But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 Paul says that because of the Resurrection, nothing we do is in vain. Sometimes we hesitate to do good, because we don't see any results. But if we can maintain a heavenly perspective, we will understand that we often will not see the good that results from our efforts. If we truly believe that Christ has won the ultimate victory, that fact must affect the way we live right now. Don't let discouragement over an apparent lack of results keep you from working. Do the good that you have the opportunity to do, knowing that your work is having eternal results. God bless you, J.H.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come to a may have life, and that they may have been more abundantly. I am the good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. John 10:10-11 In contrast to the thief who takes life, Jesus gives life. The life He gives right now is abundantly richer and fuller than anything you can possibly imagine. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately. Life in Christ is lived on a higher plane because of His overflowing forgiveness, love, and guidance. Life truly begins at the age when the "Rock of Ages" takes over. Contrary to what you may think, feel or have based upon your experience, the Lord is highly in favor of you having more of life and not less, and more reason to live it. That is why He created you. He created you as living, relational beings and He wants nothing more than for you to be at peace with yourself and everyone else and to find contentment in all that you do. Choose life. God Bless you, J.H.

Who, being a in a very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbles Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Philippians 2:3 Whatever you may think of Mel Gibson and his politics, he was instrumental in creating one of the most accurate depictions of the crucifixion in his movie, "the Passion of the Christ." We, as a people, have a tendency of "cleaning up" the crucifixion in our own minds in order to digest its atrocity. Due to the crucifixion, the symbol of the cross has become of paramount importance to our salvation. In Roman times, death on a cross was the form of capital punishment used for nototious criminals. It was excruciatingly painful and humiliating. Prisoners were nailed or tied to a cross and left to die. Death might not come for several days, and it usually came by suffocation when the weight of the weakened body made breathing more and more difficult. Jesus died as one who was cursed. How amazing that the perfect man should die this most shameful death, so that we would not have to face eternal judgment. What an amazing gift. And this gift can only be accepted in one way: not by working diligently in order to somehow make yourself "worthy," but by simply saying, "Yes!" to Jesus. Say "Yes" today, J.H.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 Peter had learned about suffering from Jesus. He knew that Jesus' suffering was part of God's plan and was intended to save us. He also knew that all who follow Jesus must be prepared to suffer. Peter learned these truths from Jesus and passed them on to us. However, the Truth is: Christ died for our sins, in our place, so we would not have to suffer the punishment we deserve. The death of Jesus Christ upon the cross carried with it the atonement for both soul and body. The sad report of so many of us is that we are reluctant to trust Him for either. When bad things happen to us, we ask the question, "Why me, God? What did I do to deserve this?" assuming that something we have done (or not done) has wrought havoc in our lives. We feel as if God is punishing us in some way. But that is not at all what the Bible teaches. The Bible clearly demonstrates time and time again that Jesus paid the ultimate price so that we might have life and that more abundantly. So you have a choice: you can walk around sulking with your head ducked low thinking everything you do is going to draw the ire of a vengeful God, or you can walk boldly to Throne of Grace and claim that which is rightfully yours, and be forgiven. I hope you decide to take it today and never let go. God Bless you, J.H.

On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38 Jesus' words, "come to me and drink," alluded to the theme of many Bible passages that talk about the Messiah's life-giving blessings. In promising to give the Holy Spirit to all who believed, Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah, and that was something only the Messiah could do. Jesus used the term living water to refer to the Holy Spirit. Wherever the Holy Spirit is accepted, He brings eternal life. The Holy Spirit empowered Jesus' followers at Pentecost and has since been available to all who believe in Jesus as Savior. If you are weary of the desert and tired of the search, turn to Jesus today and He will meet all your needs and forgive your sins once and for all. All you have to do is ask. God Bless you, J.H.

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father - to Him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:5-6 There was only one way to deal with the sin problem, and Jesus became that answer. Jesus is portrayed as an all-powerful King, victorious in battle, glorious in peace. He is not just a humble earthly teacher, he is the glorious God. When you read the Apostle John's description of the vision, keep in mind that his words are not just good advice; they are truth from the King of Kings. Don't just read his words for the interesting and amazing portrayal of the future. Let the truth about Christ penetrate your life, deepen your faith in Him, and strengthen your commitment to follow Him no matter what the cost. Turn it over to him. The cleansing is complete, and it is free. God has made it easy for us. It is we who make it so very difficult through our excuses, our complaining and our whining. Give it up. And do it now. God Bless you and keep you, J.H.

I am the way and the truth and the the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him. John 14:6-7 As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. As the truth, He is the reality of all God's promises. As the life, He joins His divine life to ours, both now and eternally. Jesus says here that He is the only way to God the Father. Some people may argue that this is too narrow. In reality, it is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept it. Instead of worrying about how limited it sounds to have only one way, we should be saying, "Thank you, God, for providing a sure way to get to You!" God Bless you, J.H.

But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and banished his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. Luke 10:33-34 The Samaritan showed great compassion on the wayward traveler. This fact is made even more impressive with the knowledge that there existed a deep hatred at that time between Jews and Samaritans. The Jews saw themselves as pure descendents of Abraham, while Samaritans were a mixed race produced when Jews from the Northern Kingdom intermarried with other peoples after Israel's exile. The compassion demonstrated by the man in this parable is just like Jesus. He always comes to where we are with all that we need and just-in-time. Do not worry about the ones who have passed you by. Think about the One who has gone all the way for you. God bless you, J.H.

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will to all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. Colossians 1:9-12 In this passage, Paul was exposing a heresy in the Colossian church that was similar to Gnosticism. Gnostics valued the accumulation of knowledge, but Paul pointed out that knowledge in and of itself is empty. To be worth anything, it must lead to a changed life and right living. Paul's prayer for the Colossians has two dimensions: 1) That they might be filled with the knowledge of God's will to all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and 2) They would bear fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Knowledge is not merely to be accumulated; we need to use that knowledge in order to make good decisions in our life. Paul, wanted the Colossians to be wise, but he also wanted the them to use their knowledge. Knowledge of God is not a secret that only a few can discover; it is open and available to everyone. God wants us to learn more about Him, and also to put our belief into practice by helping others. God bless you, J.H.