LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 119:9-10, How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

 

King David is given credit for writing this Psalm. He probably wrote it later in his life and wrote it for his son, Solomon (according to Bible scholars). The question he raises is a great question for people of all ages and seems to be very appropriate in the days we live in. The question of how we live pure and moral lives while living in this evil, unrighteous world must be answered by each of who have given our lives to Jesus Christ, those who have been “born again”. Living pure lives in the ungodly environment we live in can be very difficult, especially if there is no one to support us when we face temptations. I am a work in progress, but let me offer some suggestions.

 

Perhaps the key to this is in the words, “By taking heed according to Your Word.” For those who read this that are much younger than me, I must encourage you to open God’s Word every day. Read, study, and apply it to your life; make it the center of everything you do! For those who are older, I encourage you to do the same thing! This might seem easy, but when you make a conscious decision to do this, there will be all sorts of things that will try to interfere and cause you to be too busy. Before you know it, the day is over and you have not opened your Bible. I was encouraged last week to hear an individual I have been praying for, spends time in devotions each morning before the work day begins! May this be a decision each of us makes.

 

We “seek God with our whole heart” by taking time to pray. Talk to Him. Get to know Him through His Word and spend time in prayer. God’s written Word is God speaking to us. Reading, studying, praying work together so we get to know who He is and guides us each day. We gain strength to do the right thing each day, to speak truth instead of what we think people want us to say, and to say no to temptation. I have found that over the years since I asked Jesus into my life that my desire to read/study His Word and spend time in prayer has never stopped. I have learned that the important issue is not how much time I spend in the Word but what the Word has done to change me. Can anyone else say the same thing?

 

Be encouraged to commit God’s Word to memory. Doing so will help you stand on the truth when faced with the deception found in the world. I have found so much joy when it strengthened me to do the right thing when following the crowd would have been easier. Knowing His Word has helped me through tough situations when forced to give up those things I truly loved doing (not just bad things, by the way).

 

The way to keep yourself clean and pure is to live according to God’s Word. It is the way each of us dies to self and walk the narrow way with Jesus as the authority in our life. It is a daily decision each of us must make.

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Philippians 1:20-24, For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don’t know which is better. Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be better for me, but it is better for you that I live. (New Living Translation)

 

Paul wrote this letter to the Philippians from a Roman jail. He was writing to them because he wanted to express his love for them and to express his great joy that he had gained from fellowship with them and to encourage them to continue to grow in their relationship with the Lord. They were concerned about his imprisonment and he wanted them to believe God could use his circumstances to spread the gospel to people he might not have otherwise been able to reach. Paul was confident that he would be released from jail but he still had to face some sort of trial which also might end with his death.

 

Paul was secure in his faith; he was confident that he would represent Jesus Christ well. Go back and read the verses before verse 20. Paul speaks as if he had already won the battle because God would be glorified regardless of what happened to him. Paul’s desire was to glorify God whether he lived or died. It is interesting that both aspects of what Paul said happened. He was released from his first Roman imprisonment and continued his earthly ministry. He was arrested again, was put in a Roman jail, and later died at the hands of the Romans.

 

“For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better.” This is an interesting statement. For Believers, it means that the result of our death is eternity in heaven; when we die, we immediately enter our eternal rest in the kingdom of God. We shall meet Jesus and be with Him forever. We shall know that our journey on the narrow way was worth every trial, every tear.

 

But what does it mean when Paul writes “living is Christ”? It simply means we are to share the gospel of Christ. It means that from the time Paul was converted until he was executed by the Romans everything he said, everywhere he went, everything he did was to advance the gospel. His total focus was to bring glory to his Savior. That should be the goal of every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, those “born again”.

 

“Living is Christ” means we imitate the life of Christ as best we can. Do you remember WWJD? It might have been popular at one time but doing What Jesus Would Do is important for every Christian as they live their life. I have written before about people watching everything and listening to every word to see if what they do lines up with what they say. It is more often what a person does, the way he/she acts and behaves that causes others to want to know more about one who follows Jesus.

