No Matter What

Love One Another.

It is written that love is the greatest of all gifts, and truly it is. Love is powerful, and there is power in love. Love brings joy to the soul, encouragement to the brokenhearted, and hope to the hopeless. Love conquers all things, overcomes all things, and endures all things. For love, this love that I speak of. It comes from God, poured forth like a mighty river flowing from the very heart of God himself.

Blessings, in the love of Christ.
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

The Day of Salvation























http://picturemythoughts.blogspot.com

Jesus Christ Is God's Beloved Son.

Jesus Christ is God’s beloved Son - the Saviour sent to us by the God of love.
Never take God’s love for granted. Let us be deeply appreciative of His love.
Through Jesus Christ, the God of love gives to us His wonderful redemption.
Through Jesus Christ, the God of love gives to us His victory over Satan.
This is an outline of a post which can be read here.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Make The Man Of God, Complete For Every Good Work.

‘Man of God’ - isn’t that a wonderful expression? That’s what God calls us! We don’t deserve to be called this, but this is what God has made us in Christ. God is determined to make us worthy of this marvellous title which He has so graciously bestowed upon us! We are called to maturity. we are called to mature holiness. We are to mature in our response to God’s call to holiness, that call which is at one and the same time both a command and a promise - ‘be holy, for I am holy’, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’ (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16). God’s call to holiness is clear - ”God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness’. This call is followed by these solemn words of warning - ‘whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives His Holy Spirit to you’ (1 Thessalonians 4:7-8). Maturity is bound up with holiness. The nearest we have, in Scripture, to a definition of maturity is found in Hebrews 5:14 - ’solid food is for the mature, for those who have their faculties trained by practice to distinguish good from evil’. ‘Trained by practice to distinguish good from evil’ - what a practical definition of maturity! May God grant a revival of such maturity in our day. We are being ‘equipped for every good work’ These good works are the works of faith - ‘By grace you have been saved through faith … to do good works’ (Ephesians 2:8-10). These good works are produced in us through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. As we ‘let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly’, the Spirit works in us to make us more like our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ - ‘the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’ (Colossians 3:16; Galatians 5:22-23).

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Train Us In Righteousness (2).

When we are being trained in righteousness, there will be difficulties arising from the fact that loyalty to Christ is not welcome in an unbelieving world. God’s Word tells us that ‘all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy 3:12). When we are being trained in righteousness, we must recognize that God’s way for us may not be the way that we would have planned for ourselves. When Paul prayed about his ‘thorn in the flesh’, his prayer was answered - but not in the way he had hoped. The weakness remained, but in it Paul experienced something greater - the grace of God. God can turn even the most unlikely circumstances into ideal situations for training in righteousness. We can be assured that God knows what He is doing. Over the whole process of training in righteousness, He writes these great words - ‘My grace is sufficient for you’ (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Train Us In Righteousness (1).

Whenever a preacher speaks about being baptized with the Spirit or filled with the Spirit, different hearers hear the words in different ways. An important biblical way of thinking about the baptism with the Spirit is indicated in Matthew 3:11-12 and Luke 3:16-17. The baptism with the Spirit is a baptism with ‘fire’ - ‘His winnowing fork is in His hand and He will clear His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the granary, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire’. The Spirit led Jesus, after His baptism, into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-2). The Spirit leads us into the refining fire where we are trained in righteousness. Training in righteousness is not fun. Compare training in righteousness with the training of a sportsman. It is hard work. There are times when it is difficult to see the goal. When we are going through hard times, we must remember the goal - ‘praise and glory and honour at the revelation (or appearing) of Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 1:6-7).

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Correct Us (2).

Calling us back from a life that dishonours God - Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery’, He invites us to live a life that brings glory to God - ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). The Spirit corrects us as we respond, with the obedience of faith, to the Lord’s command - ‘be filled with the Spirit’. Paul does not say, ‘Fill yourselves with the Spirit’. He says, ‘let the Holy Spirit fill you’ (N.E.B.). God is calling us to ‘the life-long walk in the Spirit’ (A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest, p.110). He is calling us to ‘keep on being filled with the Spirit’.The Spirit-filled life is a gift of God, a gift of grace. There can be no room for boasting of our own moral superiority. All the glory belongs to the Lord. We can only look away from ourselves to Him and say, ‘the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’ (Psalm 118:23). Our testimony must always be this, ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness’ (Psalm 115:1).

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Correct Us (1).

The Spirit’s ministries of reproof and correction belong together. In Ephesians 4:30, we see both reproof and correction. We are warned - ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’. We must take care that we do not follow a pathway that will lead us further away from the Lord. We are encouraged - ‘in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption’. We must not lose sight of the glorious destiny towards which the Lord is leading us. In His ministries of reproof and correction, the Lord does not treat us as strangers. He treats us as children. ‘Sent into our hearts’ by ‘God’ the Father, ‘the Spirit’ enables us to call God our ‘Father’ (Galatians 4:6). In love, we are reproved - ‘ the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives’ (Hebrews 12:6). His goal is our correction. He wants to transform our life, to bring us out of a life dominated by sin and into a life filled with His blessing.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Reprove Us (3).

In connection with the Spirit’s reproving ministry, we must consider Christ’s warning against committing the unpardonable sin, ‘the blasphemy against the Spirit’ (Matthew 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30; Luke 12:10). What is Jesus saying to us here? He is urging us to be responsive to the Spirit in His ministries of reproof and correction. We must not isolate this sin against the Spirit from all other sins of resisting the Spirit. Jesus is pressing home the urgent importance of not grieving the Spirit and not quenching the Spirit. In His ministries of reproof and correction, the Spirit speaks to us as the Spirit of Christ. He speaks as the One concerning whom Jesus says, ‘He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you’ (John 16:14). The Spirit convicts us of our sin with a view to bringing us to the Saviour who graciously forgives our sin

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Reprove Us (2).

