In Him we live

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Grace, Relationship, Trust

                               … that special place, in Grace!!

      for in Him we live and move and have our being,
      Acts 17:28

This tells us that where Christ is, is where we live,
… where we spend (or should spend) our days!
… in Him and in His presence!
It is kind of like being a page in a book,
… where the book goes, the pages go!

      In other words, where Jesus goes, we go,
      … what He does we do with Him,
      … and whatever He experiences, we experience.
      A life filled with the potential of God almighty!

There is however an additional benefit of being in Christ,
… living and experiencing what He does!

      When we are truly in Him,
      … we are not directly exposed to what is happening around us,
      and therefore when there is an attack,
      … we are not in the front line,
      for although we are at the front line,
      … we are protected by the One we are in!

Like a page in a book that falls to the ground,
… the book is exposed to the impact,
… but we the pages, are inside, protected and unharmed.

Praise God that we can be in Him!
 

Why Faith?

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Faith, Grace, Trust

                                      … for the just shall live by faith!

      My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
      knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
      James 1:2-3

Why is our faith tested, and why does God allow it?

      It is by faith that we believe and receive from God,
      … therefore satan wants to hinder our faith,
      … to stop us from believing and receiving from God!
      And it is for that very same reason that God allows it,
      because as we resist satan’s attacks,
      … and patiently resist his negative testing,
      … our faith is strengthened and built up!

But how do you resist satan and his lies?
By believing and standing on what God said,
… what God tells us in His Word.

      But that no one is justified by the law
      in the sight of God is evident,
      for “the just shall live by faith.”
      Gal.3:11

Standing and living what you believe!
In other words,
… living by believing God and His Word!
a lifestyle that brings you into grace,
… that place in Him where you live because of Him
… and by what He has done.

      The way of grace is the way of faith!
      You live by believing (by faith).

      for in Him we live and move and have our being.
      Acts 17:28

Follow Him

Posted on jan4 CommentsPosted in Character, Life, Relationship

                                      Abide in Me and My words in you!

Jesus said the following well known words to us …

      Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself,
      and take up his cross, and follow Me.
      Mark 8:34

Of course we all desire to follow Jesus,
… but what did Jesus mean and how do we do that?
He explained it by also saying this to us …

      My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
      John 10:27
      Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.
      Matt 4:19

Jesus wants us to have a personal relationship with Him,
… in which He can speak into our lives as we hear Him,
… in which He can show us His will for our lives!
In other words, He wants to be our ‘good’ shepherd,
… and therefore also said to us,

      If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask
      what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
      By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;
      so you will be My disciples.
      John 15:7-8

But how will I know that I am hearing and doing His will?
      If you are aware of His love for you,
      … that He wants you healed, strong and living a full life, in Him,
      and you expect to receive all that He did for you on the cross,
      … then life, health, healing, joy, peace will truly be yours,
      and you are indeed following him!

      Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
      And lean not on your own understanding;
      In all your ways acknowledge Him,
      And He shall direct your paths.
      Prov 3:5-6

Ask in faith

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Faith, Life, Relationship

                                      … without doubting!

When we talk about faith,
… we normally mean that we believe God,
… and that we are believing God for something!
Yet, the apostle James in talking about life and how faith develops,
… tells us that our faith will be tested,
and gives us this instruction,

      If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,
      who gives to all liberally and without reproach,
      and it will be given to him.
      James 1:5
Then continues by saying,
      But let him ask in faith, with no doubting,
      James 1:6

Why does James first tell us that our faith will be tested,
… then tells us that if we lack wisdom,
we should ask God without doubting …
How does this all influence our faith and receiving from God?

James in talking about how to build and live by faith,
… is telling us that wisdom is the key,
that God is ready to liberally share His wisdom with us,
… and all we need is to ask without doubting!
Without doubting what?
… that He will give us an answer to our request!

James was saying,
      if you want your faith to grow,
      God and His wisdom are all that is important,
      … not your need, your knowledge or your actions!

In other words …
Ask God for wisdom, for what to do (in everything)!
We need His wisdom to know His will, for and in our lives!
We need to ask for that wisdom in faith,
… without doubting that God will give us the wisdom we asked for!

      Faith is not just about God’s promises and our needs,
      … and faith is not just about God meeting our needs,
      But …
      Faith is about a relationship with God (in whom we trust),
      A relationship in which God Himself is real in our lives,
      … and not just His promises to us!
      A relationship in which we expect God Himself to answer,
      … in which we expect to hear God Himself for our lives!

Therefore James was saying to us,
You are not going to hear God, even if He shouts at you,
unless you ask without doubting that you will hear the answer,
which simply means,
… you have to EXPECT that He will actually answer you!

      Call to Me, and I will answer you,
      and show you great and mighty things,
      which you do not know.
      Jer.33:3

Value Life

Posted on jan1 CommentPosted in Love, Relationship, Value

                                 Is someone on your mind, today?

 
Having others uppermost on your mind,
… is not just about birthdays, anniversaries or Christmas,
… but they should daily be on our minds.
Others should be special to us,
… not just because of what they are having,
… but because of who they are!

But how is it possible to live that kind of life?
Well there is a biblical principle that tells us how…

      ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and,
      ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'”
      Matt 19:19

So how is this helping us know what to do?
It is simply telling us that it all starts with how we see ourselves.