 

“Living is Christ” means getting to know Him better every day; it is not knowing a lot of “stuff about Him”. Read Philippians 3:10-11! It means giving up anything that prevents us from following Him as He demands in His Word. It is focusing on Him and diligently doing all we can to walk on the narrow way to eternity in His kingdom. It is about being all in and not following Him half-heartedly (Dr. Ed Newton).

 

I encourage you to keep Jesus Christ at the very center of your heart, mind, body, and soul. Do everything you do for the glory of God in life and in death. All you do, all you give up for His glory will be worth it to someday hear, “Well done good and faithful servant!”.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Philippians 1:20-24, For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don’t know which is better. Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be better for me, but it is better for you that I live. (New Living Translation)

 

I went to my third funeral Monday in the last month and a half, my second in the last four days. I heard three different messages about the hope people have about eternity. I watched as people gave honor to each individual for lives well lived and listened to words spoken that offered fond memories. I have had time to think about various verses in the Bible that offer comfort, hope, and eternal life.

 

For two of the individuals, death came unexpectedly, suddenly, certainly a shock to all of us. It is a reminder that not one of us is promised tomorrow. I have said that phrase often and what I mean is not one of us is promised to be alive on this earth tomorrow – conducting business as usual. All of us must consider that death is not the end; there is an eternity. The Word of God is clear about hell, a place of eternal separation from God, and clear about heaven, a place where the God of all creation lives. The place all of us choose is decided by each of us while we are alive on earth. The choice is made by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord or rejecting Him. The Word of God tells us He is the only Way, the Truth and the Life, the only way to eternity in heaven. Dr. Ed Newton continually tells us that heaven is not filled with good people; it is filled with saved people. Those who have chosen life through Jesus Christ “stay ready so they do not have to get ready” (Dr. Newton).

 

Believers in Jesus Christ will take their last breath here on earth and take their next breath in heaven. That is the hope we have, the faith we have because of our salvation in Jesus. Yet, as humans we mourn for loved ones that die before us. At the funeral, we can celebrate a loved one who goes before us and at the same time mourn because we will miss them. Saying goodbye is certainly painful and difficult. The comfort I find is knowing that the one we are saying goodbye to has a relationship with Jesus Christ and there will be a day when we will be reunited in God’s kingdom for eternity.

 

Once again, I got away from the verses I used at the beginning of this page of the blog. I would like to examine what the apostle Paul was saying in these verses tomorrow.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 15:1-2, I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.  Jesus

 

The verses of John 15 about the true vine are a parable where Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and those who have become His disciples are the branches; Jesus is the source of all life. The branches bear fruit by remaining attached to Him. God is the One who takes care of the branches who are either fruit-bearing or barren. The ones who are barren may look like the other branches but because they are not producing fruit, they show they are different. God expects all the branches to bear fruit – righteousness, justice, forgiveness, and loving others are among His expectations.

 

The emphasis for today’s page of the blog is on the pruning. Those branches that bear fruit are those who have life in them because they endure in their faith and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father prunes them in order for them to be more fruitful. In other words, “He removes from their lives anything that diverts or hinders the vital life-flow of Christ in them. The fruit is the quality of Christian character that brings glory to God through their character and witness” (LSSB).   The branches cannot bear fruit on their own, they must remain connected to the vine.

 

When one accepts Jesus Christ into his/her heart or is “born-again”, he/she receives eternal life and the power to remain in Christ or the vine. The Believer must then accept the responsibility of salvation and remain in Christ. Verse 4 states, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” As Believers, we have life as long as His life flows through us. How do we do that? We keep God’s Word continually in our hearts and minds, so it becomes our guide in everything we do and speak. We must individually make prayer and time spent with God our priority, a habit, in order to receive strength from Him. Obviously, our lives must reflect living as He has commanded and live because of our love for Him. We must love others. I hear often at our church, “Love God, love others” (Dr. Ed Newton). Our responsibility is to live our lives clean by reading/studying His Word and by resisting all sin and yielding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

