Abiding With God

“Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in them.

Turn my heart toward Your statutes, not toward selfish gain.

Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things. Revive me in Your ways.

Fulfill Your promise to Your servant, that You may be feared.

Take away my disgrace that I dread, for Your ordinances are good.

Behold, I long for Your precepts! Revive me in Your righteousness.

Remember Your Word to Your servant because You gave me hope.

This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your Word has revived me.

Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven forever. Your faithfulness is to all generations. You have established the earth, and it remains. Your laws remain to this day, for all things serve You.

Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.

Uphold me according to Your Word, that I may live. Let me not be ashamed of my hope.” [1]

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but one who keeps the law is blessed.” [2]

“But you, beloved, remember the words which have been spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, walking after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are those who cause divisions and are sensual, not having the Spirit.

But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” [3]

[1] Psalm 119:35-40, 49-50, 89-91, 105, 116
[2] Proverbs 29:18
[3] Jude 1:17-21

Citizenship In Heaven

“Many walk as the enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of His glory, according to the working by which He is able to subject all things to Himself.” [1]

“The Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.”

God warns us through His servant Paul to beware of enemies of the cross. People whose god is their belly. They mind earthly matters rather than the coming kingdom of Christ.

God speaks of a conscience seared by a hot iron. How did it get that way? It listened to deceiving spirits. It listened to doctrines of demons. It listened to hypocrites (play-actors). Deceptive spirits work to numb the consciences of people. It is done both through friendly and ugly influence.

Satan’s strategy has not changed... He still raises doubt, “Has God indeed said?” [3] Then, he forcefully follows up with a blatant lie, “You will not surely die.” [4]

Satan slithers up to one as a would-be friend and casts doubt on God’s words which forbids sin. Then, he says, there will not be a bad consequence, the result will be wonderful!

Let us remember that our citizenship is in heaven. Our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, will change our humble bodies into bodies of His glory. We have a very bright future ahead of us if we keep our faith in Jesus Christ.

[1] Philippians 3:18-21
[2] 1 Timothy 4:1-2
[3] Genesis 3:1
[4] Genesis 3:4

Are You Sure You're Going to Heaven?

What if the Lord were to come right now? Would you know for sure, nothing doubting, that you would go to heaven?

You CAN know based on the merits of Christ and not your own. Receive Christ and all that He has done for you by giving Himself as an atoning sacrifice for your sins.

Believe and confess Christ!

The Gospel is that Good News that tells us that God took care of our sin problem by sending His Son into the world to be an atoning sacrifice for our sins. If we believe in Christ and confess Him as our Lord and Savior, we have eternal life.

Bound To The Gospel

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.” [1]

“Praying always!” Prayer is vital to messaging for Christ. “Supplication in the Spirit!” We make our supplications to God in the Spirit because the Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses. “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” [2]

When people pray with the Spirit, the mystery of the Gospel is about to be made known. Why? Because the Holy Spirit empowers His recipients to witness for Christ. [3]

“I am an ambassador in chains!” Slave chains are undesirable, but Paul views his chains as medals of honor. He won them by being bold to message others for Christ. Recently, I’ve been praying that the Lord will bind me with chains to His Gospel. “Please make me Your ambassador, Jesus, to message lost souls about what You did for them on the cross and in Your resurrection from the dead on the third day.”

While going through my books, I saw a book that was titled, “Called By The Gospel.” I thought to myself, “That’s my calling! I am called by the Gospel.”

As Paul requested, so do I now, Please pray “for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

I want to be chained to the proclamation of the Gospel so that nothing else in this world outweighs its importance to me... nothing... “Here I am Lord... send me.”

[1] Ephesians 6:18-20
[2] Romans 8:26
[3] Acts 1:8

Focusing On Fatherhood

“Job was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil. There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.” [1]

Job is held up by God as a “greatest of all time” among men. In fact, God asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is no one like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil.” [2]

Job’s ten children would celebrate birthdays together with feasting and drinking for days on end. Afterwards Job would offer animal sacrifices for each of them, because, he said, “’It may be that my sons have sinned, and renounced God in their hearts.’ Job did so continually.” [3]

Job lost his ten children during one such feast. A great wind destroyed the oldest son’s house and all of them inside it. [4]

Later, Job speaks of wisdom, he asks, “Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding? Man doesn’t know its price; neither is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It isn’t in me.’ The sea says, ‘It isn’t with me.’ It can’t be gotten for gold, neither will silver be weighed for its price.” [5]

There are evil circumstances that the best of earth’s resources cannot resolve. Job concluded, “Behold, the fear of the Lord, which is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.” [6]

Job continued to stay engaged with the Lord throughout his trial and at the end of his book, God blessed him with ten new children and many blessings besides. [7]

Job was a good father. The book begins with the importance of his children to him and ends with the importance of his children to him. And then, in between these two ends, we see that he also acted as a father to the children of others. “I delivered the poor who cried, and the fatherless also, who had no one to help him, I was a father to the needy. I researched the cause of him whom I didn’t know.” [8] “Men listened to me, waited, and kept silence for my counsel.” [9]

Like our Heavenly Father, Job covered people with his feathers. Under his wings they took refuge. His faithfulness was a shield for them. [10] The imagery here is of a bird sheltering his young from danger. Faithfully, positioning himself as a barrier or shield between danger and those he loves! Jesus called God our Father in heaven. [11] Job was a reflection of the Heavenly Father to people.

