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!

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!

What We KNOW as Believers

We, as Christians, don’t have to wonder or hope or try to get faith. We need to stop and consider what we know. Our key verse for this study is in 2 Timothy:

. . . for I KNOW whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day. (2 Tim 1:12b KJV)

For we KNOW JESUS, our Savior and Lord, with whom we have a living, vital relationship—Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God! (Mt 16:16; 26:63; Joh 6:69) To KNOW someone means to have a relationship with, to comprehend, and to have experienced who they truly are as a person.

As a matter of fact, because we have received Jesus Christ as our Savior, Redeemer and Lord, we are now known as SONS OF THE LIVING GOD! (Rom 9:26) Hallelujah!

These are some of the vital things that we KNOW as believers:

That the Lord has set us apart for Himself; the Lord will hear us when we call upon Him! (Ps 4:3)
That because we are set apart for God (His anointed), He will answer us with the saving strength of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ps 20:6)
That the Lord is great, and He is above all gods. (Ps 135:5)
That God’s works are marvelous. (Ps 139:14)
That Jesus is the Holy One of God. (Mk 1:24c; Lk 4:34c)
We know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. (Lk 8:10)
We know Jesus, our Good Shepherd. (Joh 10:14)
We know the Lord, because He dwells with us, and He lives in us. (Joh 14:17)
We know that Jesus dwells in the Father; we dwell in Jesus; and Jesus dwells in us. (Joh 14:20)
That wherever we go, we carry the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ. (Rom 15:29)
That we have received the Spirit who is from God through whom we know the things that have been freely given to us by God. (1 Cor 2:12; 1 Joh 4:12-14)
We are the temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within each believer. (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19)
That we are in Christ because we keep His Word, and the love of God is perfected in us. (1 Joh 2:5)
That Jesus was manifested to take away our sins and in Him there is no sin. (1 Joh 3:5)
That we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. (1 Joh 3:14)
We know the Spirit of God because we confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and He is from God. (1 Joh 4:2)
That we are born of God and know God because we love one another, and love is of God. (1 Joh 4:7)
We know that we have eternal life because we believe in the name of the Son of God and will continue to do so. (1 Joh 5:13)

A Relationship With Jesus is Great Gain

Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we have begun an eternal relationship with the Lord. Having a relationship with Jesus, our Savior, is the greatest blessing and gain (profit, benefit, advantage) anyone can ever have. Hallelujah!

But godliness with contentment is great gain. (1 Tim 6:6 NIV) Living a holy life (godliness) with peace in our hearts (contentment) is a wonderful blessing.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Heb 13:5) Jesus, our living Lord, will never leave us nor reject us. The Word instructs us to be content with such a supernatural blessing as this, as well as all of the other blessings that Jesus has purchased for us.

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. (1 Tim 4:8) Godliness (righteousness, holiness) is necessary and beneficial for this life as well as for all eternity.

Better is a little with the fear of the Lord, than great treasure with trouble. (Pro 15:16) It is better to have a small amount in this life along with awe-inspired respect for our Lord, than to have what the world considers to be “great treasure” because such things are accompanied by anxieties and dangers, and temptations to turn away from our faith in our Savior.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Ps 84:11) The Lord does not deny ANY GOOD THING to His followers, His obedient ones who live in holiness. The greatest wealth that anyone can ever have is a deep and abiding relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

Every blessing, every benefit, and every advance is a gift that flows from His loving heart. Thank God for His blessings today, friends!

God Loves Humility

The Lord instructs us in His Word to humble ourselves, so that He may exalt us in due time. (1 Pet 5:6) We need to be obedient to this instruction because the Lord has the power to humble any person or thing that He chooses.

And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it. (Ezek 17:24 ESV)

For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. (Isa 26:5 ESV)

He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. (Lk 1:52-53 NIV)

Even in nature, the trees know who the Lord and the creator God is, and that He has mighty power at His disposal. If the Lord so chooses, He can decide to humble trees, cities, nations, rulers, and individual, influential or wealthy people.

We’re told in Scriptures that the Lord regards (esteems, honors) the lowly (humble) but the haughty (arrogant, self-important, puffed-up) He knows from “afar off.”

Psalm 138:6 (ESV): For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly, but the haughty he knows from afar.

I believe that the above passage is explaining that God does not have a close, warm relationship with haughty, pride-filled people.

However, as our opening line in this article indicates, the Lord will, in His own timing, exalt those who humble themselves before Him. We humble ourselves to God by accepting His Son (Jesus Christ) as our Savior and Lord, and by honoring and obeying His holy Word. We also honor Him by allowing Him to lead us and guide us throughout our lifetimes. This will result in our having a close and personal relationship with the living God, the Savior and Redeemer. Hallelujah!

Peace Must Rule

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. (Col 3:15)

Synonyms of RULE: govern, administrate, lead or control.

Jesus is called the “Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6) He is our Savior and Lord, and we must follow Him in all that we do. We must allow His peace to control and lead everything that we do and everything that we pursue in life and in ministry.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. (Ps 100:4)

Praise, thankfulness and blessing work in beautiful harmony with peace. As we exalt, praise and bless the Lord, thankfulness arises in our hearts. The overflow of that thankfulness will result in our being a blessing and a joy to other people as we minister God’s love to them. And peace will be the result.