The narrow way is often written about on the pages of this blog. Each of us realize that this walk is often difficult; Jesus told us that this way would be difficult. I believe there is an important principle to realize in this. The saving relationship between Jesus Christ and Believers is that it is never based only on a past decision or experience. Instead, it is a relationship where Christ lives in Believers and guides and shares His life with them. The meaning of this is very significant. Verse 4 tells me the responsibility of remaining in Christ is the responsibility of each Believer – the power to do so was given to each Believer at the time Jesus Christ was asked into their heart. As Believers remains in Christ, He continues to live within them, and we experience tremendous joy and bear fruit for Him.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.  Jesus

 

If I had to select what I considered the greatest difference between Christianity and other religions found in the world, I believe it would be the love of God. It is far greater than the feelings one has for another such as the love I have for my wife. God’s love is perfect and not based on another’s actions or qualities. Jesus said these words and would show His great love for all who would believe in Him by sacrificing His life on a cross for them. Once we accept Him as Savior, we are to love others in that same way. Can you imagine how different the world would be if Christians would love like God? God loves us more than we can imagine. He must or I believe He would have given up on me long ago. Because He lives in us, He is the source of love that is in each of us.

 

The Greek word for this type of love is “agape” which means selfless or the love of the Father in heaven; it is a spiritual love that we only receive as we walk with God. It is altogether different from the worldly, natural love which is conditional and based on feelings and conditions. This natural love wears off or goes away when the emotion is gone. Our culture is centered on what it calls love and often confuses love for passion which causes people to act and do things (even good things) for the wrong reasons. Compared to God’s love, the natural love we see is weak and short-lived. Agape love is only learned from God and walking with Him on the narrow way to eternal life in His kingdom.

 

When Jesus said that one knows how to love when one lays down their life for another – which He showed by going to the cross for whosoever would believe in Him -- He gave us the example as to how we should live our lives. He meant literally dying for another. This begins by dying to ourselves and giving to others what they need. To me this means giving of our possessions, our wealth, our time to help others in their need. Who was Jesus talking about when He said, “for his friends”? He meant whoever we saw in need – even our enemies.

 

This chapter in John begins with Jesus being referred to as the true vine, the source of all life. Believers are referred to as the branches that are to bear fruit. The branches cannot bear fruit independently of the vine which means Christians cannot be independent from the love of Jesus. Pruning of the branches is a natural part of the Christian walk. God will prune our hearts as we draw closer to him daily. When we choose to live our lives as He desires, we begin to submit our plans to the plans He has for us by living and sharing God’s love with those who He sends to us.

 

The love of God can be tough. When He sent His Son to die for us, He knew we would not always love Him in return. But everything He does is meant to draw each of us closer to Him or bring us into a relationship with Him! The love Jesus showed by laying down His life for us is an example for us to live by. Each day, we lay down our own selfish will, our own selfish desires to share with others His purposes and His kingdom. We go through His pruning to focus on Him alone. Yes, we do our work, but we do it with the kingdom of God in mind, for Him and not our selfish purpose.

 

To lay down our lives, to show God’s love has little to do with us and everything to do with the Lord Jesus Christ. We submit to Him, to His will, and live obediently to the truth of God’s Word.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.

 

 Does this describe you today? I just feel so blessed and filled with joy this morning and wanted to write the blessing we have as Christians. Psalm 1 introduces the entire book of Psalms – I know I have a keen sense of the obvious! Read the entire Psalm and you will see it contrasts the only two kinds of people recognized by God; each has their own particular principles they live by. The godly are characterized by righteousness, love, obedience to God’s Word and are separated from the world system. The ungodly represent those who desire to live as the world does, seeks the world’s counsel not God’s, they mock God and the way He desires people to live.

 

I want you to notice how the Psalmist shows how evil draws people to it. The “counsel of the ungodly” refers to one seeking the advice from people who encourage them to do evil; this counsel encourages people to not be concerned with righteous living nor being obedient to God. The David Jeremiah Study Bible notes show what happens when people seek advice from the ungodly, “The ungodly move from the counsel to walking on the path (that would be the broad way) to settling into the seat as they embrace an evil way of life”.

