Be Strong in the Grace That Is Jesus

Scripture: 2 Timothy 2: 1-5

You then my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules.

Scripture Commentary: The grace of Jesus is with you

Live by the grace that saves you, the grace you don’t deserve. Trust completely in Christ and his power. Do not try to live for Christ in your strength alone.

If the church lived by this advice, it would expand greatly and well taught believers would teach others and commission them, turning them into teachers also. Disciples must train before they pass on their faith. We complete our work when new believers can bring others to Christ and make disciples of them.

Jesus is the power and the glory

Like soldiers, we have to give up worldly security and endure rigorous discipline. Like athletes, we must train hard and follow the rules.

Our suffering is worthwhile. We will reap what we sow when we achieve our goal of glorifying God, bringing people to Christ, and one day living eternally with him. God will supply the strength to endure his mission.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Galatians Chapter 2

Christians Are Sealed By The Spirit

Scripture: Romans 8: 8-11

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

Scripture Commentary: The Holy Spirit intercedes for us

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God sent to guide us God’s only son, Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself as payment for our sins. If we ask for forgiveness and accept Christ, we receive God’s mercy.

Some of us struggle to fully accept Christ. We say we accept him, but then we live in the flesh and not in the spirit. Have you ever questioned your Christian identity?

A Christian is anyone in whom the spirit of God lives

We all have God in us, but we also have Satan. Do you try to go back and forth? Are you playing the dangerous game of walking between good and evil?

Trust Christ with your salvation and acknowledge him as Lord. The Holy Spirit will come into your life. If you are waiting for a certain feeling to know that the Holy Spirit is there, it will never come. You will know because Jesus promised it.

Read the entire chapter:
Romans Chapter 8

Additional posts on the Book of Romans:
Jesus Freely Died For Your Sins
Backbiters: There Is a Price for Being Disobedient
Being Saved Is Being Under Grace

With Christ Your Deliverance Is at Hand

Scripture: Luke 4: 18-19

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoverance, of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Scripture Commentary: Your deliverance is come

Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2 where Isaiah pictures the deliverance of Israel from exile in Babylon. Isaiah views this deliverance as a Year of Jubilee with debts cancelled, slaves freed, and property returned to original owners.

The release from Babylonian exile did not bring the fulfillment expected by the people. Their oppression continued. Isaiah was probably referring to a future Messianic age.

Commit your future to Jesus; He is the firm foundation

Jesus boldly announced, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He proclaims himself the catalyst of Isaiah’s good news. However, Jesus’ hometown rejected him as a prophet and grappled with the meanings of his words.

People around you will struggle to understand and accept your Christian lifestyle. Don’t be fazed by this. Leave your past behind and commit your future to Jesus Christ. Your life will grow from a solid foundation.

Read the entire chapter:
Luke Chapter 4

Read other posts on the Book of Luke:
I Once Was Lost but Now I’m Found
How Do Your Use Your Worldly Goods?
Lord, Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom

The Ways of the Lord Are Right

Scripture: Hosea 14:9

Who is wise? He will realize these things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the Lord are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious stumble in them.

Scripture Commentary: Walk in the ways of the Lord

The ways of the Lord are right. God’s love and forgiveness comes at the price of faithfulness. It is a worthy price for eternal love and eternal life. God shows mercy in his dealings with Hosea. Hosea opens an appeal to listen, learn, and benefit from God’s Word. Are you listening? Are you open to learning from God?

When your will is weak, God will give you strength. When you are confused or your conscience is burdened with guilt, remember that God loves you. He cares for you continually. His compassion never fails. When your shortcomings and awareness of your sins surmount you , God can lift you out.

God is compassionate; He wants to forgive you

When friends and family desert you, co-workers don’t understand you, and the world pressures you to stumble off the path to righteousness, God can set you straight. Even when you are tired of being good, God remains compassionate. He wants to forgive you.

Forgiveness is the key word. When God forgives you, he judges your sin but not you as a sinner. He shows mercy to you, and you have the opportunity to start anew with a clean slate.

If you are lost, find your way by turning from sin and following God.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Hosea Chapter 14

Other Posts from Hosea:
Return to God and Ask His Forgiveness
Return To the Lord Your God
The Rebellious Will Stumble

I Once Was Lost but Now I’m Found

Scripture: Luke 15: 6-7

And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Scripture Commentary: I have found my way back to the Lord

The parables recorded in The Book of Luke continuously stress that our God is forgiving. Stories like that of the woman who lost a piece of silver, and of the son who spent all of his inheritance also contain this theme. In the parables, each found what was lost and there was great joy.

We have all drifted from the path of righteousness. Think back on a time when you lost your way in your walk with God. Ask yourself, “how did I feel when I returned?” How did it feel to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?

God’s love is above all

We do our best to forgive and forget, but God’s love is above all. God loves us so much that he gave his only son to save us. He gave his son on the chance that we might use our free will to turn to him. Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins. He gave us all direct access to God.

The shepherd found his sheep. The woman found her lost silver. The father rejoiced in recovering his lost son.

Find yourself in Jesus Christ. The angels and all of heaven rejoice over each of us repentant sinners who have found our way back to Jesus Christ.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Luke Chapter 15

Other posts on the Book of Luke:
How Do You Use Your Worldly Goods?
Lord, Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom

You Must Believe That He Is

Scripture: Hebrews 11: 1, 3, 6

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.(1) Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the world of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.(3) But without faith, it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.(6)

Scripture Commentary: He is able to do all!