In Paul’s letters, we have two different yet related instructions concerning obediennce to the Spirit of God - ‘Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God’ (Ephesians 4:30). and ‘Do not quench the Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 5:19). While these two instructions may be similar, there is a difference of emphasis. The warning against grieving the Spirit is more related to the Spirit’s reproving ministry while the warning against quenching the Spirit is more related to His correcting ministry. When the Spirit is reproving us for our wrong living, we must not grieve Him by continuing in the wrong way. When the Spirit is seeking to bring us back into the pathway of holiness, we must not quench Him by resisting His holy promptings within us.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Reprove Us (1).

This ministry of the Spirit - His reproving ministry - is vitally related to His correcting ministry. These ministries belong together. In His reproving ministry, the Spirit is concerned with showing us where we have gone wrong. In His correcting ministry, He is concerned with bringing us back to the right way. There will be those who are reproved by the Spirit of God yet they refuse His correcting ministry. The Word of God speaks very directly of this in Proverbs 29:1 - ‘He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing’. This, however, is not the intention of the Spirit’s reproving ministry. The Holy Spirit reproves us so that He might bring us back into the way of holiness. In Hebrews 3:7, we read words which ‘the Holy Spirit’ speaks to us, ‘Today, when you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Teach Us (2).

When I was a student, this lesson was impressed upon me by my Minister, George Philip. He pointed out to me that there may be many things which will interest me in the study, but they may not be what God is wanting me to share with the people when I go to the pulpit. I have never forgotten his words. They have provided an important framework for my ministry. Our goal is not to impress people with our great learning. Rather, it is to give them a glimpse of the greatness of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Jack Rogers gives us a thought-provoking account of a sermon preached by G.C. Berkouwer while he was in the U.S.A. - ‘The worshippers were disappointed by his sermon. They could understand it! They expected the great professor to be profound (i.e. abstract, dull). Instead, he preached a simple gospel sermon of pastoral comfort and affirmation’ (Confessions of a Conservative Evangelical, p.141). If our preaching is a disappointment to those who bring with them the wrong expectations, let us not be perturbed. If our preaching is a help to those who are eagerly seeking to be instructed in the Word of God, let us rejoice. We are to help our hearers to ‘grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2 Peter 3:18). This is ‘the work’ for which we have been ’set apart’ by ‘the Holy Spirit’. This is ‘the work’ to which we have been ‘called’ by ‘the Holy Spirit’ (Acts 13:2).

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Teach Us (1).

Jesus tells us, in John 7:17, that if we want to understand His teaching, we must commit ourselves to doing the will of God. True understanding of Christ and His Gospel goes hand in hand with a practical commitment to living as His disciple. If we are not to be ‘blown here and there by every wind of teaching’, we need to commit ourselves to being ‘doers’ of God’s Word (Ephesians 4:14; James 1:22). There are ’some things’, in God’s Word, which are ‘hard to understand’ (2 Peter 3:16). Many demands will be placed on those who take seriously the task of ‘correctly handling the Word of truth’ (2 Timothy 2:15). As we wrestle with the many-sided complexities of gaining an accurate understanding of God’s Word, we must never lose sight of ‘the simplicity which is in Christ’. We must take great care to maintain our ’sincere and pure devotion to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

In our learning from God’s Word and in our teaching God’s Word to others, we are to honour the Holy Spirit. He is our Teacher. This is what Jesus says concerning Him - ‘the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you’ (John 14:26). As we walk with the Lord, ‘letting the Word of Christ dwell in us richly’ the Holy Spirit will not fail us. He will not leave us without a word to speak for Him (Colossians 3:16; Luke 12:12). In the ministry of God’s Word, we are to say only what the Holy Spirit gives to us for the spiritual feeding of the people.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God For Our Profit.

At our local primary school, I began a lesson on the Old Testament prophets by asking the question, ‘What is a prophet?’ One boy gave the answer, ‘It’s when you sell something for more than you bought it for’. We profit from the Scriptures because Scripture is a word of prophecy: ‘men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God’ (2 Peter 1:21). How do we profit from the prophets? How do we profit from the Scriptures? The answer is given in 2 Timothy 3:16 - ‘All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable’. Scripture is profitable because Scripture is God-breathed. The Bible is the Word of God. That’s why it profits us. If the Bible is not the Word of God, no amount of our saying, ‘I derive profit from reading the Bible’ will make it the Word of God. It is not our faith or lack of faith which decides whether or not the Bible is God’s Word. Our faith or lack of faith can neither add to nor take away from Paul’s great declaration, ‘All Scripture is God-breathed’. Our faith rests on a sure foundation: ‘How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!’ Despite our unbelief, ‘the Word of God is not bound’ (2 Timothy 2:9). Through His Word, God is able to lift us out of our unbelief and bring us into the assurance of faith. We profit from God’s Word when we allow the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit, to breathe His God-breathed words into our hearts and lives.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Bring Us To Faith (4).