 

The righteous can be distinguished from the wicked or unrighteous by their lifestyle and the people they like to be around as well as by the things they “delight in”. The Psalmist makes clear that no person can experience God’s blessing without turning from harmful associations and be firmly rooted in God’s Word. Two very important thoughts come from the first two verses, 1) those who turn from evil are blessed (not as the world defines blessing), and 2) being blessed comes from building their lives around the instructions found in God’s Word. The notes in The Life in the Spirit Study Bible expand on this, “They genuinely take pleasure in God and His beauty and pattern their lives according to His Word. What motivates their actions is love for God and His Word. As they draw life from God, they live fruitbearing lives (v.3)”.

 

It takes time and effort to read/study/meditate on God’s Word. But it is necessary in order to live as God wants us to. It takes a desire to Know God better and to know His great love for us. That motivates me to want to take time each day to do this in order to shape my thinking, attitude, and actions.  Am I perfect? Of course not! Do I make mistakes? Every day! Yes, I have plenty of time each day to spend reading/studying, meditating and writing this blog. But I have been doing this for many years! Find the time! Apply God’s Word to your life and see the blessing poured into your life.  Verse 3 tell us that those who faithfully seek God and His Word find life – spiritual life, eternal life in God’s kingdom. It does not say we will never experience problems or failure or tragedy. It tells us the godly person will know God’s will and His favor.

 

So, I am incredibly blessed this morning and filled with joy this morning knowing that I am a child of God, walking down a narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom and my “delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law I meditates day and night”.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 Samuel 30:6, Now David was greatly distressed, for all the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

 

David was in many difficult situations while being chased by Saul. In the situation above David and his men came back from a campaign against the Philistines to find the Amalekites had burned their settlement at Ziklag and taken captive all the women and children. At this point, those who were with David grumbled and blamed him for their family’s captivity.

 

When life is difficult or tragedy happens, it is easy to allow discouragement to grow in our life mind and heart. It becomes easy to look for someone to blame for the situation being faced. In sports, when a team is not winning, the head coach gets blamed and is fired. In business, the store manager is fired for a poor bottom line. There are many examples, but you get the idea. For the situation described above, David was the blamed and those with him considered stoning him. I wonder what that would have solved!

 

Be sure that you do not miss that David was “greatly distressed” because his two wives had also been taken. He was grieving just like those with him; he must have felt terribly alone. He, along with his mighty warriors, “lifted their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep”. And then, they discussed amongst themselves about blaming David and stoning him. David not only wept for his family, he had this to deal with.

 

Have you been in David’s situation, rejected and feeling alone to face your difficulty? Have you been in that place where you have started to think you are the only one who has faced being blamed for the problem or faced being fired because of negative results? Or are you just going through a difficult situation? Can I tell you as one who has faced situations like this, that there is always hope and that God’s grace is always sufficient to take care of you and the situation you face. It is situations like David faced, the hopelessness of his situation, that show you to not trust in yourself but to trust in the Lord alone.

 

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” All of us who walk the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom need to come to the realization in difficult times, times of uncertainty, and times of tragedy, we must turn to the Lord for His guidance, His strength, His joy and His peace. We must be in the habit of worshipping Him not only when all things are good, but in those times when struggle. Worship is an act of the will and not just when people, especially God’s people, feel like it! To “strengthen himself” implies David was consistent and continual in his pursuit of God.

 

Getting out of his despair was not something that would just happen; no, David needed to be diligent in “strengthening himself in the Lord his God”. David knew God personally. To David God was not just the God of Israel, God was David’s personal God. That is extremely important in all of this. One can know about God but not know Him. Just attending a church or using religious words does not make one know God. David had learned to trust God through experiences in his life and always turned to Him in every situation and when forgiveness was needed. Today, we come to know Him through the forgiveness offered by Jesus Christ, through repentance. Then, we learn to trust Him and are strengthened by Him in every situation we face. We submit to Him because we know He loves us and desires the very best for us.

 

Will you surrender to Him today and be strengthened by Him in your situation? There is no other way when we face despair, discouragement and tragedy. Let Jesus carry your burden today and tomorrow and the next day!

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 11:35, Jesus wept.

