Category: Uncategorized

John 12:25-26

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.

Personal Challenge

Jesus does not beat around the bush when He describes what He expects from His followers. His love for us is unconditional. His love for mankind is all encompassing. But, if we want to proclaim Him as our Lord, we must live our lives accordingly. Jesus died for us; we are to die to the world so that we can live for him. We are to serve Him and to follow him. By doing this we will receive honor from God. We cannot be a follower of Christ in name only. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 33:22 (32:22)

Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us,
As we hope in You.

Encouraging Words

We serve a God that loves us. He gives us His grace at all times. This is why we can put our hope in Him and ask that His mercy be upon us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

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?”

Encouraging Words

Sometimes I wonder if those of us who proclaim to be followers of Christ really believe. He proclaims that if we believe in Him, we will never die and yet we live our lives as if we might everything. We spend our limited hours amassing wealth and the things that it buys. We do things that do not bring His joy into our lives because they feed our passions. Our belief in Jesus must go much deeper than just a profession of faith. If we want to experience His resurrection life today, we must eliminate the things of his world and focus on Him. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Psalms 33:18-19 (32:18-19)

Behold, the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him,
On those who hope in His mercy,
To deliver their souls from death
And to keep them alive in famine.

Encouraging Words

It is so encouraging to know that when we commit our lives to be followers of Christ that our God sets His eyes upon us every moment of every day. He holds us in the palm of His hand. He guards and protects us. He meets our needs so that we can live for Him. Thanks be to God!

John 10:10

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Personal Challenge

There is a thief in this world that has made it his mission to distract us from living a life for God. He is crafty and relentless. His desire is to steal our joy in the Lord, to kill our relationship with Him, and ultimately to destroy our lives. Jesus defeated him and his relentless grip on mankind. Jesus has given us life, eternal and abundant life, which no one, or no thing, can ever take away from us. Glory be to God!

Psalms 32:8 (31:8)

“I will give you understanding, and I will teach you in the way you should walk;
I will fix My eyes on you.”

Encouraging Words

When we give our lives over to our God, truly submit to Him and His will, we will see great things happen in our lives. These will not be great things as the world defines them, but great as God does. He will give us understanding. He will teach us in the way that we should walk, the way of life eternal. He will fix His eyes on us and will always be there with us and for us, as we traverse life’s journey. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

John 8:31-32

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Personal Challenge

It is important for us to note that Jesus tells us that to be His disciples we are to abide in His word, in Him. Are we focusing our lives to be followers of Jesus Christ or are we more focused on being Protestant, Catholic, or Orthodox? If we are truly following Him, yielding our will to His, spending time in prayer, studying the scriptures and worshiping Him with fellow believers, then we are abiding in Him and practicing that relationship in whichever Christian faith practice that He draws us to. That is how we will experience His freedom. Glory be to God!

Psalms 31:23-24 (30:24-25)

Love the Lord, all you His saints,
For the Lord seeks out truth,
And He repays those who act with great arrogance.
Be courageous, and let your heart be strengthened,
All who hope in the Lord.

Encouraging Words

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are His saints, His living saints, and representatives of His Good News for all of mankind. He knows the truth of what lies hidden in our hearts and will flush out any arrogance that comes between us and Him. Because our hope is in Him, we can be courageous and be strengthened in our heart, Praise be to God!

John 8:12

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Encouraging Words

Our world seems to be getting darker all the time. Throughout the history of mankind, all civilizations seem to devolve into a state of darkness and despair. However, over the last 2,000 years, Jesus has continued to shine through as the light of the world, the light of life. All that we need to do to be bathed in that light is follow Him. Glory be to God!