Seek Christ Above All Things

Scripture: Colossians 3: 1-5

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Scripture Commentary: What will you say when you stand before Christ?

We are a very weak group of people because we have so many things to distract us. Satan is a powerful foe. He puts distractions in our path so we go astray. The lottery, casinos, money – all of the things that if you have Christ in your life, you do not need.

If you think about it, the Lord Jesus Christ has given you a roof over your head, food on the table and clothes on your back. Anything else is greed, not need. Forget about the temporary things of this world and focus on the permanent life with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Consider the pharaohs who buried their treasure to take with them to the afterlife. It is still here.

The question is what are you taking to God? Are you studying His Word, spreading His Word, living His Word?

The things that you have – home, car, clothes, and money are not needed in God’s house. What are you going to say when you stand before Our Lord Jesus Christ? Hopefully you’ll say, “I served you!”

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 3

Christ Is a Great Light Piercing the Darkness

Scripture: Isaiah 9: 2, 6

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.(2) For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.(6)

Scripture Commentary: His life is the light that shines through the darkness*

In a time of great darkness, God promised to send the light to shine on everyone living in the shadow of sin and death. During times of gloom and despair, we fear that our sorrows and troubles will never end.

Take comfort in this certainty: although the Lord may not always take us around our troubles, if we follow Him and if we believe wholeheartedly, He will bring us safely through.

Do you really believe in Our Lord Jesus Christ?

He is both “Wonderful Counselor” and “The Mighty God.” God wants to protect us from bad choices, but he still gives us the freedom to choose.

When will you listen to God?

Must we be like Judah and suffer calamities before we will listen to the Word of God? Consider what God is telling you, and obey Him before your time runs out. Open your heart and soul and you will hear Him clearly telling you that He loves you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 9

*John 1: 5 (New International Version)

Be Strengthened in the Faith as You Were Taught

Scripture: Colossians 2: 6-8 (NIV)

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

Scripture Commentary: Be strengthened by your faith in Christ

Receiving Christ as Lord of your life is the beginning of life with Christ; however, you must follow his leadership by being rooted, built up, and strengthened in the faith.

Christ wants to guide and help you with your daily problems. You can live for Christ by: (1) committing your life and submitting your will to him; (2) seeking to learn from him, his life, and his teachings; and (3) recognizing the Holy Spirit’s power in you.

Just as plants draw nourishment from the soil through the roots, so we draw our life-giving strength from Christ. The more we draw our strength from him, the less we will be fooled by those who falsely claim to have life’s answers.

Many man-made approaches to life’s problems totally disregard God. To resist heresy, you must use your mind, keep your eyes on Christ, and study God’s Word.

If Christ is your strength, you will be free from human regulations. He will always bring you through any situation, good or bad.

His love makes the bad good. That is how you learn.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2

How Would You Answer the Call, “Whom Shall I Send?”

Scripture: Isaiah 6: 8-10

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Scripture Commentary: Isaiah was willing to answer the Lord’s call, “Whom shall I send?”

The more clearly Isaiah saw God, the more aware Isaiah became of his own powerlessness and inadequacy to do anything of lasting value without God. But he was willing to be God’s spokesman. Isaiah was willing to answer the Lord’s call, “Whom shall I send?”

God told Isaiah that the people would listen but not learn from his message because their hearts had become calloused beyond repentence. How is your heart? Are you so into yourself that when God calls you can’t hear Him?

God’s patience with their chronic rebellion was finally exhausted. His judgment was to abandon them to their rebellion and hardness of heart.

Why did God send Isaiah if he knew the people wouldn’t listen? Although the nation itself would not repent and would reap judgment, some individuals would listen. God is merciful even when He judges.

We can gain encouragement from God’s promise to preserve his people. If we are faithful to Him, we can be sure of His mercy. Consider what God may be telling you, and obey Him before time runs out.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Isaiah Chapter 6

Place Your Confidence in God Who Can Do All Things

Scripture: Psalms 118: 1-9

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the LORD say, that his mercy endureth for ever. I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.

Scripture Commentary: Where do you place your confidence?

Airline pilots put confidence in their planes. Commuters place confidence in trains, cars, or buses. Each day we must put our confidence in something or someone.

If you are willing to trust a plane or car to get you to your destination, are you willing to trust God to guide you here on earth and to your eternal destination?

Do you trust Him more than any human being? How futile it is to trust anything or anyone more than God.

Put your life in the hands of Jesus Christ, for He is the truth and the light to everlasting life.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Psalms Chapter 118

Praise God For All He Has Done For You

Scripture: Psalms 117: 1-2

O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD.