 

Lazarus was loved by Jesus. The sisters of Lazarus sent a messenger to tell Jesus that he was sick. Jesus and His disciples went to the town of Bethany, arriving there after Lazarus had died. It is a message often preached and one that has been written about in this blog. I want to focus on the two words above; they reveal the deep sympathy the Lord Jesus Christ feels for the sorrow of His people. “The verb “wept” (Gr dakruo) indicates that Jesus burst into tears, then wept silently” (LSSB).

 

Death. There is not one of us that is immune to it; each of us will face the death of a loved one, a friend, or an acquaintance at some time. Perhaps we are better prepared for the death of one who has lived a long life or one who has had to deal with a long illness. It is the one we lose without cause or suddenly, in a tragedy that is difficult. The unexpected is tough to explain. Too often people want to blame God. But I believe Jesus feels the same about us as He felt for the relatives of Lazarus when we experience one’s death. When He wept, He showed that He cares for and loves each of us. During this time God becomes a “Good” Father who does not want to see us in pain, even if He knows it may lead to a greater good. Jesus met with the hurting sisters and was with them during their time of sorrow and pain.

 

If you read the entire account of the death of Lazarus, the disciples did not want to go to Judea again because the people wanted to stone Him there. The disciples told Jesus if Lazarus was just “asleep” he would get well and if he were dead, it would be too late. Even the sisters of Lazarus did not understand that the answers to their needs was right there with them; they just did not understand the power of Jesus. Their lack of faith made Him weep because He desires that our faith be in Him.

 

Our family experienced a tragedy this weekend. Our nephew fell while coming down a ladder. He landed on the back of his head causing severe trauma and to later be declared dead. As difficult as this is to face, Troy’s organs will be the reason others will be able to live.

 

 As the family grieves, Jesus – God Himself – knows the sorrow of the family. He has a deep, emotional and sympathetic love you (for us) in the grief forced to be endured. Jesus weeps because He desires wants all of us to place our faith in Him; not to make Him feel better, but because He knows the only way to be with Him for eternity in His kingdom is through faith in Him. Romans 8:28 tell us that even in our most difficult moments on this earth there is purpose in God’s will. God has a plan, even in difficult time; He truly understands the pain we go through as we wait for the completion of that plan.

 

I ask you to take a moment to pray for the family during this time.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 56:3, Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

 

David is being chased by Saul and has been captured by the Philistines in Gath. He gives us a wonderful example to follow when fear comes into our lives –he turns to his Father in heaven, placing all his trust in Him.

 

The world we live in is a mess! Evil is seen as good and good is seen as evil. What was once done in darkness is openly done and applauded by many. Our most trusted and sacred institutions are no longer believed to tell truth. The truth spoken is what people want it to be and places them in the best possible light. As has been written several times before, there is a new variant of covid always around the corner, if not that there is seemingly something worse coming. There is recession, the failure of the dollar, not enough food and toilet paper to think about. And, if one does not have gold and silver to fall back on, then what do you do? If you have read this blog for long, you know that the self-centered lifestyle in 2 Timothy 3 is certainly very prevalent today causing the breakdown of society and is the very root of the destructive thought and lifestyle in our world today. If that is not enough, each of has our own particular situation that causes us to be afraid.

 

Each of us must do what David did. He turned to his Father in heaven and placed his trust in Him. That is easy to write, easy to say. What does trusting God mean? Let me say first what it is not; it is not carelessness and indifference, just drifting with the flow. It does not mean shutting our eyes to what is happening around us. There is no such thing as “blind faith”. Trust looks at what is happening, what is being said, evaluates the need(s) and difficulties and then looks beyond them to see an all-sufficient God desiring to strengthen our faith to get us through all of it.

 

When we fear, we are not really trusting. When we trust, our fear gives way to an assurance that God is with us and we can trust Him to do what is best. To understand that God is with us does not mean things won’t startle us or will not happen to us. It means that in such times, we trust He knows and cares and that He is helping us. We cannot allow trials, temptation, the works of the devil, the economy, recession or any number of things to disrupt the peace we find in walking with Jesus or to trouble our hearts.