From these words of peace, we may find our thoughts turning to the Dove of Peace, the Holy Spirit. In giving to the believer the forgiveness of sins, the Lord Jesus also gives the Holy Spirit. In grace and mercy, God gives the Holy Spirit to us: ‘regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit’, given to us by ‘the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour … poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour’ (Titus 3:4-7). The direct connection between Christ and the Holy Spirit is emphasized in John the Baptist’s prophecy: ‘He (Jesus Christ) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). In Galatians 3:14, Paul stresses that it is ‘in Christ Jesus that we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith’. He goes on to emphasize that ‘faith works by love ‘ and speaks also of ‘love’ as ‘the fruit of the Spirit’ (5:6,22-23). Love - this is so important. Love - this is the practical context for all of our theological reflection concerning the Holy Spirit in the life of faith.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Bring Us To Faith (3)

There is a third question we must ask - ‘Why is faith so important?’ Again, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican answers this question for us: ‘this man went down to his house justified rather than the other’ (v.14). It is faith which marks the difference between the man whom God has declared righteous and the man who is robed in the ‘filthy rags’ of his own religion and morality (Isaiah 64:6). The contrast between Pharisaism and saving faith is brought out well in Luke 7:36-50 where a sinful woman is forgiven as the Pharisees ’say among themselves’, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?”‘(v.49). Jesus’ words to the woman, in verses 48 and 50, consist of three very short sentences which are packed with Gospel truth. ‘Your sins are forgiven’ - these words were spoken to the woman, but not to the Pharisees. Why? The answer is found in the next sentence - ‘Your faith has saved you’. The reason that the woman, and not the Pharisees, heard the words, ‘Your sins are forgiven’, is clear. She believed. They did not believe. The Lord Jesus then said to the woman, ‘Go in peace’.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Bring Us To Faith (2).

When we move on to our second question, ‘What is faith?’, we find that the parable of the Pharisee and the publican provides us, in the publican, with a simple picture of faith. The contrast between the faith of the publican and the works of the Pharisee is total. The faith of the publican was not a ‘work’ by which he earned salvation. He received salvation as a gift of God’s grace. The faith of the publican points in one direction only: the mercy of God. His prayer, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’ (v.13), points away from the sinner to the Saviour. When we observe Jesus’ use of the word, ‘justified’, in verse 14, our thoughts tend to move towards Paul and the doctrine of justification by faith. The doctrine of justification by faith was Jesus’ doctrine before it was Paul’s. What does say Paul say about justification by faith that is not already said - in essence - by Jesus in this parable? Paul contrasts grace and works in Romans 11:6 - ‘if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works’. He contrasts faith and works in Romans 9:32 where he states that Israel did not fulfil the law because ‘they did not pursue it through faith, but as if it were based on works’. While Paul contrasts both grace and faith with works, he never contrasts grace and faith. They belong together. In our preaching, we must emphasize both the offer of grace and the call to faith.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Bring Us To Faith (1).

God’s salvation is a gracious salvation. When, however, we join in Paul’s affirmation of Ephesians 2:5 - ‘by grace you have been saved’ - , we must take care to look down to verse 8 where we find the additional words, ‘through faith’: ‘By grace you have been saved through faith’. There must be no hint of a grace which works apart from faith, a grace which makes faith redundant. That would be ’saved by grace without faith’ which is very different from ’saved by grace through faith’. In our preaching, we must emphasize both the absolute necessity of grace and the absolute necessity of faith. It is important for us to ask some key questions about faith.

Our first question is this: ‘Where does faith come from?’ Is there a basic inclination in man towards believing? The parable of the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:9-14) gives us, in the proud Pharisee, a striking picture of man apart from the grace of God. We may not believe that we are absolutely perfect but we will, nonetheless, look around ourselves until we see someone to whom we can point and say, ‘Lord, I’m not as bad as him. I’m better than him’. The Holy Spirit has a very definite answer to such sinful pride - ‘you have no excuse, O man, whoever you are, when you judge another; for in passing judgment upon him you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things’ (Romans 2:1). How do we move from being the proud Pharisee, boasting of our own self-righteousness to becoming the humble publican, crying to God for His mercy? There is only one way, the way of the Gospel. It is when the ‘Gospel’ comes to us ‘not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction’ that we are brought to faith (1 Thessalonians 1:5; 2:13). Let us not imagine that we can bring others to faith without the power of the Holy Spirit working in us and through us.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Bring Us To Salvation (2).

God’s salvation corresponds to our need. We have a need for forgiveness. The Gospel speaks to us of ‘peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1). We doubt our ability to keep going in the life of faith. God’s Word says to us, ‘Do you not know … that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’ (1 Corinthians 3:16). We wonder if there is hope. God assures us that there is hope. He does this by pouring His love ‘into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us’ (Romans 5:5). Peace with God provides us with the God-given foundation for living the life in the Spirit. Before we are called to the life of discipleship, God says to us, ‘There is … now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). To the believer, God says, ‘You have been set free’ - set free ‘from the law of sin and death’, set free ‘for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:2). This freedom is in Christ. The Lord Jesus says to us, ‘if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed’ (John 8:36). His way of setting us free is emphasized in John 8:32 - ‘you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’. Our experience of freedom, given to us by Christ through His Word of truth, is to be an ongoing experience. This experience of freedom is described by Paul in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18. It begins ‘when a man turns to the Lord’ (v.16). Freedom is the gift of God. It is the gift of the Spirit: ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom’ (v.17). Our ongoing experience of freedom - freedom from sinfulness, freedom for Christlikeness - grows ‘from one degree of glory to another as we ‘behold the glory of the Lord’ (v.18).

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word of God To Bring Us To Salvation (1)

