All Are Made Alive in Christ

God has made believers alive together with Jesus Christ. Hallelujah!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . (Eph 2:4-5 NASB)

For as in Adam all die, so also in the Messiah will all be made alive. (1 Cor 15:22 ISV)

Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people. ¹⁹For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be constituted righteous. ²⁰Now the law came inso that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, ²¹so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 5:18-21 NET)

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Cor 15:45-49 NIV)

Before a person becomes born-again, they are dead in their evils and sins. Even when we were in that state, God loved us. Because He loved us, He gave us a Savior and Redeemer.

As believers in Christ, we identify with and are linked together with Christ in His resurrection. Therefore, His life becomes our life. Not only that, but the Lord gives us a brand-new type of life—eternal life. (Rom 6:23) Eternal life is our present possession! That is almost too much for us to comprehend.

This is a precious and priceless gift, and we have reason to rejoice and thank the Lord!

Be Merciful

What does merciful mean? It means: kindhearted, compassionate, sympathetic, and forgiving.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (Lk 6:36 EHV) As our Father forgives our sins repeatedly, we should also forgive and forget the sins of others against us.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (Eph 5:1 NKJV) In every way, as much as we have the grace to do so, we should imitate the mercy of God in our dealings with other people. Let us be kindhearted and compassionate in imitation of our Father in heaven.

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Heb 2:17 NKJV) Jesus was a merciful and faithful High Priest in that He became the sacrifice upon the altar to reconcile mankind to God the Father.

For I will be merciful in regard to their unrighteousness, and I will not remember their sins any longer. (Heb 8:12 EHV) Thanks to Jesus, our Father forgives our sins and does not remember them against us. What a gift of love and mercy we have been given!

In obedience to the Word, may each of us strive to be sympathetic to others and to be faithful representatives of Jesus and His love in a dark and hurting world.

Self-Control Is Ours: Use It

The dictionary definition of self-control is ‘the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.’ Another explanation of self-control is ‘restraint exercised over one’s own impulses, emotions, or desires.’

The Word of God talks about self-control and how important it is in the life of a believer.

Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. (Pro 16:32 NIV) The Bible says that a person with self-control is better that a person who conquers a city! Wow!

Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. (Pro 25:28 NIV) The Scriptures compare a person without self-control to an unprotected and broken-down city. This is a small insight into how critical our need is for self-control. We leave our souls unprotected and open to assault and harm without self-control.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23 NKJV) This is a list of the fruit of the Spirit available to all who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior. Self-control is one of the gifts provided to us by the Holy Spirit.

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness . . . (2 Pet 1:5-6 NKJV) This passage of the Bible teaches us how to diligently build upon our faith in Jesus Christ, which is the foundation for our lives. There’s an order and a method to the process which the Lord wants us to know. Each and every part of this process is important and very necessary to our spiritual lives.

One of the greatest points to remember about the gift of self-control is that its ultimate goal is to choose Christ over everything else! Hallelujah!

What About Eternal Life?

How does the gift eternal life, through salvation in Jesus Christ, affect us now in our daily lives?

These Bible verses are among many that assure us of eternal life, as believers in Jesus:

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 Jo 5:20 ESV, emphasis added)

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (Joh 17:3 NKJV)

Having an eternal point of view will change the way that we live as believers. Does anything last forever? Only God. Being mindful of our eternal home in heaven, will prevent us from focusing on the wrong things in this life.

Considering an eternal home in the presence of Jesus and hosts of angels, along with countless brothers and sisters, will help us to reject pride, envy, jealousy, lust for wealth, and many other temptations that are common to human beings.

The Lord has given us the Bible to inform us about our salvation; about His standards of righteous living; and about the endless and bounteous blessings that God pours out upon all people. His word teaches us to think on good and virtuous things, to bear fruit for the kingdom, to always praise God, and to have regular fellowship with other believers.

Living with an understanding of an eternal future in heaven will infuse our daily lives with joy and wonder. God bless you.

