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Archive - March 2007 True ConfessionPosted Mar-30-07 06:03:41 PDT But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the Word of Faith we are proclaiming; that if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame."
Romans 10:8-11
Have you ever been asked, "How do I become a Christian?" These verses give you the beautiful answer - salvation is as close as your own the mouth and heart. People think that it must be complicated process, but it is not. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved. Verse 11 is a verse that must be read in context. Paul is not saying that Christians will never be put to shame or be disappointed. There will be times when people let us down and that circumstances take a turn for the worse. Paul is saying that God will always keep His side of the bargain - those who call on Him will be saved. God will never fail to provide righteousness to those who believe. He will comfort us in times of trial and support us in times of temptation. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.
God Bless you,
J.H. Eternal Life - Is It In You?Posted Mar-29-07 06:06:16 PDT I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has no come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who here will live.
John 5:24-25
"Eternal life" - living forever with God - begins when you accept Jesus Christ as savior. At that moment, new life begins in you. It is a completed transaction. It is a done deal. We will still face physical death, but when Christ returns again, we will be resurrected to live forever. In saying that the dead will hear His voice, Jesus was talking about the spiritually dead, who hear, understand, and accept him. Those who accept Jesus, the Word, will have eternal life. Jesus was also talking about the physically dead. He raised several dead people while he was on Earth, and at His second coming all the "dead in Christ" will rise to meet Him. God is the source and Creator of life, for there is no life apart from God, here or hereafter. The life that exists in us is a gift from Him, perhaps that greatest gift we will ever know. In this life, we are given a chance to find out what it is really all about. Love and forgiveness. Truth and honesty. Kindness and compassion. God teaches us what is important. He teaches us what really matters. The question becomes, are we paying attention?
God Bless you,
J.H. Live NowPosted Mar-28-07 06:07:46 PDT Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag.
James 4:13-16
It is good to have goals, but goals will disappoint us if we leave God out of them. There's no point in making plans as though God does not exist, because the future is in His hands. What would you like to be doing 10 years from now? One year from now? Tomorrow? How will you react if God steps in and rearranges your plans? Plan ahead, but do not hold onto your plans too tightly. Place God's desires at the center of your planning; He will never disappoint you. Life is short, no matter how many years we live. Don't be deceived into thinking that you have lots of remaining time to live for Christ, to enjoy your loved ones, or to do what you know you should. Live for God today! Then, no matter when your days end, you will have fulfilled God's plan for your life.
God Bless you,
J.H. No Time Like the PresentPosted Mar-27-07 06:27:58 PDT As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain. For He says, "In the time of My favor, I heard you, and in the day of salvation, I helped you." I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation.
II Corinthians 6:1-2
How could the Corinthian believers toss aside God's message ("receive God's grace in vain")? Perhaps they were doubting Paul and his words, confused by the false teachers who taught a different message. The people heard God's message, but did not let it affect what they said and did. How often does God's message reach you in vain? God offers salvation to all people. Many people put off a decision for Christ, thinking that there will be a better time - but they could easily miss the opportunity altogether. There is no time like the present to receive God's forgiveness. Do not let anything hold you back from coming to Christ and getting your life right with him. He is the author and perfector of our faith. He is our Creator. Honestly, you can say and believe anything you want. But nothing you believe changes the Truth about who you are and who God is. You have been made for a purpose. God has a better plan for you than you have for yourself. All you have to do is acknowledge Him and believe.
God Bless you,
J.H. ChangePosted Mar-26-07 06:18:51 PDT May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation.
Galatians 6:17-18
The world is full of enticements. Daily, we are confronted with subtle cultural pressures and overt propaganda. We are constantly told what is "right" or "fun." The only way to escape these destructive influences to ask God to help crucify our interest in them, just as Paul did. Honestly,in the grand scheme of things, how much do the interests of this world really matter to you? It is easy to get caught up with the externals of life, if we are not careful. Beware of those who rationalize their actions and attempt to explain why we should do something that is contrary to the Word of God, with no concern for the inward condition of the heart. Living a good life without an inward change leads to a shallow and empty spiritual walk. What matters to God is that we be completely changed from the inside out.
