Be An Example

As servants of the Lord and followers of Jesus, we are instructed to be a good example to our neighbors, even as Jesus was our example. (See John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21)

Here are some pertinent Scripture passages:

Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. (Phil 3:17 ESV)

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. (1 Tim 4:12 NIV)

. . . in all things showing yourself to be a pattern [model] of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility . . . (Tit 2:7 NKJV)

We are challenged by the Word of God to live in unity and harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ. We do that by studying and memorizing the Word of God, and by pursuing spiritual maturity in our walk with Christ. We also fulfill this mandate by living peaceful and responsible lives.

We’re instructed to perform good deeds, and to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Our lives will display integrity, reverence for God and for spiritual things, as well as an incorruptible spirit. As we live in this way, we will be following Christ’s example, as well as being a good example, too. God bless you.

Receive and Accept One Another

Do you realize that the Lord Jesus has made every believer ‘accepted in the Beloved’? That means that you and I are:

Acknowledged,
Recognized and known,
Received,
Established, and
Understood—in Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer.

Let’s see what else the Bible has to say on this subject.

Those who receive you are also receiving me, and those who receive Me are receiving the one who sent Me. (Mt 10:40 CEB)

Whoever received and welcomes a believer, receives and welcomes the Lord Jesus as well as God the Father, who sent Jesus to earth.

I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. (Joh 13:34 AMP)

Jesus has commanded all believers to ‘love one another.’ This is not a suggestion. It is very clear that believers should accept one another, and try to help and bless one another. We should never put any type of stumbling block in front of a brother or sister in Christ.

Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God. (Rom 15:7 NKJV)

Just as our Lord and Savior has received and established each one of us, we should also do the same with one another in order to bring glory to God.

. . . having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph 1:5-6 NKJV, emphasis added)

It was the Lord’s good pleasure to make each one of us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED, who is Jesus Christ our Savior. Hallelujah!

Now, turn with open arms and be a welcoming committee to others!

Live as Christ Lived

Do you think that you can live as Christ lived? What do I mean by that? Let’s review some passages from the Scriptures.In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Phil 2:5 NIV)This verse of Scripture advises us to have the same outlook or convictions that Jesus had. Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest. (Mt 11:29 CEV)Jesus calls us to wear the same “yoke” that He wore. He says in so doing, we will find rest for our souls.To whom or to what are we yoked (or coupled)? Once we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we are linked to Him. This means that we humbly do His will and allow Him to guide and to direct our lives.The one who says that he abides in him must live the same way he himself lived. (1 Joh 2:6 (ISV)We must live the same way that Jesus did. He lived in obedience to the will of the heavenly Father, and He operated in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was our example.For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. (Joh 13:15-16 NKJV, emphasis added)

We are called to the same lifestyle, and to the same love for and obedience to our Father God that Jesus had. And God has given us the necessary grace that we need to empower us to do so. Hallelujah!

God’s Mighty Acts Should Provoke Praise from Us

Whenever we witness the great and mighty acts of God, it should activate us to praise and worship Him spontaneously! Am I exaggerating? Absolutely not!

In the Bible, Jesus instructed people who received wondrous miracles—after they had rejoiced and praised God—to go and spread the good news about Him to other people. But FIRST, every single person erupted in praise and thanksgiving.

And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. (Lk 13:17 NKJV) This passage says that the multitude rejoiced! That means that a great crowd of people were happily praising and thanking God. And you’d better believe that they eventually told everyone all about it!

However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” (Mk 5:19 NKJV)
Here we see Jesus again telling the man who received the blessing to go and tell everyone he knew about God’s love, mercy and goodness to him. This is another form of praise and thanksgiving!

But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these [disciples, crowd of people] become silent, the stones will cry out!” (Lk 19:40 NASB)
Jesus is telling the Pharisees, who criticized the praise that He was receiving, that He not only accepted the worship from them, but that it was reasonable and justifiable for the people to act that way. (See Lk 19:37-38, 39)

For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the timbers will answer it. (Hab 2:11 NKJV)
So often in the Bible, inanimate objects take the role of a witness to events. When we refer back to Jesus’ comment in Luke 19:40, we see that Jesus testifies to the fact that if the people remained silent, the very STONES would cry out in praise and worship of Him!

Wow! That’s pretty impressive.

