we have the weapons to do it. Continue reading “The Armor of God”
My Daily Scriptures 