God Bless you,
J.H. Sin and TemptationPosted Mar-23-07 05:59:13 PDT For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin that works within my members. What a wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord!
Romans 7:22-25
This inward struggle with sin was as real for Paul as it is for us. From Paul, we learn what to do about it. Whenever Paul felt lost, he would return to the beginning of his spiritual life, remembering that he had already been freed by Jesus Christ. When you feel confused and overwhelmed by sin's appeal, follow Paul's example: thank God that He has given you freedom through Jesus Christ. Let the reality of Christ's power lift you up to real victory over sin. The temptations of many kinds that we all face are real and powerful. We are all tempted by something; sometimes, on a daily basis. But temptation by itself is not sin. There is nothing wrong with being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted during His time in the desert. It is what we do in response to that temptation which may lead us to make the wrong decisions. God, in His wisdom, has given us the ability to make decisions; decisions to choose between right and wrong. Just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should do something.
Keep lookin' up,
J.H. Delight Yourself in the LordPosted Mar-22-07 05:57:31 PDT Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
Psalm 37:4-6
David calls us to take delight in the Lord and commit everything we have and do to Him. But how do we do this? To delight in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God's great love for us will indeed give us delight. To commit ourselves to the Lord means entrusting everything - our lives, our families, our jobs, our possessions - to His control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in Him, believing that He can care for us better than we can for ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently for Him to work out what is best for us.
God Bless you,
J.H. Christ Died for YouPosted Mar-21-07 06:07:29 PDT This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
1 John 1:5-7
How does Jesus' blood purify us from every sin? In Old Testament times, believers symbolically transferred their sins to an animal, which they then sacrificed. The animal died in their place to pay for their sin and to allow them to continue living in God's favor. God graciously forgave them because of their faith in Him, and because they obeyed His commandments concerning the sacrifice. Those sacrifices anticipated the day when Christ would completely remove sin. Real cleansing from sin came from Jesus, the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." Sin, by its very nature, brings death - that is a fact as certain as the law of gravity. Jesus did not die for His own sins; He had none. Instead, by a transaction that we may never fully comprehend, He died for the sins of the world. When we commit our lives to Christ, and thus identify ourselves with Him, His death becomes ours. He has paid the penalty for our sins, and His blood has purified us. Just as Christ rose from the grave, we rise to a new life of fellowship with Him.
God bless you,
J.H. Do You Hear That?Posted Mar-20-07 06:21:32 PDT Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20
Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts every time we sense we should turn to Him. Jesus wants to have fellowship with us, and he wants us to open up to Him. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us - not breaking and entering, but simply knocking. He allows us to decide whether or not to open our lives to Him. Do you intentionally keep his life-changing presence and power on the other side of the door? The pleasures of this world - money, security, material possessions - can be dangerous, because their temporary satisfaction makes us indifferent to God's offer of lasting satisfaction. If you find yourself feeling indifferent to church, to God, or to the Bible, you have begun to shut God out of your life. Leave the door of your heart constantly open to God, and you won't need to worry about hearing His knock. Letting Him in is your only hope for lasting fulfillment.
God Bless you,
J.H. SalvationPosted Mar-19-07 06:08:51 PDT "He is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to man by which we must be saved"
Acts 4:11-12
Many people do not like the fact that there is no other name than that of Jesus to call on for salvation. People do not like the fact that there is only one true path to heaven. They find this idea "intolerant." Yet this is not something the church decided; it is the specific teaching of Jesus himself. If God designated Jesus to be the savior of the world, no one else can be His equal. Christians are to be open-minded on many issues, but not on how we are saved from sin. No other religious teacher could die for our sins; no other religious teacher came to earth as God's only son; no other religious teacher rose from the dead. Our focus should be on Jesus, whom God offered as the way to have an eternal relationship with himself. There is no other name, and there is no other way.