Do you have faith in Jesus Christ? Do you believe that he is your redeemer? Are you seeking him? Do you believe God’s promises?

In reading Hebrews 11, you will read about Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Raihab, Samson, Jephithae, David, and Samuel. You will read about their faith and the promises God kept with them.

God’s plan for your life only comes when you choose to walk with him

God promises love, forgiveness, and mercy. We can accept this promise through faith in Jesus Christ. Our victories over oppressors directly relate to the plan God has for us. Those victories will only come if we choose to walk with him. Do not value worldly desires and possessions. God will not be able to talk to you if you do.

This world is not our home, we will not be here forever. Our best and greatest rewards await us in heaven with God. When our bodies deteriorate and die, our spirits will live forever because Jesus defeated death. Jesus promises that his father has many rooms for us in heaven.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Hebrews Chapter 11

Jesus Blotted Our Sins With His Blood

Scripture: Colossians 2:13-15

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Scripture Commentary:

It is foolish to think that good deeds alone will cancel out the sins that we have stacked against us. Good deeds are defective. We often do not honor God through our good deeds.

God gives us the strength to do all that we do, and he compels us to serve. Do you do good deeds out of joyful dependence on God? Do you acknowledge God as the author of that deed, as the spirit within you? Are you fulfilling God’s call to serve?

Without Jesus Christ and exalting our faith to him, our deeds will signify rebellion. The trespasses against us continue to mount. Good deeds alone are not the way God saves.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ washed away our deeds, good or sinful. Our deeds were nailed on the cross with Christ. We left them there, and now God judges us by our faith in him. And the sins mounted against us are washed clean by Christ’s blood.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Colossians Chapter 2

Know God’s Word So No Man Can Deceive You

Scripture: 1 John 3: 7-9

Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Scripture Commentary: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)

“No one who is born of God will continue to sin.” Let no man deceive you in this!

There is a difference between committing a sin and continuing to sin. The most faithful believers commit sins. What distinguishes them from sinners is their response to sin. Believers repent, confess, and ask forgiveness from God. They acknowledge that they have sinned, that they have done something wrong, and they strive to better themselves by not committing the action again.

Sinners are deceived for they do not recognize their error. They believe they are doing nothing wrong. . This is when the Christian community is valuable. We should help each other to stay on God’s path. Do not reject someone for stumbling in their error. Be a help to guide them to the walk of righteousness.

We all have areas in our lives where temptation is strong and habits are hard to conquer. Weaknesses give the devil an opening to interrupt our walk with God. We must deal with our areas of vulnerability.

Seek the power of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word to gain victory over prevailing sin. Stay away from tempting situations. Let Jesus Christ take you through trying times, and put yourself in God’s hands and believe in him.

Read the Entire Chapter:
1 John Chapter 3
1 John Chapter 1

God Is the Root That Supports You

Scripture: Romans 11: 12, 16, 18

But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!(12) If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.(16) do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.(18)

Scripture Commentary: God is the root of the tree

As sinners we are branches that have fallen off of the olive tree. When we repent and come to Christ, we are being grafted onto Jesus’ tree. We become a part of his family and we are supported by he who is the root.

As members of the tree, we have a responsibility to graft more branches onto our single body. We do not have a right to put others down. This is analogous to Paul’s vision for the church, where Jews and Gentiles would unite with God and Christ. God’s original plan was for the Jews to be a source of God’s blessings to the Gentiles.

There is great rejoicing when we come to Christ

We have been grafted onto a tree representative of God’s promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Therefore, we must work to unite Jews and Gentiles, and to become one with Christ.

When a Jew comes to Christ, there is a great rejoicing. Symbolically, a dead person has come back to life. When Christ is in you, a new you has been born. We are all absolutely dependent upon God. He is the root of the tree, the source of all things including ourselves. God deserves our praise.

Have you been grafted into the family, or are you a wild olive branch?

Read the Entire Chapter:
Romans Chapter 11

What Message Does God Have For You?

Scripture: Jeremiah 44: 16-17

We will not listen to the message you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord! We will certainly do everything we said we would: We will burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and will pour out drink offerings to her just as we and our ancestors, our kings and our officials did in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. At that time we had plenty of food and were well off and suffered no harm.

Scripture Commentary: Listen to the message from the Lord

God told the people of Jerusalem and Judah what to do through Jeremiah. He also told them what would happen if they did not follow his instruction. The people came to Jeremiah, asking him to pray to the Lord. They wanted to know what message God had for them. When God answered, they did not like what they heard.

Have you sought guidance from God, but turned around and ignored it? If you ignore God’s advice, then why are you asking?

God will always answer your prayers. His answers will not always be what you want to hear, but God will tell you what you need to hear. He knows how to overcome your obstacles and he wants what’s best for you.

We learn from our past mistakes and use those experiences as a place from which to grow. If you ask God for help and ignore him, you will repeat mistakes and make no progress. To fail to learn from failure is to ensure failure in the future. Look at your problems and recognize the true source.

When calamity forces you to examine your life, take a close look at God’s instructions for you.

Read the Entire Chapter:
Jeremiah 44