Don’t let inanimate objects upstage you! When the Lord performs miracles for you or around you or for your friends and loved ones, burst forth into praise, rejoicing, and thanksgiving. Let your voice be heard in adoration and thanksgiving to the Living God. God bless you.

Jesus Was Taken Up to Heaven

As the Bible tells us, Jesus ascended into heaven after His resurrection. In heaven, He still intercedes for us and serves as our Mediator. (1 Tim 2:5) He is the same Jesus in heaven as He was on earth, in the sense that His personality and His mission have not changed.

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. (Ac 1:9 ESV)

So the Lord Jesus, after talking with his disciples, was taken up to heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. (Mk 16:19 ISV)

When Jesus arrived in heaven, He sat down at the right hand of God, the Father.

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Lk 24:50-51 NIV)

Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” ⁹(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰He who descended is also He who ascended far above all the heavens that He might fill all things.) ¹¹He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints, for the work of service, and for the building up of the body of Christ . . . (Eph 4:8-12 MEV)

Upon His ascension, Jesus gave gifts to the Church, and those gifts are shown above in this passage from Ephesians.

Jesus is watching over His body, the Church. He continues to love us, bless us, and to give us His presence. He is worthy to be praised!

In All Situations, God is With Us

It’s an important fact to remember that God is always with us. He always loves us and always fights for us. He will NEVER forsake us.

Let’s look at what the Scriptures tell us:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. (Isa 43:2 NIV)

No matter what fiery trial may have come upon you, don’t forget that Jesus is in the midst of the fire WITH YOU. We never walk alone, once we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord.

‘Do not fear [anything], for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, be assured I will help you; I will certainly take hold of you with My righteous right hand [a hand of justice, of power, of victory, of salvation].’ (Isa 41:10 AMP)

God is with us at all times to strengthen us, to help us, and to hold our hands. And His hands are full of justice, power, victory, and salvation. Praise God!

I’ve commanded you to be strong and brave. Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God, and I will be there to help you wherever you go. (Josh 1:9 CEV)

No matter where we go, the Lord commands us to be strong and to be brave. We should not be afraid or discouraged. Now that’s a pretty big ask. To never be afraid—to never be discouraged—it seems almost too much to ask.

But if we really meditate upon the fact that Jesus is with us, facing every foe and looking every challenge right in the face, right along WITH us, it will not seem quite so impossible. Remember that Jesus carries justice, power, victory and salvation wherever He is.

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. (2 Tim 4:17 ESV)

Even so, we will be able to testify that ‘I was rescued from the lion’s mouth’ right along with thousands of other believers. All glory to God most High!

Don’t Make Yourself God’s Enemy

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have chosen to follow Christ above all things, especially above the world. Jesus taught that we cannot be loved by this world because we are not truly a part of it.

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Mt 6:24 CEB)

The Bible reminds us that we can’t serve two different masters. So we must make a clear and firm choice about our allegiance.

If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, the world therefore hates you. (Joh 15:19 MEV)

The world hates Christians because Jesus chose us out of the world, and we chose Jesus. We have put Jesus first above all other relationships, alliances, and commitments.

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (Jam 4:4 NKJV)

Friendship with the world equals hostility toward God and the Word of God. Many in the world malign and ridicule believers, and all those who value the Bible.

Stop loving the world and the things that are in the world. If anyone persists in loving the world, the Father’s love is not in him. ¹⁶For everything that is in the world—the desire for fleshly gratification, the desire for possessions, and worldly arrogance—is not from the Father but is from the world. (1 Joh 2:15-16 ISV)

Everything—EVERYTHING—that is in the world [ambition, avariciousness, passions, arrogance] is connected with this world’s way of doing things; and does not connect to a love of God the Father.

As we continue to choose to follow Jesus and to obey God’s Word, we would do well to seek God’s face and ask Him for continuing grace to live a holy life. We know that God hears and answers our prayers, so we may pray with confidence and assurance. God bless you.

The Tough Decision to Follow Jesus

The Scriptures remind us that when we make the decision to follow Jesus, we should “count the cost.” (Lk 14:27-29) In other words, Jesus wants us to know what it means to fully follow Him. This is a serious subject with genuine consequences.