God bless you,
J.H. Get Your Priorities StraightPosted Mar-16-07 06:09:30 PDT God said to Solomon, "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore, wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, riches and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have."
II Chronicles 1:11-12
Solomon could have had anything, but he asked for wisdom to rule the nation. Because God approved of the way Solomon ordered his priorities, he gave Solomon wealth, riches, and honor as well. Jesus also spoke about priorities. He said that when we put God first, everything we really need will be given to us as well. This is not a guarantee that we will be wealthy and famous like Solomon, but it means that when we put God first, the wisdom he gives will enable us to have richly rewarding lives. When we learn our ultimate purpose for living and use it to be content with what we have, we will have greater wealth than we could ever accumulate or even possibly imagine.
God Bless you,
J.H. Come TogetherPosted Mar-15-07 06:07:31 PDT Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
Isaiah 58:9-10
God is with you now as you read these words. God understands what you are going through. If we, by God's grace, find the courage to take our eyes off of ourselves and our own circumstances, and if we start paying attention to the needs of others, God will reveal things about ourselves that we didn't even know existed. The darkness that Isaiah speaks of is the darkness that is prevalent in our society. Jesus said, "you are the light of the world." It is time that we be that light. It is time that the church, rise up and show the world a new way. It is time that the church come together and rise in unity, and demonstrate to the world what unity really means. "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall not want, for You are with me."
God Bless you,
J.H. Righteousness and Humility in PrayerPosted Mar-14-07 05:59:15 PDT The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner." I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
Luke 18:11-14
The Pharisee did not go to the temple to pray to God, but to announce to all within earshot how good he was. The tax collector went recognizing his sin and begging for mercy. Self-righteousness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes a person to despise others, and prevents him or her from learning anything from God. The tax collector's prayer should be our prayer, because we all need God's mercy everyday. Don't let pride in your achievements cut you off from God. The tax collector's prayer is the prayer that brings peace. Pray it now! When we acknowledge to God what we are, He immediately shows us what He will do. Jesus said, "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."
God Bless you,
J.H. True TreasurePosted Mar-13-07 06:15:56 PDT "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, that moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, they're your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light."
Matthew 6:19-22
Storing up treasures in heaven is not limited to tithing but is accomplished by all acts of obedience to God. There is a sense in which giving our money to God's work is like investing in heaven. But our intention should be to seek the fulfillment of God's purposes in all we do, not merely what we do with our money. In addition, spiritual vision is our capacity to see clearly what God wants us to do and to see the world from His point of view. But that spiritual insight can be easily clouded. Self-serving desires, interests, and goals can block that vision. Serving God is the best way to restore it. A "good" eye is one that is fixed on God. Stay focused on God today. He is working in and amongst your circumstances as we speak. He is there whether you ackowledge Him or not, hear Him or not, feel Him or not. He is there. Trust Him.
God bless you,
J.H. Prayer and FastingPosted Mar-12-07 06:13:51 PDT "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father who is unscene; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Matthew 6:16-18
Fasting - going without food in order to spend time in prayer - is noble and difficult. It gives us time to pray, teaches self-discipline, reminds us that we can live with a lot less, and help us appreciate God's gifts. Jesus was not condemning fasting, but hypocrisy - fasting in order to gain public approval. Fasting was mandatory for the Jewish people once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The Pharisees voluntarily fasted twice a week to impress the people with their "holiness." Jesus commended acts of self-sacrifice done quietly and sincerely. He wanted people to adopt spiritual disciplines for the right reasons, not from a selfish desire for praise. Why do we do what we do? That is the question that all of us must answer. Many of us might say to ourselves, "I am going to do what I want and I really don't care what people think about me." What we don't realize is that if that were true, we wouldn't be saying that in the first place.