Jesus Christ is ‘our wisdom, our righteousness, our sanctification and redemption’ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He is our full salvation. From beginning to end, our salvation is in Him. There is no room for boasting on our part: ‘Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 1:31). Our salvation is an ‘out of this world’ salvation. It is ‘out of this world’ in its origin. It is a salvation which has its origin in the ‘before the ages’ love of God, the eternal love of God. It is a salvation which has, as its destiny, ‘our glorification’ (1 Corinthians 2:7). When Paul speaks of this eternal salvation, this glorious salvation, he emphasizes its ‘out of this world’ character. He writes, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived … God has prepared for those who love Him’ (1 Corinthians 2:9). This salvation is not only ‘out of this world’. It has entered into our experience: ‘God has revealed (His salvation) to us through the Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 2:10). Salvation has been revealed. It has come ‘from above’. Here below, we experience salvation. Here below, we confess, with gladness of heart, that salvation has come to us. Tempted to doubt God’s salvation, we must allow the Spirit to bring to our remembrance this salvation which comes ‘from above’. Tempted to think that we ‘know it all’, we must remember that we are still here below. When we speak of God’s salvation, we must speak with deep gratitude to God ‘for His inexpressible gift’ (2 Corinthians 9:15). Our words can never give adequate expression to God’s great salvation. Nevertheless, we must not be hesitant in preaching Christ and His salvation. As we preach the gospel of salvation, we must never lose sight of the way in which the Spirit has revealed God’s salvation to us. Salvation has not come to us from the depths of our own heart. It has not come to us from some ‘great beyond’ which makes the whole matter so private that we dare not speak of it. Salvation has come to us through ‘words … taught by the Spirit’, the words of Holy Scripture. To those who live below, salvation has come ‘from above’. When we think of God’s salvation, we will come to appreciate its greatness, as we learn to see the greatness of our sin, the greatness of our need.

The Holy Spirit Uses The Word Of God To Lead Us To Christ.

Jesus has given us His promise concerning the Holy Spirit: ‘He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you’ (John 16:14). If we are to honour the Holy Spirit in our preaching, we must focus on the cross of Christ’ - ‘we preach Christ crucified’, ‘I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 1:17,23; 2:2). We must pray for ‘the Spirit’s power’ (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). How are we to preach Christ crucified? Will it mean preaching only from a select group of ‘gospel texts’ which refer explicitly to the death of Christ? Preaching Christ and Him crucified does not mean that we must narrow down the focus of our preaching. What, then, does it mean? It means that we must learn to see Christ in ‘all the Scriptures’ (Luke 24:27). At the very centre of all of our preaching from God’s Word, there must stand Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We do not read Christ into places where He is not to be found. Rather, we emphasize that Christ - ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29) - is the central Theme of the Scriptures. The Spirit of God points us to Jesus Christ and Him crucified. We are to ‘keep our eyes on Jesus’ (Hebrews 12:2). As we keep our eyes on Him, we will find that the Spirit directs our attention to the cross, graciously reminding us that we have been ‘redeemed … with the precious blood of Christ’ (1 Peter 1:18-19).

The Holy Spirit UsesThe Word Of God To Make Us Wise.

The wisdom which comes from the Spirit and the Word is a special kind of wisdom. It is not the wisdom of this world. It is the wisdom which is bound up with Christ, salvation and faith. Worldly wisdom places great value on intellectual attainment. It emphasizes the importance of getting on in the world. True spiritual wisdom has quite different priorities. As we feed upon God’s Word, the Spirit imparts wisdom to us, a wisdom which the world can neither understand nor receive. This is the wisdom of which Paul speaks in 1 Corinthians 2. He describes this wisdom as ‘a secret and hidden wisdom’ (v.7). This wisdom is no longer hidden from us - ‘God has revealed it to us by His Spirit’ (v.10). It is hidden only from those who refuse to read and hear with faith the ‘words … taught by the Spirit’ (v.13).

"Believe In The Lord Jesus, And You Will Be Saved."

2 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12
For ‘all those who have believed’, ‘the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ’ will be a great Day, the Day of celebration, the Day of our salvation, the Day of ‘our being gathered to Him’(2:1; 1:10). ‘When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven’, it will be a Day of judgment for ‘those who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus’(1:7-8). The Word of God is very clear about God’s purpose of salvation: ‘God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him’. ‘The Lord does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance’. ‘God wants all people to be saved’(John 3:17; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4). You can say ‘No’ to Christ - and perish. Say “Yes’to Him - ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’(2:10; John 3:18; Acts 16:31).

2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:18
Paul prayed for the Thessalonians and he asked them to pray for him. He prayed that God would ‘comfort their hearts and establish them in every good work and word’(2:16-17). He prayed that they would enjoy peace: ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in all ways’(3:16). He asked them to pray for his ministry - ‘pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on and triumph among you’(1). Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, ‘You keep on praying for us and we’ll keep on praying for you’. We must not forget each other. We must remember each other - in prayer. Far too often, we forget. It becomes a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. We’re not to live in the past. We are to keep on praying for those who belong to our past. Don’t forget to remember!

We Need More Than The Words Of The Preacher. We Need The Power Of The Holy Spirit.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:20
If God is to be glorified through the preaching of His Word, there needs to be more than the ‘words’ of the preacher. There needs to be ‘the power of the Holy Spirit’(1:5). Good preaching is not a matter of ‘plausible words of wisdom’. We must look for ‘a demonstration of the Spirit’s power’(1 Corinthians 2:4). When the Spirit is at work, there is effective communication, leading to a life-changing encounter with God. ‘When you received the Word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as it really is, the Word of God, which is at work in you believers’(13). Don’t let God’s Word ‘go in one ear and out the other’. The ‘message’ will do you no good if you don’t hear it ‘with faith’- ‘Today, when you hear His voice, harden not your hearts’(Hebrews 4:2; 3:15).

1 Thessalonians 3:1-4:12
We need both ‘love’ and ‘holiness’(3:12-13). Our love is to be holy. Our holiness is to be loving. Getting the right balance between love and holiness is like walking a tightrope. You can easily lose your balance and fall off. We can be too soft - all love and no holiness. We can be too hard - all holiness and no love. Love doesn’t mean ‘anything goes’- ‘I don’t care how you live’. That’s not love. That’s indifference, a ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude. Holiness doesn’t mean looking down your nose at other people - ‘You’ve sinned and I will never let you forget it’. Don’t be like ‘the Pharisees’. They wanted to ‘stone the woman caught in adultery’. We must not ‘stone’ people with our ‘hot tongue and cold shoulder’! Be like Jesus. Show love- ‘I don’t condemn you’- and holiness- ‘Do not sin again’(John 8:3-11).

