Kept In Heaven For You

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ in His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that  can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5

     Your inheritance in heaven can never perish, spoil or fade. It is kept in heaven just for you through Jesus, our Savior. Let these verses give you confidence to live your life with His power, His protection, His promises. He loves you. You belong to Him.

     I love the last verse above. We are shielded through our faith! Satan cannot get to us when we stand firm in our faith in Christ above all else. His power lives within us through His Holy Spirit. The Spirit will guide, will teach, will convict, will speak through us if we will just let Him.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14;26

     Don’t worry about what to say. (Luke 12:12) The Spirit will remind us of the things Jesus has taught us through His Word. Relax in His presence. Rely on His power. Remind yourself of His promise.

Jesus,

We are already seated in heaven with You. Our inheritance is secure. The Holy Spirit will walk with us throughout our lives, continually showing us the way and getting us back on track when we falther. Your promises always come to pass.

Amen

The Day of the Lord

     As we witness the chaos and violence around us, we might be tempted to sit back and wait for Jesus. We know He is coming. Do we do nothing and wait or do we continue to work for Him? I believe if you are a Christian and you are alive, God will use you!

     Peter reminds us of what is coming on the earth and in the heavens.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10-13

     Living godly and holy lives comes through our relationship with Christ. Did you notice in the verses above that we may speed His coming? Spread the Gospel. Love everyone, showing compassion and kindness. Be filled with a hope, a hope the unbelieving world does not understand. We know the end of the story. Until then, work diligently in pleasing your heavenly Father.

Lord,

We need You to keep us filled with faith and hope during these difficult days. You are in control even when it appears as if evil is winning. Let us shine with Your love wherever we walk today.

Amen

In The Last Days

     Satan looks around the world with his usual smirking pride. He loves nothing more than lies, violence, confusion, chaos and deception. He hates truth. He wants to be worshipped. He wants the throne. It is no surprise to see the world today. The Words of Scripture prophesied such a time as this long ago.

But mark this. There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

     Quite a list. We witness the above every day. God holds the answer. The answer is His Son. Jesus transforms lives and each life matters to Him. Every person, at one time, will have the choice to accept the gift of Christ’s redeeming love or to turn away. The evil one waits and watches and corrupts and stirs up trouble. One day soon, Jesus will make His move and wipe out evil, all of it, once and for all.

The Lord says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Psalm 110:1

     We don’t understand why evil has to run its course. But Satan is on a leash and the time is at hand. What will you do with Jesus?

Father,

It can be a terrifying world. You promise redemption. You promise a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness will reign. You promise forever to those who believe. Jesus offers us hope and new life. Open hearts to Him, please.

Amen

Working, Watching, Waiting

     Working for Christ. Watching for the signs of the times. Waiting patiently for His coming. Working, watching, waiting.

And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.  John 2;28

     As we work, wait and watch, God asks us to:

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you, in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

     Give thanks in all circumstances, rejoice always, pray continually. How can we do this and why? Here is our answer. Jesus is the answer.

May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it! 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

     Our God is a God of peace. He will get us ready for His coming. Work, wait and watch. Pray, rejoice, give thanks. He is faithful!

Jesus,

What comforting Words You give us today. Hold us close, so that our entire body, soul and spirit will be ready for the day You appear. You are faithful.

Amen

    

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.

     Do you place complete confidence and trust in our Lord? Do you believe He is working for good even when you don’t see the results or feel His presence? Is your faith in Him growing stronger? Are you gaining wisdom and knowledge from His Word? I pray the answer to the above questions is a resounding “yes!” Here are some verses to remind you of what we have and who we are.

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13

     Signed. Sealed Delivered. Not a Stevie Wonder song, but our truth. When we believed, we were forgiven once and for all, we were sealed with the Holy Spirit guaranteeing our spot in heave. We are already seated in the heavenly realms. Delivered to eternity. Count on it. Let’s live our lives for the One who saved us.

Jesus,

Remind us of the treasures we have in You. We want to trust You even when our world seems to be crashing down around us. You have the final answers to the deepest questions. We pray for others to understand and to seek You with all of their hearts.

Amen

    

His Representative

We are, therefore, Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf. Be reconciled to God.  God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

     The verses above give us confidence in the Gospel, confidence that we are now the righteousness of God and confidence that we might represent Jesus. “He makes His appeal through us!” What a privilege!

     How will He use us today? How can we best represent Him to a world hungry and thirsty for the good news? The soul without Christ will never be satisfied. He is the only One to fill the emptiness, to offer real peace and deep joy.

     Let’s represent our heavenly home with compassion, with comfort for the grieving and companionship for the lonely. We offer the love Christ first gave us. He loved us when we were lost and gave us hope. The hope that lasts forever.

Jesus,

Show us how to represent You today. Teach us Your ways. They don’t come naturally, but the Holy Spirit within us is available to guide us along the way.

Amen

Final Freedom

     The inward work of the Holy Spirit is supernatural. When you look back over the years of following Jesus, you will witness a change. A change in attitude, a change in the peace within, a change in an ever-increasing forgiving heart. Yes, it’s a heart change.

     Our outward bodies may be growing weaker. Our inward strength will be drawing us closer and closer to the image of Christ, until we reach our final glorious state in heaven. Let each footstep bring excitement as we move closer to eternity. Our final reward will outweigh everything we have suffered on this earth. And here are my favorite Bible verses!

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4;16-18

Jesus,

Thank You for our country. Protect our freedoms and protect our families as we celebrate this week. You give us the ultimate freedom from death. Keep us safe in You.

Amen

Happy 4th of July.  See you next Wednesday, July 6th!