Recently, I’ve been addressing God, “Father, Father, I need You. Please help me. I am Your son.” God is faithfully coming to my aid. I’ve learned by His example that not only my children need me to be that kind of father… one they can depend on for a loving and helpful response… but there are many fatherless and needy children whom God longs to help through earthly fathers who are willing to stand in the gap for others.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please provide earthly father figures for all the children who have none. Please help me to be a man that reflects Your father-heart for my children and those around me. In Name of Jesus Your Son, I pray. Amen.”

[1] Job 1:1-2
[2] Job 1:8
[3] Job 1:4-5
[4] Job 1:18-19
[5] Job 28:12-15
[6] Job 28:28
[7] Job 42:12-15
[8] Job 29:12, 16
[9] Job 29:21
[10] Psalm 91:4
[11] Matthew 6:9

The Power of the Holy Spirit

“No prophecy ever came by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” [1]

People were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak...

Even Jesus noted, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because HE has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. HE has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed.” [2]

Jesus also said, “If I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you.” [3]

When was the Church most vibrant and most effective?

Jesus told the founders of His Church, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” [4]

“Dear Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son, please continue to pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon our world. We ask to be moved to speak for You. We ask for Your anointing to proclaim Good News to the poor, to heal brokenhearted people, to set captives free, to give sight to the blind and to deliver people from being crushed. Holy Spirit please graciously continue to bring God’s kingdom to earth and cast out evil. For it is in the matchless Name of Jesus that I pray. Amen.”

[1] 2 Peter 1:21
[2] Luke 4:18
[3] Matthew 12:28
[4] Acts 1:8

The Most Urgent Social Issue

“Sins overwhelmed me, but You atoned for our transgressions.” [1]

Our adversary, the devil, wants us to sin. He says, “It’s all right. Nothing bad will happen to you. It will be our little secret.” His goal is to capture and enslave us with chains of sin. After he is done with us, he says to us, “You are a worthless criminal. God can never forgive you.”

Sin IS bad. It’s like the COVID19: an invisible killer. We tend to take sin lightly. We think we can erase it by doing a good deed or by putting on a good performance. But sin is still there. There is only one antidote for sin. His Name is Jesus Christ.

The Psalmist said that the Lord atoned for his sin. To atone is to cover. To remove it from sight! To erase it!

In the Old Testament, animal sacrifices were made to atone for sin, but the sacrifices had to be done repeatedly because sinners commit sin repeatedly. The animal sacrifices pointed to a Lamb that God was going send as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. Lamb is another name for Jesus Christ.

“The next day, he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’” [2]

Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” [3]

“And He [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the whole world.” [4]

Jesus didn’t atone only for the sins of “good” people. He atoned for the sins of the world. He even atoned for the chief of sinners. “Chief of sinners” is how Paul the Apostle introduced himself.

“If I cherished sin in my heart, the Lord wouldn’t have listened. But most certainly, God has listened. He has heard the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His loving kindness from me.” [5]

A key point here is not to cherish sin. Sin is not a friend. It is a fiend. Left unforgiven, it will torture a person’s undying soul for eternity. But when sin is confessed and forgiven by God, a person senses God’s presence. We can pray to Him. We can feel His loving kindness. Through Christ’s forgiveness, our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We enter heaven’s holy gates.

“Riches don’t profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.” [6]

We need to be clothed – covered – atoned for by the blood of Christ shed for us on the cross to be rescued from everlasting death. This world’s currency is worthless when we die.

Let us confess our sins to God and ask Him to forgive us.

There is no greater or more urgent social issue today than to prepare to meet our Maker.

“Prepare to meet your God.” [7]

[1] Psalm 65:3
[2] John 1:29
[3] 1 John 4:10
[4] 1 John 2:2
[5] Psalm 66:18-20
[6] Proverbs 11:4
[7] Amos 4:12

Love And Respect

My brothers do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with partiality. [1]

There’s been a lot talk these days against people of a certain skin color who are deemed supremacist-minded over others. Therefore, the above passage on partiality caught my attention in a new way this morning.

