Month: June 2024

Live in Freedom

Live in Freedom

As we mentioned in our last article (“Christ Blessed & Saved Us”), Jesus our Redeemer has released each and every believer from bondage.  We will, however, be responsible individually [to God] for how we have used our freedom.

Here’s what the Bible says to us:

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.  (1 Pet 2:16 NIV)

For freedom Christ freed us. Stand fast therefore and do not be entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  (Gal 5:1 MEV)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  (Gal 5:13 ESV)

One teaching or ‘reasoning’ on this topic is that the Bible warns us not to waste our freedom in Christ to selfishly serve ourselves instead of serving each other in love. The entire law is fulfilled in that one word: love. Those who serve themselves, though, will always end up in conflict with others.  

The Spirit calls believers to live in the freedom that Jesus gives, rather than in bondage to sin and the law. Freedom is, in its substance, the ability to make choices.  But every believer still has a daily choice whether to walk in the resurrection power of Jesus or in the power of their old nature, the flesh. 

We should never use our spiritual freedom as an excuse to commit sin, thus disobeying God and His holy Word.  God sees the secrets and the motivations of our hearts.  Understand this truth:  the Lord knows our hearts.

Even in this, the Lord gives us a clear and unmistakable teaching:

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  (Gal 5:16 NIV)

Walking by the Spirit means allowing he Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us about every decision in our lives.

Followers of Christ have a different kind of freedom now, and we should live as Jesus lived—in serving our heavenly Father through serving others, and thereby bringing glory to the Kingdom of God.  Hallelujah!

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Christ Blessed & Saved Us

Christ Blessed & Saved Us

When we stop to meditate upon the ministry of Jesus Christ to the world, it is so wonderful and miraculous.  Our Savior and Lord Jesus came to earth to bless us and to give each and every person the precious gift of salvation—peace and reconciliation with our heavenly Father.

Here are some key Scriptures:

To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.  (Ac 3:26 NKJV) 

Jesus was sent to bless us, since turning us away from our sins and towards the Lord is the highest blessing of all!  Jesus freed us from the bondage of slavery to sin.  Thank You, Jesus!

She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”  (Mt 1:21 NET)

Jesus truly saved us from our sins!  He broke the chains of bondage and gave us freedom through faith in His atoning work.

Now to the one who is able to keep you from falling and to make you stand joyful and faultless in his glorious presence . . .   (Jud 1:24 ISV)

Through accepting Jesus as our own, personal Savior and Redeemer, we have been empowered to stand joyful and irreproachable in the very presence of God.  This is an eternal, indescribable gift!  Cherish and nurture your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ every day.  Grow in grace and knowledge through regular prayer, Bible meditation and Bible study.  Rejoice in your salvation forevermore!  Glory to God in the highest!

Sing to the Lord

Sing to the Lord

We’re instructed in many different ways and multiple different passages in the Scriptures to sing to the Lord!  And guess what?  This doesn’t mean that we should only sing to the Lord on Sunday mornings, in church!  It should be a regular—even daily occurrence.

Sing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.  (Isa 12:5 NKJV)

Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!  For He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory.  (Ps 98:1 NKJV)

Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.  (Ps 105:2 NIV)

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: Make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm. With trumpets and sound of cornet. Make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.  (Ps 98:4-9 KJV)

I admit that not all of us have excellent singing voices, but do you know that the Lord loves to hear each and every one of us singing His praises?  That’s why Psalm 98 says to “make a joyful noise to the Lord”! He will never say to one of His children, “Hey, stop singing!  You’re annoying Me.” 

No, the opposite is the truth.  The Lord loves to hear us singing His praises and glorifying His holy Name.  He is our Creator and there is not a single voice (which He created) that He does not love.  Put on the radio or some praise and worship CDs, and sing to the Lord today!  God bless you abundantly!

How Does Love Behave?

How Does Love Behave?

All that we need to know about life and living, we can learn from the Scriptures.  God gives us direct instructions as well as practical guidelines for every area of life.  This includes understanding how to demonstrate genuine love.

Here are several Scriptures on the topic:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant . . .   (1 Cor 13:4 ESV)

. . . but rejoices in the truth . . .  (1 Cor 13:6b MEV)

It [love] always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  (1 Cor 13:7 NIV)

When we love someone, the greatest gift that we can give them is to love them the way that God loves each and every one of us.  Some key points the Bible teaches about love is that LOVE:

  • Is patient,
  • Is kind,
  • Rejoices in the truth,
  • Always protects,
  • Always trusts,
  • Always hopes, and
  • Always perseveres.

If we FIRST consider each of these statements in light of God’s love for each and every one of us, we will feel humbled and honored by the unconditional love that God offers to each and every believer.  Let us rejoice in His love and give Him praise and thanksgiving for it.

Now, we need to look at this truth in relation to how we act toward those whom we love.  Do we display these traits with our relatives, our children, our friends?  Do we give this kind of love unfailingly to our spouse?  We need to take the time to meditate upon this from time to time to make any necessary adjustments to our thinking and our actions.