. . . and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:7)

God’s peace exceeds and transcends any other definition of the word. His peace goes so far beyond and is so much better than any human concept of peace that it will always outperform the human version of peace!

Therefore, allow yourself to be ruled by God’s peace, so that your life will be blessed and others will be blessed in your presence. Glory to God!

Benefits of Salvation

The Lord has given His people, those who have accepted Jesus as their Savior and Lord, many precious promises which inform us of the benefits and blessings of salvation. Today we’re looking at several of these promises.

The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. (Ps 34:10)

Wow! This passage says that those who seek the Lord will not lack ANY good thing! What a promise, and what a commitment! Were you aware of this promise?

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. (Ps 37:4)

This Psalm says that as we delight in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our hearts. This is a powerful promise from God! What is it that you desire in life? Go to the Lord in prayer and tell Him what you desire and what you need. He will hear and answer your prayers. (1 Joh 5:15)

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (Ps 84:11)

This Scripture in Psalm 84 is very much like the one in Psalm 34, shown above. It’s reminding us that God withholds NO GOOD THING from the people who live upright, righteous lives. All who have accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord have been justified and made righteous by the blood of Jesus. Jesus has become our righteousness. (1 Cor 1:30) This is a promise that you may claim for yourself.

Take these verses—these promises from God—to Him in prayer and ask for Him to fulfill them in your life. Persevere in faith and patience, and you will receive the very things that you’ve requested in order to bring glory and honor to God, the Father. (Joh 14:13-14) Hallelujah!

Lord of the Living & the Dead

As Christians, we belong to Jesus Christ. Once we accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we became a member of His family. He remains our Lord from that moment on into and throughout all eternity. How blessed we are!

For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. (Rom 14:9 NIV)

But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Pet 4:5)

The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— (Ac 10:36)

Jesus Christ is the Lord of both the living and the dead—and there is no conflict in His role. He is Lord of ALL.

Jesus created everything that exists and because of that, no one can claim any authority over creation or over mankind other than Him. (See Exodus 19:5)

When the Scriptures speak of Jesus being the Lord of both the living and the dead, it is addressing the fact that Jesus is the Lord of all people:

Those who are spiritually dead and those who are spiritually alive;
Those who are physically dead and those who are physically alive.

Jesus’ perfect sacrifice reconciled us to our Father God, and brought peace between us and the Father. Jesus has established the ministry of reconciliation. Glory to God!

How much more do we (all born-again believers) belong to Jesus since He has ransomed us from sin and from satan?

There is a prophecy in Isaiah that reminds us that we have everlasting joy bestowed upon us:

So the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness; sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isa 51:11) Glory to God!

We Are Witnesses

Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord are now the Lord’s witnesses.

A witness is a person who has observed something, perceived something, or experienced something; and who are willing and able to give an account of their experience.

Let’s look at a few Scriptures:

God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. (Ac 2:32)

. . . and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. (Ac 3:15)

Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.” (Ac 5:31-32)

What would God like us to share with other people? Of what should we testify (bear witness)?

We should simply affirm our own, personal experience of what happened to us in accepting Jesus as our Savior. We may also reveal how serving Jesus Christ and being in relationship with Him has changed our lives since we turned our hearts over to Him.

In my own life, once I accepted Christ as my Savior, many things became different. I felt that I had been set free, and I felt an incredible joy. I wanted to tell everyone about my experience because it was so simple and easy to receive Jesus; and it made such an impact upon my life. I felt such love for people—which was a new experience—and I wanted everyone else to experience the joy that I had.

I have now known the Lord as my Savior for more than four and a half decades, and I have experienced miracles, signs, and wonders in my own life. I’ve also prayed for other people and seen the Lord perform miracles for others in answer to our prayers. I’ve seen relatives reconciled; diseases healed; finances blessed; and marriages restored all in the Name of Jesus.

You have your own special, highly valuable and unique testimony. Your witness will reach people that no one else can reach. Consider how and with whom you can share your incomparable story today. God bless you!

Benefits of Our Salvation

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (Ps 23:6)

We determine that we will dwell in the house of the Lord forever and that goodness and mercy shall follow us by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord. With that one decision, we also decide to accept all of the benefits and blessings of our salvation—which are unlimited!

Of course, the Bible also informs us that there will be persecution for our faith for which we must be prepared. (Mt 5:44; 10:23; Lk 21:12) But we can and should expect both, especially God’s blessings.

The blessings of salvation are many, varied, and unlimited. You truly need to study the Bible to locate all of the promised blessings, but I love to list at least some of them for people to meditate upon and to rejoice over!

God is our shield and surpassingly great reward (Gen 15:1)
The Lord is our healer (Ex 15:26)
His joy is our strength (Neh 8:10)
Jesus is our Open Heaven (Joh 1:51)
All of God’s promises to us are answered “Yes” and “So be it” through Jesus, our Lord (2 Cor. 1:20)
The Lord gives us a long life (Ps 91:16)
God gives us good things to eat and renews our youth (Ps 103:5)
God gives us an incorruptible inheritance (1 Pet 1:3-4)
God give us eternal life. (Joh 3:15)

These are just a small handful of the benefits of trusting in God and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. Meditate on how much God loves you, and how very much He wants to bless you every single day of your life! Hallelujah!

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

Tag: Savior and Lord