Faith is a Gift

Remember that faith is a gift from God! It is a precious gift and vital to our daily life in the service of the Kingdom of God.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God . . . (Eph 2:8 NKJV)

Each and every believer has been given a measure of faith. Be sure to make good use of what you have been given. Use your faith constantly either for yourself or on behalf of other people, which is the highest and best use for this beautiful gift.

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. (Rom 12:3 NKJV, emphasis added)

Some believers have even been given an unusual gift of faith that stands well above the norm. To all such believers, I encourage you to pray, pray, pray for other people and help them to receive everything that they need from the Lord—the chief need being salvation!

. . . to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit . . . (1 Cor 12:9 NKJV)

We must serve God by USING the spiritual gifts that He has given to each and every one of us. It is our responsibility and our joy to discover what our spiritual gifts are and then to use them in spiritually productive ways on behalf of the Kingdom of God and of His people.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (1 Cor 13:2)

We must use all of our spiritual gifts—whatever they may be—with LOVE! God is love (1 Joh 4:8), and all who serve His kingdom must flow in LOVE.

Note that love is the FIRST fruit of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. God bless you!

How Can We Overcome?

How can a human being overcome in the manner discussed in the Bible?

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Rev 3:21)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. ⁵Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 Joh 5:4-5)

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (Rev 12:11 NIV)

Overcome means to conquer, defeat, triumph over, or annihilate. They triumphed over the enemy of our souls, satan.

I believe the key verses that tell us how to overcome are shown above: 1 John 5:4-5 and Revelation 12:11.

Our faith in God, which is a gift from God, is one of our weapons designed to carry us to victory. Our faith in Christ as our Savior, who is the Son of God according to the Word, is a stabilizing factor throughout life. Hold onto this truth and never let it go.

Acknowledging that the blood of the Lamb of God (Jesus) cleanses us from all sin is another tool of victory bestowed upon us by the gift of salvation. Remain mindful of this truth, and thank and praise God for it. It has purchased our righteousness.

The ‘word of our testimony’ is also mentioned as part of our armament against the enemy that will sustain us and transport us to victory. A testimony is a declaration—even evidence—of our life experiences. As we daily state and affirm (1) who we are in Christ Jesus; (b) what we have through Christ; and (c) all of the blessings that we have received through salvation, we deepen and strengthen our roots of faith. As we maintain this continuous testimony, we firmly plant ourselves (our roots) in the realm of victory.

According to Romans 8:37, the Lord has made us MORE than conquerors (winners, victors, overcomers). All overcomers will spend eternity in heaven with the Lord Jesus. Glory to God!

Don’t Put Faith in Wealth

The Lord urges us in His Word to avoid trusting in riches just like we would avoid a plague. True wealth is given by God to the righteous. Let’s read the Scriptures.

He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage. (Pro 11:28)

Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. (Ps 52:7)

Why do you brag about your strength? Your strength is exhausted,you rebellious daughter. You trust in your treasures, never imagining who would attack you. (Jer 49:4 CEB)

Don’t trust in violence or depend on dishonesty or rely on great wealth. (Ps 62:10 CEV)

Jesus said clearly in Mark 10:23-25 that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for people who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of heaven! Wow!

Jesus told a parable about a rich fool in Luke 12:16-19. This fool had accumulated so much wealth that he had to build larger barns to hold it all, and then he decided to ‘eat, drink and be merry.’ And God said to him (v. 20-21): But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ ²¹“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

This is wisdom from God for us. In providing for ourselves, our children, and our retirement, we mustn’t allow ourselves to start trusting in and relying upon the money that we have set aside for emergencies or for a retirement fund. Our faith in God and our relationship with the Lord Jesus must always be the main focus and core of our lives.

Even though the Lord gives us power to get wealth (Deu 8:18; Ecc 5:19), we must never lose sight of the fact that this is a GIFT from God. It is a reason for thankfulness and rejoicing over the goodness of God. We need to consider this blessing as part of our heritage from God, and by acknowledging God’s central part in it, we may then rejoice in our labor.