God bless you,
J.H. PersistencePosted Mar-09-07 05:59:32 PST So Jacob was left alone, and the man wrestled with him till daybreak. Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak." But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "it is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."
Genesis 32:24,26,30
Jacob continued this wrestling match all night just to be blessed. He was persistent. God encourages persistence in all areas of our lives, including the spiritual. Where in your spiritual life do you need more persistence? Strong character develops as you struggle through tough conditions. We see here how Jacob's character had changed. Jacob, the ambitious deceiver, had now become Israel, the one who struggles with God and overcomes. Acknowledge God today. Allow His grace and mercy to overwhelm you and give you the courage to overcome whatever circumstance you are dealing with. There is nothing you are not able to handle. "With God all things are possible."
God Bless you,
J.H. SacrificePosted Mar-08-07 05:54:52 PST "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," Jesus said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will."
Mark 14:35-36
Was Jesus trying to get out of his task? Jesus expressed his true feelings, but he did not deny or rebel against God's will. He reaffirmed his desire to do what God wanted. Jesus' prayer highlights the terrible suffering he had to endure - an agony so much more magnified because he had taken on the sins of the whole world. This "cup" was the agony of alienation from God, his Father, at the cross. The sinless son of God took on our sins and was separated for a while from God so that we could be eternally saved. While praying, Jesus was keenly aware of what doing the Father's will would cost him. He understood the suffering he was about to encounter, and he did not want to have to endure the horrible experience. But Jesus prayed, "Not what I will, but what you will." Anything worth having costs something. What does your commitment to God cost you? Be willing to pay the price to gain something worthwhile in the end.
God Bless you,
J.H. Pray ContinuouslyPosted Mar-07-07 05:58:09 PST Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city. In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from your sight!" Yet You heard my cry for mercy, when I called to You for help.
Psalm 31:21-22
Many times in our impatience, we all have felt that we were caught off from Heaven, only to discover that there were the time span we were unaware of . . . and the Lord was on the line all along doing it His way. Keep talking to God. Don't let anything break down the line of communication. You're getting through, and God is coming through!
God Bless you,
J.H. Praise GodPosted Mar-06-07 06:25:09 PST About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
Acts 16:25-26
Paul and Silas were stripped, beaten, and placed in stocks in the inner cell. Paul and Silas, who had committed no crime and were peaceful men, were put in stocks designed for holding the most dangerous prisoners in absolute security. Despite this dismal situation, they praised God, praying and singing as the prisoners listened. No matter what our circumstances, we should praise God continuously. Others may come to Christ because of our example. God is still opening doors in response to simple faith and prevailing prayer. Let us not take for granted what God has given us. In this country, we still have the freedom to praise God when we wish, where we wish, with whomever we wish. Others do not have that luxury. In other parts of the world, being a Christian is against the law. Let us remember prisoners in every part of the world, in every walk of life. Praise Him today!
God bless you,
J.H. IdolatryPosted Mar-02-07 06:11:32 PST When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to Your Holy Temple. Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of Thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.
Jonah 2:7-9
Those who worship worthless idols forfeit God's grace and abandon any hope for mercy from the Lord. Any object of our devotion that replaces God is going to cause us great trouble and consternation. We ultimately deceive ourselves with something that is empty and foolish. Make certain that nothing takes God's rightful place in your life. It took a miracle of deliverance to get Jonah to do as God had commanded. As a prophet, Jonah was obligated to obey God's word, but he had tried several times to escape his responsibilities. At this time, Jonah pledged to keep his vows. Jonah's story began with a tragedy, but a greater tragedy would have happened if God had allowed him to keep running. When you know God wants you to do something, do not run. God may not stop you as He did Jonah. In the end, Jonah simply thanked God for saving his life from the belly of the whale. Our troubles should cause us to cling tightly to God, and not attempt to bargain our way out of the pain. We can thank and praise God for what He has already done for us, and for His everlasting love and mercy.
God Bless you,
J.H. |
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