THE FOOL In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” —Psalm 10:4 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? —Psalm 10:13             The arrogant little creature shakes his fist and says to the God who created him, “There is no God.” In His pride the wicked say in his heart that God “will not call to account.” They renounce Him who is the very one that gave them life and holds their lives together. Yet man wants to follow after his own gods and after his own desires.…

BE IN HIS PRESENCE In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence. —Ephesians 3:12             Because we are in Christ Jesus (II Corinthians 5:17) it is through Him (John 14:6) that we can enter boldly into the very presence of God! —– “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  Are you and I doing that? —“You do not have because you do not ask God. (James 4:2)             Jesus encouraged us to come in prayer through His Name, in His authority, since we have…

SAVED ONLY BY GOD’S GRACE! For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. —Ephesians 2:9-10 GOD’S RICHES AT Christ’s Expense             Our salvation is only by God’s grace. It was nothing of our doing… nothing! “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:44). Salvation is purely a…

I’M FREE IN JESUS!   It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. —Galatians 5:1 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.  For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” —Galatians 5:13-14 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is…

THOSE WHO ARE OF FAITH Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?  Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. —Galatians 3:6-9 He (Christ) redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. —Galatians 3:14             Here’s what…

KNOWN, SET APART, CALLED AND APPOINTED BY GRACE But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;—Galatians 1:15-16             Our Lord said of Paul that “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel” (Acts 9:15).  Now who would have thought that this previously violent hater of Christians would be our Lord’s chosen instrument to be an apostle and preacher? I wonder…

LIVE FOR THE LORD’S COMMENDATION For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. —II Corinthians 10:18 Of Noah the Lord said, “I have found you righteous in this generation.” —Genesis 7:1 Of Abraham the Lord said, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. —James 2:23 Of Job the Lord said, “Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one on earth like him, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and shuns evil.” —Job 1:8 Of David the Lord said, “I have found David…

ACCOUNTABILITY DAY For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad. —II Corinthians 5:10 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.  And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and was raised again. —II Corinthians 5:14-15 Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.  God made Him who…

GOD IS OUR SUFFICIENCY AND SURPASSING POWER! Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 –II Corinthians 3:5 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. —II Corinthians 4:7 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. —II Corinthians 4:16             We have no sufficiency in ourselves and no surpassing power in ourselves.  The sufficiency and surpassing power belongs to God and it is He who renews our inner being day…

PRAISE HIM! Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! —Psalm 150 Praise is to admire, to commend, to honor, to applaud…   So with this in mind when was the last time you praised God? When was it that you admired Him for Who He is and what He has…