Let us follow the example that our Lord Jesus gave to us.  He loved us so much that He sacrificed everything to reconcile each one of us back to a loving relationship with our heavenly Father God.  Praise the Lord!

Obedience & Wisdom

Obedience & Wisdom

The Scriptures teach us that people who obey the Lord, who read His Word and do what it teaches, are learning to be wise.  In the book of Proverbs, wisdom is discussed at length. 

It is fitting and appropriate for each one of us to desire to gain wisdom.  As always, let’s read the following Bible verses:

Respect and obey the Lord!  This is the beginning of wisdom.  To have understanding, you must know the Holy God.  (Pro 9:10 CEV)

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.  (Mt 7:24 NLT)

Anyone who comes and listens to me and obeys me 48 is like someone who dug down deep and built a house on solid rock. When a flood came and the river rushed against the house, it was built so well that it didn’t even shake.  (Lk 6:47-48 CEV)

You are my friends, if you do what I command you.  (Joh 15:14 ISV)

From these passages, we learn that honoring the Lord and following His laws is the beginning of wisdom.  Obedience to the Lord is compared to building a house upon a solid rock, which makes the house strong and stable.  And the Lord says that we are His friends IF we do what He commands us to do.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding . . .  (Pro 2:6 NKJV)

He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly . . .  (Pro 2:7 NKJV)

The Book of Proverbs teaches us that the Lord gives the gift of wisdom, and that he actually stores it up for His righteous followers!  Glory to God!

And don’t become confused, for it is not actions that make a person righteous, but a personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer.  You are blessed! 

Prosperity & Pride

Prosperity & Pride

It’s a sad fact of life that many believers who experience prosperity fall prey to a proud and haughty spirit, and no longer trust in the Lord for anything.  Because they are prosperous, they think that they will ALWAYS be prosperous, and therefore, well able to provide for their own needs—whatever they may be!

What a truly sad state of affairs for a follower of Jesus Christ to “forget” their Savior, as the following Scriptures will demonstrate:

. . . lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, 13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, 14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery . . .  (Deut 8:12-14 ESV)

But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you are obese!  Then he forsook God who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation.  (Deut 32:15 NKJV)

When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me.  (Hos 13:6 NIV)

This article is merely a timely warning to us all that we NOT become complacent, but rather, let us continue to read and meditate upon the Bible regularly.  Let us continue to pray to the Lord, and to thank Him and praise Him for all of our many blessings.  Let us remember that it is the LORD who upholds and sustains our very lives.

All that we have and all that we are is thanks to the Lord, our Creator and Savior.  Let’s give Him the praise, honor and glory that He deserves. Hallelujah! 

Life Found and Lost, for Christ’s Sake

Life Found and Lost, for Christ’s Sake

Our Savior and Lord taught us that we need to sacrifice our carnal, fleshly comfort and preferences in order to realize the eternal life that He has promised to His disciples and followers.  In these Bible verses, the Lord is talking about a temporary form of life (the normal human lifespan) as compared to eternal life (never-ending).

In order to truly “lose” our lives, we must surrender our selfish desires and wants on a daily basis—not just once in some supreme act of surrender at the end of the Christian life.  Here are some relevant Bible verses:

Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.  (Mt 10:39 NIV)

. . . because whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and for the gospel will save it.  (Mk 8:35 ISV)

Whoever strives to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it.   (Lk 17:33 NASB)

We must learn how to “die” to our carnal, human life in order to gain the gift of eternal life.  We do this in obedience to Jesus, our Savior and Lord, who has called us to follow Him and to serve Him.  We are called to bring glory to God and to the Kingdom of God.

We need to die to our carnal, human life because human beings are driven by pride and a selfish desire to acquire things for themselves.  This is exactly the opposite of what the next Bible verse instructs us to do.

I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service of worship.  (Rom 12:1 MEV, emphasis added)

Being a “living sacrifice” means dying constantly to the proud and selfish parts of our human nature.  However, if we put our total trust in God and in His Word, we will receive everlasting life.  Glory to God!

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Obedience Counts!

Obedience Counts!

Did you realize that our obedience is important to God?  The Scriptures refer to obeying the word of God as well as DOING the will of God.  Let’s review a few of them.

Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  (Mt 7:21 NLT)

But he said, “Instead, how blessed are those who hear God’s word and obey it!”  (Lk 11:28 ISV)

God accepts those who obey his Law, but not those who simply hear it.  (Rom 2:13 CEV)

The core of this matter is that all who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior have to align our will with the will of God.  We have to decide to surrender to God’s authority, and to base our choices and deeds upon His Word.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  (Jas 1:22 NIV, underscoring added) Why should we work so diligently to obey God’s will and His Word?  Obedience to God brings us health, intimacy with God, and His love.  God bless you!