      Start by seeing yourself as special, as special to God,
      … as someone who God loves and who God wants to bless
      As you do that, seeing a value in yourself,
      … not because of what you have achieved,
      … but simply because God sees you as valuable.
      Once that becomes real to you,
      … it becomes easier and easier to see others as special,
      … as it is not in response to their actions or words
      but simply because you have decided to see them as valuable!

This is the love that passes understanding,
… which supersedes words or circumstances,
and responds to a value which you see in yourself,
… enabling you to see it in others!

      This valuing of life,
      … which sees a value in life
      is what reveals and releases the ability to love, in you.

 

Be what you are …

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Character, Life


 
Is what you say of yourself,
… a title or a reality?

      If you say you are a ‘Christ’ian,
      … then you’re saying that you’re a Jesus person!

If you are a Jesus person,
… then you should be living as He is!

      Love has been perfected among us in this:
      that we may have boldness in the day of judgment;
      because as He is, so are we in this world.
      1 John 4:17

Jesus in John 10:10 specifically said,
… I have come that you may have life!
For that life to be real in my life,
… I have to be living love the way He did,
and I should be doing what He did and still does,
… living for others!

How will I do that?
Again, do it the way Jesus did …

      Then Jesus answered and said to them,
      “Most assuredly, I say to you,
      the Son can do nothing of Himself,
      but what He sees the Father do;
      for whatever He does,
      the Son also does in like manner.
      John 5:19

And you will be living,
… what and who you are (in Him)!
 

If there’s no real choice

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Character, Life, Responsibility

                                           … there’s no real life!

The need to choose … Life or Existence?

          If you don’t have a choice,
          … then there will be no real life,
          … no real faith and no real future,
          but merely a pointless existence!

Sure you can accept the Big Bang theory,
… then your future is as sure as,
here today, gone tomorrow.

God said …
          For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
          says the Lord,
          thoughts of peace and not of evil,
          to give you a future and a hope.
          Jer 29:11

Yes, there is a choice, there is a future,
… and the choice is yours.
You are responsible to choose your future,
… to choose what your life is going to be.

          I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you,
          that I have set before you life and death,
          blessing and cursing; therefore choose life,
          that both you and your descendants may live;
          Deut 30:19

A choice you will never regret …

          I have come that they may have life,
          and that they may have it more abundantly.
          John 10:10

 

Eternal Life!

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Life, Potential

                                           … is all about NOW!


Understanding that eternity is all about now,
… opens such potential and opportunities!       (see   Eternity    &    Eternity now )

          Just think of it … now is forever!
          I can do anything … now!
          I have all of now to do everything, anything.

          Equally important though is,
          … what I don’t do NOW, I will never do,
          … because the only time I have is NOW!

However, what about eternal life?
What is eternal life that we have in Jesus,
… and how does it differ from life as we know it?

Well, what does the Bible tell us about eternal life?

          Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:
          “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son,
          that Your Son also may glorify You,
          as You have given Him authority over all flesh,
          that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
          And this is eternal life, that they may know You,
          the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
          1 John 17:1-3

Eternal life is about knowing God the Father,
… and living His will in your life!
So in reality, eternal life is about,
… what you are doing now with your life!
Or in simpler terms,
… with whom are you spending eternity?

          What are you doing with the life God has given you?
          With whom are you living your life,
          … and for whom are you living your life?

If it is with and for God … it’s eternal life!

Let God show you

Posted on jan3 CommentsPosted in Challenge, Grace, Trust

                                                             … His Picture!

 
Every thought, every plan, every action we take,
… is based on a picture (not just some words)
So also the circumstances we find ourselves in,
… pictures that often are a challenge to deal with.

Important therefore is the perception of those pictures,
… and to know that any picture is subject to change!
Therefore …

Don’t let the picture carry you,
… let God carry you through the picture.
Don’t let circumstances influence you,
… but let God direct your steps.

      A man’s heart plans his way,
      But the Lord directs his steps.
      Prov 16:9

Let God show you His picture that He has for you,
… and let God guide you through the circumstances you are facing.
In other words, let God in on your picture,
… and let God show you His will in whatever circumstance you are in,
… let Him place you in that picture He has for you,

      For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
      thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
      Jer 29:11

God is more real than any picture your mind paints,
… let Him show you His way,
don’t let the problem or circumstance become more real than God.

 

God in your life?

Posted on janLeave a commentPosted in Character, Commitment, Trust

                               … or just part of your life?

 
Unless God is God in every area of your life,
… He is not God in your LIFE!

      We want or expect God to be,
      … God in our bodies and in our health,
      … God in our family and in our needs,
      … God of our provision, our peace and protection!

      But when it comes to our work, business and finances,
      … we want to decide what and how things should be,
      … we want to decide how our finances are regulated,
      which simply means that,
      … God is not and cannot be God of our lives!

Whilst there is any part of your life that you have not put in His hands,
… that you control, and that you are the final authority of,
God clearly says He does not know you,
… because there is a part of your life that is not open to Him!

      When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door,
      and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying,
      ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you,
      ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’
      then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence,
      and You taught in our streets.’
      But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.
      Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’
      Luke 13:25-27