The Lord advises us not to show partiality towards newcomers based on their economic status:

“For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your gathering place, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, ‘Sit here in a good place;’ and you tell the poor man, ‘Stand there,’ or ‘Sit by my footstool.’” [2]

What else caught my attention? There are three commonly quoted verses in theological circles:

“For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” [3]

“Faith without works is dead.” [4]

“You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.” [5]

Then, the Lord mentions Rahab. [6] Rahab was a foreigner. A woman from a wicked city. She was a harlot. BUT it was her faith in Israel’s God that led her to help His people to victory. She believed God. She is in the genealogy of JESUS. [7]

So, I also see in this chapter a strong message against racism. It is not enough to keep many of the laws like, “Do not commit adultery.” [8] The Lord says, “If you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressor.” [9] An intellectual nod to God is not enough. Demons believe God exists. There must be a change of heart towards people.

The Lord says, “Judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” [10]

Another example in this chapter is Abraham. He was willing to give up his son for God. However, the Lord exempted him from this offering, and declared Abraham to be His friend. [11]

Abraham’s faith in God was mixed with love for God.

I hear the Lord saying… “Let your faith in Me be demonstrated by impartiality. Treat all people with love and respect.”

[1] James 2:1
[2] James 2:2-3
[3] James 2:10
[4] James 2:17
[5] James 2:19
[6] James 2:25
[7] Matthew 1:5
[8] James 2:10
[9] James 2:9
[10] James 2:13
[11] James 2:21-24

Blessed are Those who Mourn

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” [1]

It is good to mourn losses. Unless we do, we may not receive the comfort that we desperately need. Jesus invites us to mourn. He is not against people who lack happiness. He comforts them.

Job’s friend Eliphaz saw him mourning and offered him advice:

“Behold, you have instructed many, you have strengthened the weak hands. Your words have supported him who was falling, you have made the feeble knees firm. But now it has come to you, and you faint. It touches you, and you are troubled. Isn’t your piety your confidence? Isn’t the integrity of your ways your hope?” [2]

Job had lost everything! 10 children! His livestock! His property! He was physically afflicted and in great pain. Eliphaz seems to be taunting him. “Now, it has come to you, and you faint.” Let Job mourn! He needs to process his losses. Pray that the Lord will comfort him, and every other person like him.

“My heart is severely pained within me. The terrors of death have fallen on me. Fearfulness and trembling have come on me. Horror has overwhelmed me. I said, ‘Oh that I had wings like a dove! Then I would fly away and be at rest.’” [3]

The Psalmist experienced heart pain, terror, horror, and trembling. He wanted to flee. He tells us why…

“I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night, they prowl around on its walls. Malice and abuse are also within her. Destructive forces are within her. Threats and lies don’t depart from her streets.” [4]

Law and order had disappeared. People were being destructive. Abusive speech and misinformation were in the news daily. If that wasn’t bad enough, a close friend betrayed him…

“For it was not an enemy who insulted me, then I could have endured it… But it was you, a man like me, my companion, and my familiar friend. We took sweet fellowship together. We walked in God’s house with company.” [5]

How did he overcome disappointment? What was his medical plan for recovery?

“As for me, I will call on God. The Lord will save me. Evening, morning, and at noon, I will cry out in distress. He will hear my voice.” [6]

He received comfort by crying. Crying is a person’s first utterance. He went back to square one. He cried! To whom? GOD! Parents usually respond to their child’s cry. The Lord delivered him from his distress. He was comforted.

Finally, he turns to us and offers us advice on how to overcome grief. He says…

“Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.” [7]

[1] Matthew 5:4
[2] Job 4:3-6
[3] Psalm 55:4-6
[4] Psalm 55:9-11
[5] Psalm 55:12-14
[6] Psalm 55:16-17
[7] Psalm 55:22

Earthly Versus Heavenly Treasures

“Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the multitude of their riches—none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him. For the redemption of their life is costly, no payment is ever enough, that he should live on forever, that he should not see corruption.” [1]

You can’t take it with you. Eternity without God is heavy price to pay to keep them if you are trusting that God will save you based on your bank account and assets.

The Psalmist continues:

“But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah.” [2]

He has received blessed assurance from God that his soul is eternally secure. With this assurance he let’s go of anxieties about worldly wealth and urge others to do the same:

“Don’t be afraid when a man is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dies, he will carry nothing away. His glory won’t descend after him. Though while he lived, he blessed his soul—and men praise you when you do well for yourself—he shall go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see the light. A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.” [3]

True wealth is to have the gift faith - Faith in the One True God who created all things:

“By faith, we understand that the universe has been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen has not been made out of things which are visible.” [4]

Faith is the connection between us and our Creator:

“Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” [5]

Abraham, others, and Moses also fixed their hopes on a better city than this world had to offer:

“Abraham looked for the city which has the foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” [6]

“Those who say such things make it clear that… they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” [7]

Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward. [8]

[1] Psalm 49:6-9
[2] Psalm 49:15
[3] Psalm 49:16-20
[4] Hebrews 11:3
[5] Hebrews 11:6
[6] Hebrews 11:10
[7] Hebrews 11:14, 16
[8] Hebrews 11:26