For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. —I Peter 1:23-25 It is clear “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” We are born-again and now have eternal life which came…

Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. —James 5:7-8 The world will always mock at the thought of Jesus returning (II Peter 3:3-6) as they do the truth that He created all things or at the truth that there was a world-wide flood. This is no great surprise since only those who have faith in Him readily receive these truths (Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6).…

“If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”—James 4:15 Whose will do we live by— the Lord’s or our own? How do we make our decisions— by our own thoughts or according to His Word? Do we fully understand that this day and all of our life is to line up with His will? Off to work? May you live according to His will and make your choices in the workplace according to His desires. Off to school? May you live according to His will and make your choices at school according to His desires. Are you running errands today? May you live according…

So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” —Hebrews 13:6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg Who are you fearing? Why? “God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (II Timothy 1:7). “Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety” (Proverbs 29:25). Fearing people is a lack of trust in the Lord Jesus. Today, in this new sunrise, let us go forth boldly in the Spirit of God knowing we are sent in the authority of Jesus our Lord. The Lord is our helper and He…

Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen. Ezekiel 16:49-50 When we think of Sodom the first thing that comes to our minds is the sin of homosexuality. Lot’s situation reminds us of how wicked the town was in this area (Genesis 19). But there were other sins that the Lord reveals to us in the verses above that were taking place as well. Pride… right at the top of the list is this sin that is so ingrained in fallen man. When it is present…

“Now this is what the Sovereign Lord says: How terrible it will be when all four of these dreadful punishments fall upon Jerusalem—war, famine, wild animals, and disease—destroying all her people and animals. —Ezekiel 14:21 You will understand that these things are not being done to Israel without cause. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken! —Ezekiel 14:23 Judgment from the Lord comes in a variety of ways. The verse above gives us four of them: war— He brings a nation or nations against another nation; famine— He causes crops to fail and food shortages; wild animals— He can increase their number to endanger human populations; disease— He can bring new…

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see… By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen… And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. —Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6 Faith in God is what pleases Him. If a person does not have faith they cannot please Him. To come to God one must believe that He “exists…

JOYFULLY WORSHIP REGARDLESS OF CIRCUMSTANCES You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. —Hebrews 10:34 How firmly of a grasp do we have on the “stuff” the Lord has given us to steward? Do we have a proper perspective on the material belongings that surround us? Are we using them for God’s glory or our own comfort alone? What if it all were taken away? Could we have the proper perspective and say with Job, ““Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the…

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. —Hebrews 10:23-25 How as the Spirit of God been working in your life? In what ways does He want you to use what He is doing in your life to motivate others on “to acts of love and good works?” This part of what discipleship is. We…

When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. —Hebrews 6:7-8 Over the years we have cleared thorn bushes from our field to allow grass to grow. When the thorn bushes covered the area is was useless. Who wanted to go running or walking through thorns or try to plant a garden? It was land that was unusable. We had to pull out all those thorn bushes and their roots to be able to use the land. Today…