Contentment

In this day and age contentment is hard to find.  We are bombarded daily with advertisers telling us to buy their product.  Products which will make us younger, prettier, wealthier, and healthier.  We as consumers spend millions on products.  We go into debt, work ourselves into sickness, we need bigger houses and storage to contain our "stuff", yet nothing works.  Contentment is elusive.

Paul writing to the Philippians in 4:10-13 "for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content".  At one time Paul had it all.  He came from a wealthy family in Tarsus.  He was a Roman citizen and a man of privilege.  But his life changed dramatically upon his encounter with Jesus. 

After, Paul traveled the country preaching the Gospel.  As he traveled, he relied on others for money, he was jailed, beaten, shipwrecked, arrested again, stoned and finally killed.  Yet, Paul remained content in whatever circumstances he found himself.

Paul was content for he knew who he was in Christ.  We also can know the contentment that comes for Jesus no matter what we have or don't have.

Joseph Prince stated, "Your standing is wrapped up in Jesus".

1 Timothy 6:6-8 AMP  [It is, indeed, a source of immense profit, for] godliness accompanied with contentment (that contentment which is a sense of inward sufficiency) is great and abundant gain.  For I brought nothing into the world, and obviously I cannot take anything out of the world; but if I have food and clothing, with these I shall be content (satisfied).

Philippians 4:19  God meets all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Know Who You Are

Not sure who you really are? Read this list of Biblical truths that reveal who God made you to be.

I am complete in Him Who is the Head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:10).

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5).

I am free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

I am far from oppression, and fear does not come near me (Isaiah 54:14).

I am born of God, and the evil one does not touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am holy and without blame before Him in love (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:16).

I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I have the peace of God that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7).

I have the Greater One living in me; greater is He Who is in me than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).

I have received the gift of righteousness and reign as a king in life by Jesus Christ (Romans 5:17).

I have received the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, the eyes of my understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17-18).

I have received the power of the Holy Spirit to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to cast out demons, to speak with new tongues.  I have power over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means harm me (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 10:17-19).

I have put off the old man and have put on the new man, which is renewed in the knowledge after the image of Him Who created me (Colossians 3:9-10).

I have given, and it is given to me; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, men give into my bosom (Luke 6:38).

I have no lack for my God supplies all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

I can quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one with my shield of faith (Ephesians 6:16).

I can do all things through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:13).

I show forth the praises of God Who has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

I am God’s child for I am born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God, which lives and abides forever (1 Peter 1:23).

I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works (Ephesians 2:10).

I am a new creature in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

I am a spirit being alive to God (Romans 6:11;1 Thessalonians 5:23).

I am a believer, and the light of the Gospel shines in my mind (2 Corinthians 4:4).

I am a doer of the Word and blessed in my actions (James 1:22,25).

I am a joint-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17).

I am more than a conqueror through Him Who loves me (Romans 8:37).

I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11).

I am a partaker of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:3-4).

I am an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).

I am part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people (1 Peter 2:9).

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I am the temple of the Holy Spirit; I am not my own (1 Corinthians 6:19).

I am the head and not the tail; I am above only and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).

I am His elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering (Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12).

I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood (Ephesians 1:7).

I am delivered from the power of darkness and translated into God’s kingdom (Colossians 1:13).

I am redeemed from the curse of sin, sickness, and poverty (Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Galatians 3:13).

I am firmly rooted, built up, established in my faith and overflowing with gratitude (Colossians 2:7).

I am called of God to be the voice of His praise (Psalm 66:8; 2 Timothy 1:9).

I am healed by the stripes of Jesus (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).

I am raised up with Christ and seated in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12).

I am greatly loved by God (Romans 1:7; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).

I am strengthened with all might according to His glorious power (Colossians 1:11).

I am submitted to God, and the devil flees from me because I resist him in the Name of Jesus (James 4:7).

I press on toward the goal to win the prize to which God in Christ Jesus is calling us upward (Philippians 3:14).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

It is not I who live, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20)

Stay Steady

Don't give up, stay steady.

God never leaves us nor forsakes us.

He knows the things we go through.
For He is going through them with us.

Press in for He will equip us and give the grace to on.

1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead,
that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant,
make you complete in every good work to do His will,
working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen!

Not So Humdrum

Our days can be humdrum.

We can lack excitement, variety and days can be monotonous.

We busy ourselves with daily "stuff". 

Activities done without thinking.

Going to work, school, caring for children, or doing housework.

Every day feels just like the last one. 

We are stuck.

Fortunately, we have a better way.

As we put God first, He can take the humdrum and turn it into extraordinary.

He can change our ordinary into exciting and astonishing.

Colossians 3:23

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord

and not to men.

And suddenly what we do takes on new meaning.

Work, school, kids, and housework are done for the Lord.

It is for His glory and not ours.

Let God shine in you and through you in all you do.