 

Believe me I wrestle at times with anxiety. I know when it is coming, and I am learning to start praising the Lord for all He has done and what He is doing. I am learning that trust takes away the anxiety. Too often I begin to worry about little things and that takes too much energy. As the Bible says, worrying or anxiety does not solve a single thing. Being a work in progress, I am finding that trust brings confidence that there is no reason to worry or be anxious – God is in control of even the little things I face. Trust tells me to take my eyes off what is causing the anxiety, to look to the One who cares for me and to keep looking (or praying) until the anxiety is gone and the peace that passes all understanding comes from Him.

 

Can I encourage those of you who are anxious about situations you face or what we see around us in the world to take some time to seek the One who cares for you and desires to give you peace. Pray that He gives you all you need to place your trust completely in Him. When you do, when you diligently seek Him, He will be found by you and will give you peace that He has all things (including what you face) in His hands. May He richly bless each of you today with His great love and His peace.

  

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 34:4, 10b, I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

 

King David wrote this Psalm when he faced danger and was running from Saul. David chose to pray about His situation because He knew God would hear him and deliver him from his situation. This Psalm was the result of David’s seeking God, God hearing him, and praise to His miraculous deliverance from his great trouble. Matthew Henry wrote, “If we plan to spend eternity praising God, it is fit that we should spend much of our time here in this work.” As we go about our busy lives, we must not forget about Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday! Matthew Henry writes, “But on looking to Christ depends our whole salvation, and all things needful thereunto do so also.” Jesus as the Good Shepherd has saved all who believe in Him from eternal separation from God through His death and resurrection; Believers are to continue to seek Him and give Him praise in all circumstances in their lives.

 

In verse 7, David writes that “the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him”. Some Bible scholars refer to the “the angel of the Lord” as ministering angels. I agree with those who believe this is the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no doubt that the Lord is always with “those who fear Him”. Other Scripture tells us that He has appointed His angels to protect and be with us when there is physical and spiritual danger in our lives. Psalm 34 has some wonderful promises for God’s people. What catches my attention are the phrases “those who fear Him”, “those who seek Him” and “those who trust Him”.

 

Are the promises in this Psalm based around these phrases? God promises in this Psalm to deliver us from evil (v. 4), save us from trouble (v. 6, 17), send us angels to encamp around us (v. 7), supply our needs (v. 9), give us abundant lie (v. 12), hear our prayers (v. 15), comfort us with His presence (v. 18), and redeem our souls (v. 22). But we must seek Him (v.4, 10), cry out to Him (v. 6), draw close to Him and fear Him (v. 7,9), keep our tongues from the evil of lying (v. 13), remain separate from the evil world (v. 14), do good and pursue peace (v.14), have contrite hearts (v. 18), and become His servants (v. 22)!

 

God was the One who sent His Son to die for each of us while we were still sinners. He initiated the conviction of sin in our lives and the need for a Savior. We were lost; so, He sent His Son to redeem us and bring whosoever would believe back into His eternal family. It was God’s grace that found each of us and saved us by faith. It is because of this that Believers can turn to God, especially in their fears, knowing that He hears and will deliver them from their fears and keep no good thing from them. Because of that, because we will spend eternity in God’s kingdom praising Him, should that not be what we spend time doing now!

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 11;25-26, Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

 

I am not finished with Resurrection Sunday yet. Jesus is talking to Martha, the sister of Lazarus. She believed if Jesus had been with them, Lazarus would not have died because Jesus would have healed him; they knew He had power over sickness. However, He had delayed being there to demonstrate He had power over death, not only in the last days but at this moment in time.

 

Jesus was teaching an important concept: for the person who believes in Jesus, physical death is not the end of life. It is instead the gateway, the beginning of abundant life and fellowship with God in heaven. It is like leaving a room in a building, going through the door and standing in another room. In this case, the room being left is life on this earth as we know it, death is the door and God’s eternal kingdom is the next room. “The words “shall live” refer to the resurrection; the words “shall never” mean that resurrected Believers will never cease to exist. They shall have resurrected bodies, immortal, and incorruptible (1 Corinthians 15:42, 54), ones that cannot die or deteriorate (Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:16) and ones that are perfectly designed by God for the greater life to come hereafter (1 Corinthians 15:35-58)” (LSSB).