Just as the building of a physical house has a definite cost, so does the decision to follow Jesus have a cost. We’re told that we must take up a CROSS and deny ourselves, in order to follow Jesus. Let’s read what the Scriptures have to say:

And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. (Mt 10:38 KJV, emphasis added)

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. (Lk 14:27 NASB)

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Mt 16:24 NRSV)

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Mk 8:34 NKJV)

First, we must deny ourselves! What does that mean? It means that we put Jesus and the Holy Spirit in charge of our lives. We give up the throne that is our life, and ask Jesus to sit on the throne and to direct us by His Spirit. We cannot follow Jesus and the world’s way at the same time. Neither can we serve God and money at the same time.

Following Jesus may mean that we lose relationships, dreams, material things, and even our lives. Our relationship with Jesus must take priority over everything else in our lives and must be of the supreme importance to us.

We must, in essence, declare: “I’d rather have Jesus than anything.”

If a day comes when someone threatens us with death if we do not renounce our faith in Jesus Christ, then we should happily choose Jesus and eternal life above staying here in our earthly body. Pray for God’s blessings and grace in order to live boldly for Jesus.

May God’s grace strengthen you and empower you.

Clothe Ourselves with Virtue

How can we clothe ourselves with virtue? For that matter, how can we “put on love” as instructed in Colossians 3:14? And note that Romans 13:14 tells us that we have “put on Christ,” as does Galatians 3:27.

And what virtues are we encouraged by God’s Word to put on?

¹²Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col 3:12 NIV)

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. ¹⁵Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. (Col 3:14-15 NIV)

Your love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to each other with mutual affection. Excel at showing respect for each other. (Rom 12:9-10 ISV)

. . . with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love . . . (Eph 4:2 NKJV)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23 NASB)

Wow! This is an impressive list of virtues and good traits to pursue and to practice.

In the natural realm, when we want to be clothed, it is a conscious act of the will. Our clothes don’t fly through the air and attach themselves to us, right? We have to physically maneuver ourselves into the clothes, and then button or snap or zip them into place. And we have to choose exactly what items we want to wear each and every day.

As believers and followers of Jesus, we must be just as deliberate about what virtues we choose to use in every circumstance and situation in our lives. We must decide to be peacemakers, just as we must choose to be kind, humble, gentle, patient, peace-loving, joyful, faithful, and self-controlled.

As we make the decision each new day to follow Jesus, we must make the decision in every circumstance and life situation about how to react to our current challenges or trials.

In answer to our prayers to Him, the Lord will give us the grace and power that we need to weave these virtues into our lives. The Holy Spirit will guide us if we yield to Him in humility and obedience.

The Holy Spirit is the only One who can teach us and transform us into the image of Christ. And best of all, He can be trusted to guide us lovingly and faithfully. Hallelujah!

Why Did Humanity Throng Jesus?

A THRONG means a multitude, crowd, mass of people, or swarm of people. The Bible points out that everywhere that Jesus traveled, people swarmed to Him. They ran to Jesus in hope, out of need, and due to a yearning to see the hand of God operating among them.

The people not only crowded around the Lord, but they were actually pressing in upon Him—trying to get as close to Him as they possibly could. Let’s turn to the Bible:

And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. (Mk 5:24 NASB)

And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” (Mk 5:31 NASB, emphasis added)

On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret . . . (Lk 5:1 ESV)

. . . because his twelve-year-old child was dying. She was his only daughter. While Jesus was on his way, people were crowding all around Him. (Lk 8:42 CEV)

Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” While everyone was denying it, Peter and those who were with him said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing in on you.” (Lk 8:45 ISV)

The people wanted and needed to experience the forgiveness, the love and the mercy of God that Jesus radiated to all who were exposed to Him. All human beings desire love and acceptance, and no one conveyed that as powerfully and as genuinely as Jesus Christ did.

In the physical presence of Jesus, I believe that every human being on earth would react in just the same way today as people did in Bible times.

What we would do well to remember is that we already having a loving and personal relationship with Jesus as our Savior, Lord, and Messiah. We have access to all of His blessings and to His presence in our lives. All we need to do is to stop, and get alone with Him in a place of prayer and worship. At once, the Lord’s presence will be magnified as we focus upon Him, alone. God bless you.

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You are the Deciding Vote! In your life, you can make decisions that will help you and bless you.

Tag: Jesus