Making the best of your circumstances

As a child of God, He directs your whole life from your birth to your death including today, the day we live in the present. Never think things are not as they should be. Instead, ask yourself by the spirit, what is God intending for me here. Whenever you direct your present efforts to His glory that is the intercession of the saints. That's why God saved you. He saved you for His purpose. Now that purpose may seem small to you, but it is everything to God. So make the best of your circumstances, because you are where you are by the knowledge of God.

When Your Belief Becomes Personal

We confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord, but for our belief to be personal, we call on Him in a personal crisis. We must believe that Jesus is who He says He is and He can do what He says He can do without a backup plan for our life. Do you believe this, Jesus asks? You who have little faith. Whatever you ask of the Father in My name He will do. Do you believe this? Faith is only as good as the object of our faith who is Christ Jesus, the eternal Son of God. Amen.

We are to be partakers in Christ's suffering

Jesus suffered according to the will of God. He suffered for the Jew and alien alike. His offer of the gospel was to all, not only to those who were his followers. In the same way, if we are to be like Jesus, we too must not shun suffering, because we are His workmanship and instruments of His divine journey. Count it all as joy when you are chosen not only as recipients of grace but also granters of mercy.

The Gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who believe, it is the power of God

One reason some fail to respond to the gospel, is because they are afraid they cannot pull off the Christian life. They're right, they cannot in their own flesh. Our flesh is at war with our spiritual life and our sin nature always "reasons" why it should not believe. It is a comfort to know that the responsibility for the Christian life is the role of the Holy Spirit of God, not our fleshly selves. But what we can do is agree with God and with Christ concerning Christ's redemptive work and accept the fact that Christ alone can rid me of my sin problem and nature. Agreeing with the gospel is a huge step, because it takes the action out of the physical realm into the spiritual one where the battle is really fought. In the end we will emerge victorious because our results do not depend on us but on God.

When Jesus says "for My sake."

In the World, we consider the idea of "give and take" to be fair. This is not true to the followers of Jesus. Jesus wants EVERYTHING to be for His sake. This is a giving up of what you want for what He wants EVERYTIME. Is this fair? I think so. If we were being ordered to serve Him it would be one thing. But Jesus says "for My sake" and for the sake of the gospel, do this. It is a motivation based on loyal love (agape) instead of on any requirements of faith.

Love of Self vs Love of Jesus

Jesus exhorts believers to obedience, but doe not require it. Salvation is a free gift of God, but discipleship is costly. To be a disciple, Jesus states you must give up your right to Yourself and give it to Him. Whoever wants to be a disciple must pick his cross and carry it through obedience. My brother in Christ may still go to heaven based on his trust in Christ for eternal life. But only the disciple will help build the kingdom this side of heaven.

Enter Into Fellowship With Me, Arise & Shine

The gateway to fellowship with the Father is the same gateway that He provided His Son which is the way of the Cross. Pain and suffering are not the mark of losers, but the mark of those who have been called by God to enter into fellowship with Him by way of the Son. Count it all as joy when God knows you by name and has called you into His marvelous Light.