Galatians 4.19 comments, Do you know how I feel right now, and will feel until Christ’s life becomes
visible in your lives?
The key phrase here is ‘until Christ’s life becomes visible in your lives.’ This is the goal of God in the development of our character. We are to bear the fruit of the Spirit, doing the work of Jesus, in the way of Jesus, for the glory of God and the welfare of humanity. What does this look like? (more…)
2 Corinthians 13.5-9 challenges, test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along
taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed.
In every endeavor where we measure performance we test. From academia to sports to the lab we test in order to determine strength, truth or ability. In Christianity, we tend not to test. (more…)
Ezekiel 9.3-4 describes, the Glory of the God of Israel ascended from His usual place above the
cherubim-angels, moved to the threshold of the Temple, and called to the man with the writing case who was dressed in linen: Go through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is in anguish over the outrageous obscenities being done in the city.
How many people would be marked by God today who grieve over the dishonor so prevalent against God in our society? So many grumble about the lawlessness. So many shake their heads at the violence but who is in anguish over the godlessness we see in the news daily? (more…)
1 Corinthians 9.19-23 records, even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I
have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
The purpose of the Christian life, the work we are to do, is to win people to Christ in order for God to accomplish His purpose of not seeing anyone perish but for all to come to eternal life. (more…)
Luke 16.8-9 observes, here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he
knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right —using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.
This passage has made Christians wonder for centuries. God praises a thief, a liar, an embezzler. What? (more…)
Luke 12.8-9 commands, stand up for Me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know Me, do you think I’ll defend you
before God’s angels?
One of the evidences for the truth of Scripture, that the Lord alone is God and that Jesus is the God-Man, the only Savior of the world, is the difficulty we have in identifying with Him before men. (more…)
Luke 10.3 warns, On your way! But be careful—this is hazardous work. You’re like lambs in a wolf pack.
I find it ironic our God would say, be careful. Our prayers are offered in hopes that we wouldn’t need to be careful, that He would be watching over us to protect us so that nothing bad happens to us. Isn’t that the point of our prayers? Especially, when the prayer and the work is centered around doing His will! (more…)
Matthew 28.16-17 observes, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain
Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him they worshiped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.
Shame, and similarly, fear of what people might think, are two cancers impacting greatly the Church, inhibiting its obedience to the mission assigned by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching people everywhere to obey His commands. (more…)
Matthew 21.43 observes, This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and
handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life.
The kingdom life is given to kingdom livers. We do not possess what we do not possess. We do not keep by promise what we do not live by faith. The Father expects His children to live as sons and daughters of God. So what does it mean to live a kingdom life? (more…)
Revelation 22.12-13, records, Yes, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me. I’ll
pay all people in full for their life’s work. I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.
God has a payroll and He pays His people for their life’s work. Haven’t we already been paid for our work? Indeed, we have been paid for the work we have done for men. This is why men work, to receive their pay in order to have and do the things they really want. (more…)
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