In John 3:16 it states "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believeth in Him will have eternal life." In Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?" In the Book of John we see that Salvation comes from God as a gift to humanity, but in Luke, it points out that obedience to God is a choice each person has to make. Through salvation we have become a new creation in Christ, but our obedience to God should be fruit of this transformation. Let's discover together how our obedience is not dependent on us but God in us.
Life is full of so many moving parts, so many situations, so many people, so many tragedies, so many victories, so many _________ (you can fill in the blank). But, through it all, God has a plan and a purpose. In Romans 8:28, it states - all things work together for good to those who love God. Lets see how God gets to work in our lives.
Israel had a brick quota they had to meet as slaves, and if they did not meet it, they would face harsh consequences from the Egyptians. In Exodus, we discovered the Egyptians withheld straw from Israel, which hindered their ability to make bricks. However, Israel realized God did not forsake them, but He had a perfect plan to take care of them. Yes sometimes walking out God's plan can be tough, and MAY appear hopeless. We have to allow those difficult times to mature our character and cultivate a deep unyielding hope. How do you respond when your straw has been taken away?
Two key components of Christianity are faith and the church. This week, we will look at how these two facets are closely entwined and vital in the lives of Christians.
Happy Mother's Day! Today is a day we have set aside to honor and recognize our moms and all they have done in our lives. Let's discover together how the role of moms fit into the perfect plan God has for mankind.
In Revelation 12, it states, "they overcame him (Satan) by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony." This made me reflect on the value and the power of our testimony. Our testimony, in a nutshell, is our lives. How we lived, what we lived for, who we lived for; choices, trials, blessings, victories, failures, the list goes on. Life is not easy, nor is our testimony easy. But in Christ, regardless of the difficulty or suffering we may have endured, through Christ our testimony will always say - "they overcame!"
Too many times, we as people live our lives striving to be first at everything we do. We equate being first as someone who is successful, great, blessed, or favored by God. Especially as Americans, we are conditioned that our personal value is based on how successful we are. Are we first? But this definition is based on worldly standards: work titles, financial status, what we own, etc. All these things will fade away. But only life in Christ can true success be found. Striving after Him and measuring against His standard will bring everlasting life and peace. This is true success; this will make you first.
The love and grace of Jesus has given mankind the opportunity for redemption. Jesus' sacrifice provided us the opportunity to be "reborn" into a new creation. We are no longer sinners, but we have been reconciled to God to be His children. We are now given the chance to be joint heirs with Christ! It is up to you!
Resurrection Sunday: Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we have been given salvation, hope and truth. The Father desires relationship with us not just today, but all 365 days of the year. Our journey doesn’t end at salvation; we have a choice to make every day to walk on the path God has put in front of us. Even though it comes at a cost, God paid the ultimate sacrifice. He has given us the strength to make the choice to die to our flesh, be a light in this broken world, and to fix our eyes on Christ every day.