Let us daily concentrate upon our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. Here are worthy things upon which to meditate:

Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace – Isa 9:6
Redeemer – Isa 59:20
Immanuel (God with us) – Mt 1:23
King of the Jews – Mt 27:37
Lamb of God – Joh 1:29
Bread of Life – Joh 6:35
Living Stone, Cornerstone – 1 Pet 2:4-8
Alpha and Omega – Rev 22:13

We must intentionally make Jesus the heart and focus of our entire lives. Our trust and our entire reliance should eternally be upon Jesus Christ, who is our life! (Col 3:4) May God richly bless you.

The Gifts That You Were Given

Happy beautiful day to you! We rejoice and are glad in this day! (Ps 118:24)

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Pe 4:10 KJV)

Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. (1 Cor 14:12)

Every believer has received gifts and talents from the Lord. God wants us to use the gifts that He has entrusted to us for the strengthening and encouragement of fellow believers. God wants us to be good stewards or managers of these precious gifts.

Your gifts may be extensive; you may have gifts such as: faith; musical ability; artistic talent; patience; organizational ability; mercy; mathematical aptitude; peace; perceptiveness; or whatever. Invite the Lord to show you how He would like you to use the gifts that He has given you in order to bless other people and to further His kingdom.

If you have a calm and peaceful spirit combined with good note-taking skills, your boss may direct you to attend most meetings with him. He may not realize why! He may say that he wants you to take notes, but it may really be that he just feels better and thinks more clearly when you’re there! In reality, you carry a beneficial atmosphere (of calm and peace) into the room. These are God’s divine gifts, and they work supernaturally.

Don’t forget that, as you mature spiritually and chronologically, more gifts will bloom in your life. Seek the Lord’s guidance, and He will teach you the best use of all of your gifts!

(This is a reprint of an article published by this blog on 05/01/2016.)

Children of Promise

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? ²²For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. ²³But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, ²⁴which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— ²⁵for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— ²⁶but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Gal 4:21-26, emphases added)

That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. (Rom 9:8, emphasis added)

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. (Gal 4:28)

Children of the Promise is another way of saying “children of God.” (see Rom 9:8 above) But what, exactly, is the significance of this for us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior?

One thing to note is that the Bible says that we become children of the promise when we’re baptized into Christ through water baptism.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” (Act 2:38-39)

This teaching is verified in Ephesians 3:

. . . that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel . . . (Eph 3:6)

Upon our acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior and our water baptism into Christ, we become Children of Promise—children of God! Hallelujah!

For you are all sons [children] of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:26-29, explanatory word inserted)

Being Children of the Promise means that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ! Glory to God! (Rom 8:17)

This means that we are entitled to all of the blessings that Jesus earned for Himself by living a sinless, perfect life in loving obedience to His Father while He lived on earth. In accepting Christ as Savior and being baptized into Him through water baptism, we become qualified to receive this vast and rich inheritance! Rejoice, O children of promise!

Righteousness & Praise Spring Forth

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ purchased (paid for) our salvation—thus our righteousness. And how can we, who have received such a precious gift, prevent ourselves from crying out in praise and thanksgiving to our God and King?

The Scriptures remind us that God will cause both righteousness and praise to SPRING FORTH before all nations! Since Jesus’ death and resurrection, our earth has seen the continuous unfolding and fulfilling of this promise of God. Glory to God most High!

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its bud, as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. (Isa 61:10-11, underscoring added)

What does “spring forth” mean? It means: to leap out; to rush out; to arise suddenly; to come about hastily with speed and powerful force. This passage of Scripture tells us that one day righteousness and praise will rise up, suddenly, in all nations and all peoples in such a way that it will be a witness to all the world.

And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long. (Ps 35:28)

Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, And I will praise the Lord. (Ps 118:19)

. . . being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Phil 1:11)

I trust God that this article will remind us and inspire us to lift our voices to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving today—and every day of our lives!

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works . . . (Heb 10:24)

Those of us who have believed in Jesus as our Savior and Lord are designed to continue in faith in good works! This is a good work–to praise and worship the Lord. Let us worship and magnify the Lord!

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