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:28
Do you feel like giving up? God is not about to give up on you: ‘He who calls you is utterly faithful and He will finish what He set out to do’(23). He has a great future for us: ‘God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ’(9). We look forward to the Return of our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘The Lord Himself will descend from heaven’(4:16). We look forward to heavenly and eternal glory: ‘We shall always be with the Lord’(4:17). This is the kind of encouragement we need. We are to remind one another of these things: ‘Comfort one another with these words’(4:18). We are ‘to encourage one another’ to go on with the Lord. Let’s ‘build one another up’, encouraging each other to build on ‘the Rock’ which is ‘Christ’(11; 1 Corinthians 10:3; Matthew 7:24-27).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Jesus Christ - The King Of Kings

Lamentations 4:1-22 
No human king can even begin to compare with our Lord Jesus Christ, ‘the King of kings’(Revelation 19:16). The people of Jerusalem were full of confidence. They ‘trusted their king to protect them from every invader’. They thought Jerusalem was invincible: ‘No one anywhere, not even rulers of foreign nations, believed that any invader could enter Jerusalem’s gates’. They were wrong. They thought it would never happen - but it did! The unthinkable happened! ‘They captured the source of our life, the king the Lord had chosen’. Why did it happen? God’s Word gives us the reason: ‘It happened because of the sins of her prophets and... priests’. The king - ‘the Lord’s anointed’- was unable to prevent Jerusalem’s defeat (12-13,20). Praise God - We have a greater King: our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ! 

Lamentations 5:1-22 
‘You, O Lord, reign for ever; Your throne endures from generation to generation’. We must remember this when we feel like we have been ‘forgotten’ by God. When we feel like God has ‘abandoned’ us, we must remember this: ‘You, O Lord, are King for ever, and will rule to the end of time’(19-20). We are not only to pay lip-service to the Lord our King. We are to crown Him as King of our heart and life. How are we to do this? We must pray, ‘Bring us back to You, Lord!’(21). God is looking for a real return to Him and a real difference in our lives. ‘In your hearts enthrone Him. There let Him subdue all that is not holy, all that is not true...’; ‘So let us learn how to serve and in our lives enthrone Him, each other’s needs to prefer, for it is Christ we’re serving’(Church Hymnary, 300; Mission Praise, 162).
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Blessings in Christ 
Christ in all the Scriptures 

http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Great Is Your Faithfulness

Lamentations 3:1-24 
There are times when it seems nothing is going right for us: ‘I am the man who has seen affliction...’(1-3). In such times, we must remember this: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end’. When we find ourselves in circumstances of great distress, we must learn to look beyond the things that are happening to us. We must learn to look to the Lord and say, ‘Great is Your faithfulness’. It will not be easy to see God at work in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong. We must be patient as we wait for the blessing of the Lord to return to our lives. We must put all our hope in the Lord, trusting in His precious promise: ‘The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord’(22-26). 

Lamentations 3:25-42 
In our ‘grief’, we must not forget the ‘compassion’ of God (32). He understands us. He cares for us. How do we know that God loves us? ‘Christ died for us’(Romans 5:8). This is the greatest demonstration of God’s love for us. How can we doubt God’s love for us when we think of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, dying on the Cross for us as our Saviour? When we think of God’s love for us, we must remember that He calls us to love Him. We are not to take God’s love for granted - ‘God loves me. I can do what I like’. We are to appreciate God’s love - ‘God loves me. I will love Him’. God loves us. Christ died for us. How can we say, ‘I’ll do what I like’? How can we refuse to be changed by His love? ‘Let us examine our ways and turn back to the Lord. Let us open our hearts to God’(40-41). 

Lamentations 3:43-66- ‘You came near when I called You... O Lord... You redeemed my life’(57-58). We wonder, ‘Will God answer my prayer for salvation?’. Yes! At the Cross of Christ, we learn that God loves us and answers our prayer. ‘You did not wait for me to draw near to You, but You clothed yourself in frail humanity. You did not wait for me to cry out to You, but You let me hear Your voice calling me. And I’m forever grateful to You, I’m forever grateful for the Cross; I’m forever grateful to You that You came to seek and save the lost’. ‘Thank You for the Cross, the price You paid for us, how You gave Yourself so completely, precious Lord, precious Lord. Now our sins are gone, all forgiven, covered by Your blood, all forgotten, thank You Lord, thank You Lord’(Songs of Fellowship, 631; Mission Praise, 632). 
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Blessings in Christ 
Christ in all the Scriptures 

http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

God Is Calling Us Back To Himself. Will We Return To Him?

Lamentations 1:1-22 
Jerusalem had fallen into hard times - ‘she who once was great among the nations... has now become a slave’(1). The explanation for this sad situation was not hard to find - ‘Jerusalem has sinned greatly and so has become unclean...’(8-9). Could things be turned around? Could there once again be blessing? There was a way back to God - the way of being honest before Him. They needed to look seriously at their way of life and think seriously about their attitude towards the Lord. They were not to adopt an arrogant attitude - ‘There’s really nothing wrong with us. We’re doing all right’. They were to come to God with a real confession of sin: ‘The Lord is righteous, yet I rebelled against His command... O Lord,... I have been most rebellious’(18,20). God’s blessing will begin again when we confess our sin. 

