Our Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3

To be without hope may be the worst condition a person can have.  No doubt, there are many people today who are facing very difficult circumstances without any hope for the future.  A Christian is never without hope no matter what he or she may face.  Peter calls it a “lively hope.”  A hope that even death cannot destroy.

No wonder Peter praises God for what He has done for us.  By His abundant mercy we are born again unto eternal life.  We have the hope of the resurrection because Jesus rose and conquered death.  We have a living hope that sustains us in life and in death.  

A hope that allows us to look beyond what we see to what we know awaits us when we rest in His presence.

RevDB

No pain, no gain

A brief thought today,
In the athletic realm, a popular statement believed by the fittest is;
"No pain no gain".
When reading the Scriptures, I am finding this to be a principle of the Christian's life and walk with Christ.
The Lord said, if you are to follow me, there is a self to deny and a cross to bear.
Paul said, if you will know him (CHRIST) the power of his resurrection, there is a fellowship of his sufferings.
J. R. Miller said, There are many blessings we will never receive until we are ready to pay the price of pain, for the path of suffering is the only way to reach them.

I walked a mile with Pleasure,
      She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser
      For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
      And ne'er a word said she;
But oh, the things I learned from her
      When Sorrow walked with me.
RevDN

David was

David Was a man that was
1) Saved
2) Surrendered
3) Sanctified
4) Serving
5) Shouting
6) Standing
I Samuel 16-17

RevDB

What the Word does

What the Word does

Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

The Word of God casts light on all that you are doing or thinking. The Word of God is light. God’s Word often scolds us or reproves us by its teachings. These reproofs are for our own good and so that we can live without being hurt.

Solomon was telling his son this so that he could see how truth would keep him from sexual sin. We live in a world where sexual sin is destroying us. Pornography is on the rise. People are getting addicted. The reason porn has the power it does is because we do not have enough light from the Word of God to see it for what it is.

The Bible tells us all we need to know. There is plenty of light but we are so foolish that we do not dig into the Bible to see what God says.

Get into the Word of God. Let God give you the light you need to live and not be hurt. He cares enough about you to give you truth so that you will not be hurt.

Do not choose darkness when you have the light right there beside you!
RevAG

God’s Word gives freedom

God’s Word gives freedom

Psalm 119:45 And I will walk at liberty: For I seek thy precepts.

Most people want to think that the Bible, God, God’s Word limit real living. They want to think of the Bible as restricting, as taking away freedom but that is not the lesson the Bible teaches about itself. God’s Word gives freedom. When I want to please God, do things the way He wants me to then I walk at liberty. Real life is found in Christ. Read freedom is found in knowing God and His Word.

Do not let Satan or anyone else make you think less of God or His Word. Do not let them think of God taking away but rather know that He adds to life.

RevAG

How did Noah exercise his faith in God?

 Hebrews 11:7 How did Noah exercise his faith in God?
“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”
Noah’s example of Faith has very distinct and easily identifiable markers.  The first marker was that he believed God’s Word when all the world around him believed the opposite.  Everyone in Noah’s world had the Word of God from Adam and Seth up to the times of Noah, but they rejected God’s Word and lived a lifestyle that was opposed to God.  Second, Noah preached righteousness for an entire centennial.   That Preaching was not just on Saturday, but everyday. He preached a message that was directly and contradictory to the lifestyles of those he was preaching to.  Thirdly, Noah lived a Godly life and his family did the same.  He had a Biblical family which was in the face of all those around him.  He did not just live somewhat differently from his neighbors and town; he lived Biblically.  Fourthly, Noah exercised his faith by building the Ark.  If you have the chance to visit the Ark Encounter in Kentucky,  you will see the Biblical proportions of the Ark.  But imagine that being on the landscape outside the city.  Noah begins his 100 year series of messages on the coming Judgment of God.  I just imagine he walked the streets clothed in different style dress from the people around him and preached “Repent for the Judgment of God is at hand.”  God is merciful and will forgive your sins and heal our land”. Can you hear the jeers and mockery that must have been hurled toward the man of God.  “Ha, Ha, Ha, Look at how he is dressed, he is a real drag, listen to his hate speech, he just hates us and wants to control our lives….”  And on and on it goes.  But Noah’s Faith was greater.  To his credit, he won 7 souls.  His wife, His sons, and three girls who became the son’s wives.  Seven began to call upon the name of the Lord like Noah.  The greatest exercise of Noah’s faith was not the building of the ark, nor the naming the animals or preparing the resources for their voyage.  It was when he gathered his family and said, it is time to go into the ark.

That one act saved their lives and fulfilled God’s eternal plan of salvation for all the people that would be born so that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved!”
RevTC

Idol worshippers

Idol worshippers

Psalm 97:7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of idols: Worship him, all ye gods.

As I read this verse I am thinking about all I saw in Nepal. Idols on every corner, scary idols. People turning prayer wheels and lighting incense. People putting red ashes on their forehead as a sign of their devotion.

It was so obvious that the gods they serves were but images made with men’s hands. They were very proud of their images. They are proud of their worship of their images. They ring bells and find other ways to try to call their gods.

The truth is that there is only one God and He made you not the other way around. It is time for you to worship God, the creator.

It is time to know you need the God who made you, turn to Him today.
RevAG