 

Our bodily resurrection, as Believers, is guaranteed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Believer’s resurrected body will be like the resurrected body of Jesus (read Philippians 3:20). Our resurrected body will be recognizable with our earthly body as seen in Luke 16:19:31; our resurrected body will be changed however in order to adapt to the new heaven and new earth. 1 Corinthians15:42-45 describes this body as imperishable, free from decay and death, a glorified body, like Christ’s, and a powerful body that is not subject to disease or death. Other scripture refers to this body as not being bound to the laws of nature. For example, after He had talked and eaten with two disciples on the road to Emmaus, he simply vanished. And when He met with the disciples in the Upper Room where they were waiting for Him, He simply appeared to them. At that time, He ate and drank with them indicating the resurrected body will be capable of eating and drinking.

 

The LSSB indicates the immortality of the resurrected body is for three purposes: 1) so Believers may become all that God intended for humans at creation (1 Corinthians 2:9); so Believers may come to know God in the full way He wants them to know Him (John 17:3); so God may express His love to His children as He desires (Ephesians 2:7).

 

For those who are faithful and still alive when the trumpet sounds for the rapture of the Church, they will experience the same bodily transformation as those who have died before this event. They will not experience physical death.

 

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 96:2, Sing to the Lord, bless His name; proclaim the Good News of His salvation from day to day.

 

I am going to state the obvious this morning. Believers should be treating every day as if it was a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We should be celebrating every day that He took our place on the cross, forgiving our sins, and overcoming death through His resurrection. Our celebration should happen because without this victory our faith would be without power, without hope; it would just be thoughts that make us feel good about what happens after death.

 

Jesus told His disciples and all who would place their faith in Him to make disciples of all the nations and teaching them to observe all His teachings. This is known as the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20.  It has not changed since He spoke the words. Christians are to do these things, not by their own strength or power, but by His power and through the Holy Spirit. “Too often Believers are slow to share their faith or help others because they do not take Jesus at His word, “I am with you always” (DJSB). A Christian does not have to be a speaker or teacher or a leader of people or a theologian to share their faith in what Jesus Christ has done for them. Demonstrating one’s faith by how they live often does more than the one behind the podium. I want to see what a person does in order to see if he/she lives the life they profess. The preaching of the Word is so important and I look forward to hearing those who preach; they inspire me to live closer to God’s Word. Can I tell you how much more I enjoy seeing or hearing about the acts of kindness or something others have done for those in need, for those who truly need the help others can give them. It is the application of our faith that brings so much joy to the heart of God.

 

God’s Word always says what we need, how we are to best live and act as Christians. Let me finish with words to encourage as we seek to live each day as a celebration for what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. This comes from Romans 12:9-21 in the New Living Translation.

 

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God’s children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging for the night. If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don’t curse them; pray God will bless them. When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you as honorable. Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave it to God. For it is written “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it.” says the Lord. Instead do what the Scriptures say: “if your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you.” Don’t let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.

 

We are able to live this way because of the cross and the resurrection. As we believe in what Jesus Christ did for us, accept it, He comes to live in us, enabling us to live the way He desires us to live. We walk a narrow way, continuing to grow closer to Him; It is certainly a journey!

                   

From now on DJSB will be used to note information or quotes from the David Jeremiah Study Bible and LSSB will refer to information and quotes from the Life in the Spirit Study Bible.

 

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

1 Peter 2:23-24, … who when He was reviled did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by those stripes you were healed.

 

Friday came. Jesus hung on a cross. He endured what each of us deserved. After hours on the cross, He declared what He came to do was finished. That was Friday.

 

But Sunday happened. The promise Jesus had made to rise again came true. The tomb He had been placed in was empty; only the burial clothes He had been wrapped in were there. In his message, Dr. Ed Newton said, “The empty tomb was filled with great promises as the resurrection fulfilled all prophesy.” Read the words of Scripture used in the sermon notes. “And if Christ had not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins … we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:17,19b). Yes, the tomb could not hold the Lord; His resurrection gives all who believe in Him hope of our own resurrection to come.