Lamentations 2:1-22 
Jerusalem’s fall into hard times was not ‘just one of those things that happens’. God’s people brought it on themselves. They did not take God seriously - but God continued to take them seriously. They ignored God - but God did not ignore their disobedience to Him. They sinned against God - and He was angry with them: ‘How the Lord in His anger has set the daughter of Zion under a cloud!’(1). This was not just a case of glibly saying, ‘The good times will come again’. They needed to recognize why the bad times had come: ‘The Lord has... carried out His threat’(17). The Lord had warned His sinful people. Judgment was on its way - if they refused to listen to Him. Now, in the time of His judgment, God is still calling us back to Himself: ‘Cry aloud to the Lord!...’(18-19). Will we return to Him? 
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Blessings in Christ 
Christ in all the Scriptures 

http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

The Greatest Love Of All

Song of Solomon 6:1-7:9
‘You are beautiful... How beautiful you are’ (6:4; 7:6). What beauty can the Lord possibly see in us? We are sinners - ‘We have all strayed like sheep. Each one of us has turned to go his own way’. There’s nothing beautiful about that! Is this the whole story? Thank God! - There’s something more. Christ died for sinners - ‘the Lord laid all our sins on Him’ (Isaiah 53:6). When God looks on us, He does not see our sin. He sees our Saviour, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He looks at us, and this is what He sees: ‘The blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7). Through faith in Christ, we are sinners, saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). This is the beauty the Lord sees in us: ‘There is, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). This is not our beauty. It’s His beauty!

Song of Solomon 7:10-8:14
‘Love is as strong as death... It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it’ (6-7). Here, we see the greatest love of all, the love of God: ‘Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future... nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 8:38-39). How can we have the love of God, burning in our hearts ‘like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame’? We cannot buy His love - ‘If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned’ (7). We must receive His love as a gift: ‘So freely flows the endless love You give to me... So easy, I receive the love You give to me... Flowing out to me - the love within Your heart’ (Mission Praise, 603).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

"The Son Of Man Came To Seek And To Save The Lost."

Song of Solomon 3:1-4:8
Jesus says, ‘Seek and you will find’ (Matthew 7:7). When we have found Him, we say, with joy, ‘I found Him whom my soul loves - my true love’ (3:4). What does it mean to find Jesus? It means that He has found us. Before we ever thought of seeking for Him, He came seeking for us: ‘the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost’ (Luke 19:10). He comes to us with words of love: ‘you are beautiful, my love’ (4:1). Before we ever thought of loving Him, He loved us: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). In love, He came looking for us. In love, He has found us. We seek. We find. We say, ‘Hallelujah! I have found Him’. There is something else - His seeking and finding: ‘Amazing grace! How sweet the sound... I once was lost, but now am found...’ (Mission Praise, 31).

Song of Solomon 4:9-5:16
There are times when the Lord comes very near to us. We pray, ‘Let my Beloved come to His garden’ (4:16). He answers, ‘I come to My garden,... my Bride’ (1). There are times when the Lord seems to be far away from us: ‘I opened to my Beloved, but my Beloved had turned and gone’ (6). What are we to do when the Lord’s presence does not seem so real to us? We must remember His promise: ‘I am with you always’ (Matthew 28:20). Sometimes, we don’t feel so good. We feel like the Lord has gone away and left us. These are the times when we need His Word of encouragement: ‘I am with you always’. In the difficult times, we must hold on to His promise. We must keep on believing that the times of blessing will return: ‘His speech is sweet; He is altogether lovely... my Beloved... my Friend’ (5:16).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen In Me.

Song of Solomon 1:1-17
The Church is the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-33). We are to be presented to Christ ‘as a pure Bride’, ‘a Bride beautifully dressed’ for Him, ‘the Bride, the wife of the Lamb’ (2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 21:2,9). Christ says to His Bride, ‘You are beautiful, my love’. Let us worship Him: ‘You are beautiful, my Beloved, truly lovely’ (15-16). Let us look to Christ and see how beautiful He is: ‘You are beautiful beyond description, too marvellous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard. Who can fathom Your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the depth of Your love? You are beautiful beyond description, Majesty enthroned above...’. Let us pray that His beauty will be seen in us: ‘Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wondrous compassion and purity...’ (Mission Praise, 788,406).

Song of Solomon 2:1-17
Christ comes to us in love: ‘The Voice of my Beloved! Look! Here He comes...’ (8). He calls us to come to Him: ‘My Beloved speaks and says to me, “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away”’ (10). He calls us to belong to Him: ‘My Beloved is mine and I am His’ (16). Let us come to Jesus and experience His love: ‘Jesus, how lovely You are! You are so gentle, so pure and kind...’. Let us come to Jesus and give Him our love: ‘Jesus, I love You, love You more and more each day; Jesus, I love You, Your gentle touch renews my heart. It’s really no wonder why no other love can satisfy; Jesus, I love You, You’ve won this heart of mine!’. Let us come to Jesus and receive His joy: ‘Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art; I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart’ (Mission Praise, 361,363,362).
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Blessings in Christ
Christ in all the Scriptures
http://christinallthescriptures.blogspot.com

Victory Over Darkness

Depression is like a cancer. Once it sets in, it can overtake us and place us in bondage. Severe depression has a crippling effect. It steals and robs us of our joy and ability to experience happiness. Of course we could get into all the intense reasons and causes of depression. But enough of that.

I encourage those dealing with depression to enter into a place of prayer. What kind of prayer. Simply pray and talk to God. Tell him what you are experiencing and simply ask Him for help.

I encourage you to also find some praise and worship music that you like, listen to it and make it a part of your days. You see when we lift our voices up to God, give Him praise and worship Him. The Kingdom of God, meaning heaven, comes to earth. And when the Kingdom comes, depression leaves.

Blessings, in the love of Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

How Do We Receive Blessings From Jesus Christ?

