DON’T GIVE UP! And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. —Galatians 6:9 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. —I Corinthians 15:58             Brothers and sisters, dear fellow followers of Jesus— “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out…

KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD WILL FILL THE EARTH! They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. —Isaiah 11:9 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. —Habakkuk 2:14 “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”  This is a fact that is mentioned by both Isaiah and Habakkuk.  What a joy that will be when it is fulfilled and it will be. Brothers and…

 STAND FIRM IN FAITH If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all. —Isaiah 7:9 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. —Hebrews 11:6             We need to be firm in faith because Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).  Isn’t that amazing!  If we are firm in our faith in our Lord…

CALLING EVIL GOOD AND GOOD EVIL Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight. —Isaiah 5:20-21 Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them. —Proverbs 26:12 Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment. —Proverbs 18:1             Isolated thinkers “seeks his own desire.”  They don’t listen to others.  They are “wise in their own eyes” and…

THE FAITHLESS AND THE FAITHFUL CONTRASTED Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow’s cause does not come to them. —Isaiah 1:23 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. —Galatians 2:20             There should be a clear contrast between those who love and live for Jesus and those who do not.  Look at…

JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY!  I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. —Galatians 1:6-9             I was recently talking…

BE A VOICE FOR TRUTH! For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. —II Corinthians 13:8             Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and there is no way I am going to speak against Him.  I desire not to do anything against Him, but only for Him.  Yes, that is my desire.  Is it your desire?  May it be!             This world is full of lies, deception and error.  We are told not to— “Love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the…

SPIRIT REVEALED GIFTEDNESS FOR THE COMMON GOOD To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. —I Corinthians 12:7 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. —I Corinthians 12:11  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. —I Corinthians 12:18             The Holy Spirit of God is revealed in the giftedness of each member in the body of Christ for the common good of all.  Whatever gift of gifts you or I may have, they are not for ourselves, but for the good of…

EVERY DEED, GOOD OR EVIL, WILL BE JUDGED The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. —Ecclesiastes 12:13-14             Here is the fact of all life— here is the purpose of all life— We are to “Fear God and keep his commandments.”  What does it mean to “fear God?”  It means I understand Who He is, who I am and “To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech” (Proverbs 8:13). …

LACK OF LAWFULNESS INCREASES GREATER EVIL Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. —Ecclesiastes 8:11             Now here is a statement of fact that can be easily seen in our society and in the world.  Evil will increase when “the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily.”  Not only that, we are seeing in our society evil deeds are not even being brought before the law.  Many committing evil deeds are let go and there is no sentence, no consequence for many doing evil.  There is no deterrent to evil and…