 

All was done to fulfil prophesy. All was done in obedience to the Father. All was done by His choice. All was done because of God’s love for you, me, each of us. What is the response to such love, to the One taking our place on a cross? I have observed different reactions to this love over the years. Quite honestly, I do not understand how anyone can know what Jesus, the Lamb of God, did and not bow down in worship and thanksgiving; to cry out for forgiveness. Yet, too often the reaction is to go forward in the same lifestyle as always, as if a nice story was heard -- but you know I have things to do. Maybe later ….  

 

The words “it is finished” have had a greater meaning to me this year for some reason; I cannot seem to get them out of my thoughts. The knowledge that the tomb was found empty adds to my thoughts about my, our, salvation, my, our, place in heaven is secure. None of it is due to me, to you. None of it was because of anything we have done. I cannot stop thinking about the response to what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. Those who place their faith, trust and hope in His death on a cross and His resurrection must walk a narrow way to eternal life in His eternal kingdom. The narrow way is a journey of growing in Christ-centered maturity where one grows in their knowledge and understanding of God. The narrow way is a journey of trusting the guidance of the Holy Spirit, going where He leads and staying away from those things He leads us away from. Walking the narrow way is a journey where we give up our own will to do the will of God; that may cause some suffering.

 

Jesus said the narrow way is a difficult way. But the narrow way is also a way of great freedom because we do not have to commit the sin we were once bound to. Jesus died for every sin we have committed or will commit. Knowing and understanding that gives us both the freedom and power over sin when we are tempted.

 I am so thankful for Good Friday and the empty tomb!

 

LEARNING DAILY

 

John 19:30, So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!” And bowing His head He gave up His Spirit.

 

It is Good Friday and I was wondering why this day is called “Good”. All accounts of this day and the time leading up to it describe the Lord Jesus Christ’s terrible suffering due to the lashes given Him by the soldiers, made to carry His cross to Calvary, was spit on, mocked, and nailed to a cross. For Jesus, His disciples and His followers this does not seem to be a “good” day!

 

That is not what the “good” in Good Friday refers to; instead, it refers to Jesus accomplishing what He had been sent to do. By giving up His life, by taking our place on that cross, He made a way for each of us to know Him personally. That is what makes Good Friday “good”! My friend and brother in Christ, pen named Ira Paine, wrote this in his daily writing, “It is important that we realize that all of the work was completed on the cross.  The resurrection was the demonstration that He had not died in vain (Stott) and that He is victorious in His purpose and forevermore.  Jesus accomplished what He came into the world to do.  The second phrase Jesus cried in a loud voice, "It is finished!"  In Greek it is but one word, "tetelestai."  It means, "it has been and will forever remain finished."  The penalty of sin was paid, the justice of God was satisfied. (Stott)” Jesus was sent to provide a way to eternal life in His Kingdom, the atonement for sin on the behalf of all mankind. His death on the cross accomplished this totally and completely – “It is finished”! No other action, ritual, sacrifice, or payment for salvation is necessary to accomplish salvation for any of us!

 

From a physical standpoint, Jesus’s body had suffered tremendously, fatal injuries. Yet, His death was totally a decision of His will. He was obedient to His Father at all times from His willingness to be born into human form, submitting to God’s will as He lived on earth, allowing Himself to be arrested and subjected to terrible treatment at the hands of the religious leaders and the Romans, and to be nailed to the tree. Yet, He gave up His life to His Father. It was not taken from Him!

 

Each person now has the opportunity to acknowledge their sinful life without Jesus, ask for His forgiveness, receive it because of what He did on the cross, and be able to walk on the narrow way to eternal life in God’s kingdom. By rejecting Jesus, the cross, and His resurrection is walking the broad way that leads to eternal destruction. The choice seems to be clear! Eternity is a long time – it is forever. Eternity with Jesus or eternity without Him? Walking a narrow way or walking on the broad way? Choose carefully!

 

It is a good day this Good Friday!