Colors of Spring

Genesis 1:12 AMP

God spoke: “Earth, green up! Grow all varieties
        of seed-bearing plants,
    Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.”
        And there it was.
    Earth produced green seed-bearing plants,
        all varieties,
    And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
        God saw that it was good.
    It was evening, it was morning—

        

God Up Close and Personal

Louie Giglio talking about Laminin. The stuff that holds our bodies together.

Colossians 1:17 NIV
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Whether this was God’s intention from the beginning to show us His mysteries unveiled or not.  It is still amazing to know God is in all things.  Not only in us but around us in earth and the universe.

A Better Assurance

God gives His children a better assurance of salvation, mercy and grace through His word.

This assurance leads to a life full of richness and fulfillment.  

We will still face troubles but Jesus tells us "to be of good cheer, I have overcome the world".  Matthew 16:33

Jesus came to walk among us to show Who God is, giving 

assurance to those who follow Him. John 14:8

As He walked about, Jesus showed this assurance with love and compassion.

He taught the way to salvation and eternity was through Him.

Matthew 4:23

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,

preaching the gospel of the kingdom,

and healing all kinds of sickness

and all kinds of disease among the people.

And through this assurance, we can have confidence in God's word.

We have assurance of salvation.

John 5:24, John 10:28, 1 John 5:11-13

Assurance of God's saving work.

Psalm 20:1-3

Assurance of eternal protection.

Psalm 61:1-3

Assurance of victory.

Psalm 108:1-3

Assurance of peace.

Isaiah 32:16-18

Assurance of understanding.

Colossians 2:2

Assurance of resurrection.

2 Corinthians 5:1-3

The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

Zephaniah 3:17

Some Things About The Bible

Things we should know about the Bible:

First, all scripture is given by inspiration from God.  2 Timothy 3:16  It comes from the Greek word "theopneustos" which translated means "God Breathed, inspired by God, due to the inspiration of God".

Second, the Bible was written during a 1600 year period by about 40 different authors.

None of these men knew each other, lived in the same area and came from different backgrounds such as shepherds to kings.  Yet the Bible has no contradictions and is historically accurate.

Moses began writing around 1450 BC and wrote the first 5 books.  The last book written was Revelation about the year 95 AD.

The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic. 

Third, the Bible has not changed over time.  Today's Bible is 99.5% accurate to the oldest manuscripts.  The only difference are in spelling and word order.  The reason for this accuracy is due to the scribes always checking their copy.  But more importantly, the Holy Spirit was present to make sure God's word was accurate.

There are approximately 5600 copies that are dated within the 1st century.  This is far more than any other historic document of the time which includes Plato, Aristotle, Homer, and many others. 

And lastly, archaeology is uncovering more and more names, dates and places named in the Bible proving it to be historically accurate.

Psalm 85:11  Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

Psalm 119:89 Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.

God's word will outlast human generations and He will provide proof in His own time.

He Compels Us

2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus:

that if One died for all,

then all died;

and He died for all, that those who live should

live no longer for themselves,

but for Him who died for them 

and rose again.

There are two important points in this passage.

The first and foremost is Jesus died and rose again for ALL people.

He just did not die for a chosen few,

but for everyone who believes in Him.

We make the choice!

It is up to us to decide heaven or hell!

The second point is "the love of Christ compels us."

In the King James Version, the word constraineth is used in place of compels.

Both definitions in today's society have negative connotations.

Basically, they mean to "force or oblige (someone) to do something.

However, in Greek, the word used is "sunecho" and means

"to hold together, confine, to hold fast."

Because of our love for Christ, we are held together by His love.

It is this love that compelled Jesus to go to the cross.

This love that took away our sins.

This love that makes us free.

This love that compels and holds us together with Him.

Destination: Heaven

We are travelers

Passing through this life

A journey of faith

Leaving a legacy of hope

Giving glory to the Lord

We are travelers

Moving from here to there

One foot in and one foot there

Reaching a hand up

Reaching a hand out

We are travelers

Seeking to share the road

The road to heaven

it is not always easy

But the reward is eternity

We are travelers

Setting our mind on Him

Keeping our eyes on the end of the road

Staying focused on the journey

For our citizenship is in heaven

We are travelers

Destination: Heaven

Can You Hear Him?

Can you hear God?

Is it loud?

Soft?

Is it audible?
Is it a knowing inside?

He is always speaking to us. 

But how?

Most Christians will tell you "I heard God speak to me".

It can be a little confusing.

Do they actually hear His voice or is it something else?

Jesus tells us in John 10:27,
"My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me." 

We can hear God through His word,
John 8:47
He who is of God hears God's words;

the inner witness with the Holy Spirit,
Romans 8:16
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit...

through other Christians  with a word of discernment,
and
God may choose to speak out loud just as He did when Jesus was baptized
or to Abraham and Moses.

One of the best ways to hear God's voice is to have a deep relationship 
with Him, know His word and be obedient in what He tells us.

The more time we spend with God, the more we read and
meditate on the His word, 
 the clearer we hear Him.