Acts 21:13

Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

Personal Challenge…

Am I so close to my Lord, so committed to Him, so trusting in Him, that I would be willing to walk into the lion’s den prepared for whatever may come of my temporal body or way of life? It seems like we of the western way of thinking about God have come up with some safe images of Him and what He would do for us in these cases. This is not how Paul and the early church fathers thought at all. For them it was about what they could give to God…including their life. They saw God bigger than themselves, their enemies, and even the world. They did not have scriptures to cling to because they had not been written yet. And besides, they didn’t need them because they walked close to their Lord. So, am I ready to make a statement like this and then step out on faith? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Jeremiah 40:6-9

‘Behold, I bring her health and healing for her wounds, and I will show them how to obey. Yes, I will heal this city and bring about peace and faithfulness. I shall return the captives of Judah and Israel and will restore them, even as before. I will cleanse them from all their wrongdoings by which they sinned against Me. I will not remember their sins by which they sinned against Me and withdrew from Me. This shall be for the gladness, praise, and majesty of all the people of the earth, who shall hear all the good things I will do. They shall fear and be provoked concerning all the good things and the peace I shall bring upon them.’

Encouraging Words…

What a glorious blessing that we have been granted the privilege to live in the age of our Lord. All of these promises that God made through Jeremiah the prophet to both the Jewish nation and the Gentiles around them have come to fruition in the incarnation, death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are the Church, His Bride of the new covenant, and we are the ones that He has rescued from death, given healing to, and forgiven us of our sins. Glory be to God!

John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

Personal Challenge…

The gospel of Christ is so contradictory to our culture and indeed the entire Western way of life. In our culture the goal of life is to be elevated above all that are around us and to accumulate as much as we can during our span here on earth. However, the gospel teaches us that if we are to be followers of Christ then the opposite must be happening in our lives. We should be decreasing so that Christ becomes more evident all of the time. We should be living in a way that we are a blessing to those in need. When God blesses us with wealth we can share it with those who are less fortunate. This may not just be by giving away our wealth, but giving away ourselves, our time, a kind and loving word, a listening ear. God does not just want part of us…He wants us all. He doesn’t want the scraps, He wants the cream. None of this is possible if we are focusing on increasing. Glory be to God! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Jeremiah 36:5-7

Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands; and be multiplied and not diminished. Seek the peace of the land into which I carried you captive. Pray to the Lord for them, for in its peace you shall have peace.

Encouraging Words…

As children of the Living God we are exiles from His kingdom as we live our lives in this temporal world. We do not live in His paradise but in the dry and barren land of His enemy. But just as God told His children in Israel to live full and complete lives, enlarging their number, while living under the captivity of the Babylonians, He tells us to do the same in our lives today. We can live full lives in His light, we can enlarge His Church, we can become a blessing to those around us who cherish this world and who may even be hostile toward us. Our charter, our calling, is to cultivate our lives in such a way that His kingdom, His paradise is manifest through us. Glory be to God!

Acts 4:19-20

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Personal Challenge…

Political correctness, or social conformity, has become the norm in our society today. And in the name of diversity we are often told that we cannot stand up for our faith and our Lord. We must always temper our actions with love for our neighbor but if the “system” begins to violate God’s teachings then we must take His side and be prepared for the consequences. Glory be to God!

Matthew 10:28

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

Personal Challenge.

We often live our lives fearful of what another man (or woman) might do to us. If we stand up for, and demonstrate, our faith at work we fear that we could loose our job, or worse yet be passed up for a promotion. We don’t share our faith and the Good News of Christ for fear that we might loose our friends, or worse yet be labeled a Jesus Freak. God has both our physical life and our spiritual life in the palm of His hand. No one else does. We should be living our lives fully for Him. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 23:23-24

“I am a God who is near,” says the Lord, “and not a God afar off. Can a man hide in secret, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Personal Challenge…

How is it that we can proclaim that our Lord God is omnipresent, everywhere at all times, and still justify our acts of sin as if He does not know and see what we are doing? Now is the time to live our lives, by the actions we take, the words we speak, and the thoughts that we have, as if we are doing them while standing at the foot of His throne, for that is what we are doing. Now is the time to bare all before Him, confess our sins, repent from them, and run into His loving arms, resting there in His loving forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Acts 3:16

And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

Encouraging Words…

How awesome it is to know that our Lord is so powerful that all we need to receive His grace and perfection in our lives is faith in Him. On top of this He is the one that fives us this faith. Glory be to God!