Scripture Commentary: Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord our God! When was the last time you praised Him? Have you ever thanked Him for all He has done for you?

If you are reading this, you should be praising Him. He woke you up this morning, and gave you the ability to learn, to read, and to understand.

We can go through life and take things for granted and not thank God, and not tell anyone what He has done for you.

This Psalm is not only the shortest chapter in the Bible; it is also the middle chapter.

Paul quotes from this psalm in Romans 15:11 that God’s salvation is for all people, not just the Jews. This psalm gives us reasons for praising God, His great love toward us, His faithfulness, and His grace and mercy.

Think about your life today. Where would you be without God in it, and what would you be doing? If He did nothing else for you, He would still be worthy of your highest praise.

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Psalms Chapter 117

It Is by Grace That You Are Saved

Scripture: Ephesians 2: 1, 3, 8-9

And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;(1) Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.(3) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:(8) Not of works, lest any man should boast.(9)

Scripture Commentary: By grace you are saved – it is a gift of God

Be thankful to God for having mercy on you and for saving you from the life you were living before. Be thankful that by grace you are saved through faith in Jesus Christ.

Did you, or do you thank Him?

We go about our everyday lives, sometimes not realizing where we have come from. Some of us were in Satan’s hands, living his lifestyle, and then Jesus Christ rescued us. Have you ever thought why?

If you have, then the question is, what are you doing with this new life that Christ has given you? God gave His son for you and I. What are you giving?

We go about our daily lives – we go to work, church, grocery shopping, and visiting with friends, etc. Are we helping others to come to Him when we do these things?

Christ destroyed the barriers that people build between themselves, and now we can have real unity with people who do not know the Lord. Tell your story to others about how Jesus Christ has change your life, about the light that shines in you. Because of His love we are saved, but now we must serve in His name.

When He saved you, your spirit became lighter, happier. When you serve Him, you will be complete.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Ephesians Chapter 2

Who Knows the Fate of the Spirit of Man?

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3: 18-21

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Scripture Commentary: What is the fate of the spirit of man?

Our bodies can’t live forever in this present state. In that sense humans and animals are alike. Soloman, however, acknowledged that God has given people the hope of eternity. We come from dust and to dust we will return. But what of the spirit of man? We will undergo judgment in the next life and this makes us different from animals.

Our purpose in life starts with whom we know, not what we know or how good we are. we are not here on earth to serve ourselves, but to serve God and others.

Because we are created in God’s image, we have a spiritual thirst and an eternal value. Nothing but the eternal God can truly satisfy us. He has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in his perfect rule.

God’s plan is for us to live forever with him. So live with eternal values in view, realizing that all contradictions will one day be cleared up by the creator himself. He has given us a glimpse; however, we cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. We must trust him now and do his work on earth.

Are you now living as God wants? Do you see life as a great gift from him?

He loves you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

Return To the Lord Your God

Scripture: Hosea 14: 1-3

O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips. Assh’-us shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.

Scripture Commentary: Return to God who cares for your and loves you continually

Return to God by asking for forgiveness of your sins. This solution worked in the time of Hosea, and it works today. Forgiveness begins with the destruction of sin. Once you understand the futility of life without God you become eligible for forgiveness.

We cannot save ourselves; our only hope is God’s mercy. Requesting forgiveness means recognizing that we do not deserve it and therefore cannot demand it. Our appeal must be for God’s love and mercy, not for his justice. Although we cannot demand forgiveness, we can confidently receive it.

God is gracious and loving, and wants to restore us to himself because he loves us. When our will is weak, when our thinking is confused, and when our conscience is burdened with a load of guilt, we must remember that God cares for us continually; his compassion never fails.

When we can’t see the way or hear God’s voice; when we lack courage to go on, God’s compassion never fails. We will fail him, but his love will never fail us.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Hosea Chapter 14

Depend on God in Your Weakness

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Scripture Commentary: God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness when I depend on him

Do you let your thorns, your weakness, rest with the Lord? Or do you try to remove them yourself?

Paul tells us he asked our Lord to remove his, but God did not. God gave him the strength to do His works. God was showing Paul that with God by his side he could do all things.

We need this weakness in ourselves in order to feel the power of Christ at work inside of us. When we are strong in abilities and resources, we are tempted to do God’s work on our own. This leads to pride.

When we are weak we allow God to fill us with His power. We become stronger than we could ever be on our own. God doesn’t intend for us to seek weakness and ineffectiveness. Life provides enough obstacles without us creating them. He expects us to depend on him when those obstacles come into play.

Dependence on God lets us know He is the powerful one, not us.

Read the Entire Chapter:
2 Corinthians Chapter 12