We receive His blessings by receiving Him.
The Lord Himself is among us. He is speaking to us through His Word. His Spirit is bringing Christ to us. The Lord is giving us a glimpse of His glory. Jesus stands among us as the risen Lord. He invites us to begin a new life with Him.
Jesus comes to us with the Gospel. He comes to us with Good News. That's what the word, "Gospel", means - Good News!
A little girl was asked if she had ever received Good News. She said that she received Good News when she received the "Yes" replies to the birthday party invitations she had sent to her friends.
This little girl's answer tells us something very precious about the Lord's love for us.
We receive joy when we come to Jesus: !"If I come to Jesus, He will make me glad." There is, however, another joy. It is the joy which we bring to the Lord when we come to Jesus: "there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10). We come to Jesus and we receive the joy of the Lord. We come to Jesus, and we bring joy to the heart of the Lord.
Christ asks us, "Do you want to receive joy?" He also asks us, "Do you want to bring joy to the heart of God?"
We may answer the first question selfishly, concerned only with what we can get out of Christ. The second question challenges us to seek God's glory rather that simply seeking our own pleasure.
"What is the chief end of man?" - "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. " Notice the order - first, God's glory and, then, our joy.
The hymn, "Amazing grace", contains a fine combination of receiving from the Lord and giving glory to Him - "I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see ... singing God's praise." These words provide us an echo of the words of Luke 18:43, where we read of a blind man receiving his sight, following Jesus and praising God.
Have you received God's salvation? Have you begun to glorify God?
Having received God's salvation, having begun to glorify God, let us go on to follow Jesus, "living together in justice and peace, caring for the world and for each other.

What Does Jesus Christ Give To Us?

"And from His fullness have we all received, grace upon grace" (John 1:16).
"Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
In grace, God pours blessings into our lives. They are blessings which we don't deserve.
How does He do this? He brings Gospel truth to our attention. He speaks to us the Gospel promises, inviting us to come and receive the Saviour and the blessings which come with Him.
The Lord's blessings are very precious.
Think of the joy which He gives to us. Think of the peace which He brings into our lives.
We rejoice in God's gifts. More than that, however, we rejoice in the Giver.
"My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace, nor even blessing, but Himself, my God."
There is no true joy apart from the lord Jesus. He is our joy. He is our peace. We do not rest in our feelings. We trust in the Lord. He is the real reason for our rejoicing. Without Him, we have nothing. Without him, we live defeated lives. The joy is not there. The peace is not there.
Why? - Because Jesus is not there.
When Jesus is in our lives, everything has changed. Our circumstances may remain the same. Scripture speaks about the "various trials" we must face (1 Peter 1:6). Through Christ, we are able to face these trials with joy - a joy that is not superficial, a joy which is deeply and securely grounded in the peace which comes from knowing that the Lord Himself is there with us, no matter how difficult life may be.
The joy which the Lord gives is described as "unutterable and exalted joy" or "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Peter 1:8).
The joy and the peace of the Lord becomes ours when the glory of the Lord breaks through into our lives.
"Heaven came down and glory filled my soul when, at the Cross, the Saviour made me whole. My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day. Heaven came down and glory filled my soul."

Who Is Jesus Christ?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1).
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
Jesus Christ is described as "the Word."
What do we use words for? We use words to communicate with one another. We use words to speak to one another.
What does it mean to say, "Jesus Christ is the Word"? It means this - God is speaking to us.
God is communicating Himself to us. He is not a God who keeps His silence. In Jesus Christ, God speaks to us. He introduces Himself to us as the God who is "full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
If we are to get to know God, we must come to Him by way of Jesus Christ (John 1:18).
Jesus is the Way to God the Father. He is the true and living Way. Through Christ, we are brought to a true knowledge of God and a living experience of God.

Live For The Lord. Let’s Live In The Power Of The Spirit.

Each of us must choose. We can ‘live according to the flesh’ or we can ‘live according to the Spirit’. We can ‘set the mind on the flesh’ or we can ‘set the mind on the Spirit’ (Romans 8:5-6).

The new life in the Spirit is just the beginning. God is preparing us for the greater ‘glory that will be revealed in us’ (Romans 8:18). We have ‘the first fruits of the Spirit’. The Holy Spirit is ‘the guarantee of our inheritance’. He is the starter which whets our appetite for the main course!

With Him in our hearts, we long for more - ‘an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you’, ‘the redemption of our bodies’, ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God’ (Romans 8:21-23; Ephesians 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5). Led by the Spirit, strong in the Spirit, we press on to glory (Romans 8:14, 26, 17).

Fear The Lord And Walk In His Ways.

‘Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways’ (Psalm 128:1).

If we are to enjoy the Lord’s blessing, we must fear Him and walk in His ways. Many people despise the place of worship. They ‘pass by’. They have no desire to know ‘the blessing of the Lord’. God warns us that we must not allow this attitude to grow in us: ‘May all who hate Zion be put to shame.’

We must take care that our love for the Lord doesn’t ‘wither’ away. We must keep on praying that our love for Him will ‘grow.’

If we place no value on the Lord’s blessing, our lives will be empty. Come to the Lord with this prayer: ‘The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You, loving You, serving You. I want to know You more, love You more, serve You more’. He will ‘fill’ your life with His blessing (Psalm 129:5-8; Mission Praise, 646).

Look To The Lord And Receive His Strength.

‘Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonderful works that He has done... ’ (Psalm 105:4-5).
The Lord gives strength to those who put their trust in Him. Trusting in Christ, we have this great testimony: ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ (Philippians
4:13). How do we receive the Lord’s strength? We must ‘seek His face always.’ We must not think we can face difficult circumstances in our strength. Without the strength of the Lord, we will be defeated. He has helped us in the past. Never forget this. Give thanks to Him for every victory won. As you face temptation, remember the Lord’s promise of victory: ‘God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength. With the temptation, He will also provide the way of escape...’ (1 Corinthians 10:13).
‘He brought His people out with joy’ (Psalm 105:43). When things are going badly and we feel like giving up, we must remember the Word of the Lord: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’ (Nehemiah 8:10). We are to ‘rejoice in the Lord always.’ The Lord does not leave us on our own when our time of testing comes. He is there for us in our time of need: ‘My God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:4, 19).
When we are deeply conscious of our own weakness, the Lord comes to us with His Word of strength: ‘My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). Through the Word of God, we receive strength. His Word brings joy to us. Let us sing ‘glad songs of victory’: ‘The Lord is my Strength, my Song, my Saviour’ (Psalm 118:14-15).

