God has called you and me into His kingdom and glory to walk holy, sanctified before Him. He has made you and me holy, sanctified ones, saints. In your walk with the Lord, sanctified before Him, you live as one whose body is a temple of God. You speak the truth in love. You love … [Read more…]
Being spiritually useful and productive glorifies the name of our Lord Jesus in us. Not only that, we are glorified in him. Paul actually prayed that for the Thessalonians and us. To this end, we always pray for you, that our God will count you worthy of His calling, and that He will powerfully fulfill … [Read more…]
Stand up for Jesus! Ye soldiers of the cross. The Lord was putting that edifying and encouraging Hymn on my heart. I often sang it with the Lutheran congregation I grew up with from 1939 to 1957. It was written by George Duffield, Jr. (1818-1888) in 1858. He was inspired to write this text after … [Read more…]
That those who respected the LORD is from one of my favorite portions of God’s Word given to God’s old covenant people. It concludes the Old Testament in Malachi chapters 3 and 4 and gives us immense things of the kingdom to ponder. For, we are to walk before the Lord in righteousness, peace and … [Read more…]
We walk worthy of our calling when we put on our regenerated being God creates when we are born again. We are born again when we repent from the ways of the flesh and are baptized, as Peter instructed the Jews who were born again on the day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:38-39) Repent means turn away … [Read more…]
One of the rich blessings God our Father has bestowed upon us is our ability to see spiritual things. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Messiah. Ephesians 1:3 (Rev 7:10) When we believed in Messiah, we … [Read more…]
The good pleasure of goodness is a blessing of God that motivates us to be useful and productive in things of eternal importance. We find spiritual meaning and purpose in our life in Messiah Jesus, doing what God motivates us to do. When God blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Messiah … [Read more…]
A quick, edifying spiritual tuneup is found in 1 Thessalonian 5 and contains 438 inspired, astute, words by Paul. He first exhorts us regarding the last day. Then, urges us live at peace with one another. He concludes with this blessing: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit … [Read more…]
Lukewarm Christians are in trouble with Messiah Jesus. Paul warned they would abound in the last days. 1But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of … [Read more…]
We stand firm against the devil’s strategies in two complementary spiritual ways, growing up in Messiah and putting on the whole armor of God. Stand Firm: Growing up in Messiah In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul tells us how we grow up. As we grow up in Messiah, we are no longer taken in by the … [Read more…]