Trust In The Lord. He Is Working In Us To Do Us Good.

The tables are turned on Jacob. The trickster is tricked! The ‘trick’ was according to the ‘custom’ that the elder daughter should be given in marriage before the younger one (Genesis 29:23, 25-26). Seven years became fourteen years (Genesis 29:18-20, 27, 30). Jacob did receive his heart’s desire, but there was a lesson to be learned: Going God’s way is better than getting your own way.

‘All things work together for good to those who love God’ (Romans 8:28) - this doesn’t mean that we always get what we want. We must learn to ‘let go and let God have His wonderful way’, and to say, ‘This God - His way is perfect’ (Psalm 18:30). Out of love for Rachel (Genesis 29:18, 20), Jacob served Laban for an extra seven years. We would serve Christ better if we loved Him more. Jesus still asks the question, ‘Do you love Me?’ (John 21:15-17).

Worship The Lord, Wait On Him And Walk With Him.

God’s love for us inspires our loyalty to Him: ‘Your love is ever before me, and I will walk continually in Your truth’ (Psalm 26:3).

Loyalty to the Lord involves worshipping Him and walking with Him (Psalm 26:11-12).

Walking with God is not easy. There are ‘enemies round about’ us (Psalms 26:4-5, 9-10; 27:2-3, 6 ,11-12). What are we to do? We are to worship God: ‘One thing have I asked of the Lord…that I may dwell in the House of the Lord…’ (Psalm 27:4).

What are we doing when we gather in the Lord’s House for worship? This is what we are doing - ‘Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage’ (Psalm 27:14).

Where does our strength come from? It comes from God: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation… The Lord is the stronghold of my life’. Strong in Him, we say, ‘My heart will not fear … I will be confident’ (Psalm 27:1, 3).

We Receive Strength When We Trust In The Grace Of The Lord.

In Romans 9, we read about ‘Jews’ and ‘Gentiles’. We learn about salvation. The Jews are not saved because of their nationality. It is ‘not because of works’. The Gentiles are not excluded because of their nationality. It is ‘because of His call’.

Salvation comes from God’s grace, not from our good works. It is received ‘by faith’, not ‘by works’ (Romans 9:24, 11, 30-32).

There is for us here a word of warning and a word of promise.

* Here’s the warning - You can be religious without being saved: ‘not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel... it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God’ (Romans 9:6-8).

* Here’s the promise - You can be saved through faith in Jesus Christ: Through faith in Him, those who were ‘not God’s people’ became ‘sons of the living God’ (Romans 9:26).

Trust in Christ, not in yourself!

Jesus Christ - Crucified For Us And Risen For Us

Jesus Christ is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). He has died for our sins and was raised again so that we might have eternal life through faith in Him.
* Let us come humbly before the Cross, and say, with the Apostle Paul, "God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14).
* Let us come humbly before the empty tomb, making Paul's prayer our very own: "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10).

Thought For The Day - "God Is Able ... "

God is able to do so much more than we can ask for. Be bold. Pray that God will send revival in our time.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 24:1-23

'They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they acclaim the Lord's majesty. Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord, exalt the Name of the Lord, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: "Glory to the Righteous One"' (14-16). What a beautiful picture of a land that is enjoying God's blessing, praising Him and giving glory to Him! Looking around us, we see a very different picture - 'The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws... therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt' (5-6). Can the dark picture of sin and guilt be turned into the brighter picture of salvation and rejoicing? God 'is able to do so much more than we can ask for, or even imagine' (Ephesians 3:20). Be bold. Pray that God will send revival in our time.

Thought For The Day - "It Is So Easy To Forget ... "

It is so easy to forget the Lord. Even when we forget Him, He does not forget us.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 30:18-31:9

'Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many and in horsemen because they are strong, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel or consult the Lord!' (1). It is so easy to forget the Lord. We try to go it alone, and we forget to look to Him for help. Even when we forget Him, He does not forget us. When we turn our backs on Him, He calls us to 'return to Him' (6). He reminds us that our true help is found in Him: 'Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth' (Psalm 124:8). We need not look around here, there and everywhere for an answer to the question, 'Where does my help come from?'. There is only one true answer to this question: 'My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth' (Psalm 121:1-2).

The Book





















http://picturemythoughts.blogspot.com

Finding Victory In Christ

Depression is like a cancer. Once it sets in, it can overtake us and place us in bondage. Severe depression has a crippling effect. It steals and robs us of our joy and ability to experience happiness. Of course we could get into all the intense reasons and causes of depression. But enough of that.

I encourage those dealing with depression to enter into a place of prayer. What kind of prayer. Simply pray and talk to God. Tell him what you are experiencing and simply ask Him for help.

I encourage you to also find some praise and worship music that you like, listen to it and make it a part of your days. You see when we lift our voices up to God, give Him praise and worship Him. The Kingdom of God, meaning heaven, comes to earth. And when the Kingdom comes, depression leaves.

Blessings, in the love of Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Let's Listen To Jesus Christ. He's The Word Of God!

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1). “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Jesus Christ is described as “the Word.”

What do we use words for? We use words to communicate with one another. We use words to speak to one another.

What does it mean to say, “Jesus Christ is the Word”? It means this - God is speaking to us.

God is communicating Himself to us. He is not a God who keeps His silence. In Jesus Christ, God speaks to us. He introduces Himself to us as the God who is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

If we are to get to know God, we must come to Him by way of Jesus Christ (John 1:18).

Jesus is the Way to God the Father. He is the true and living Way. Through Christ, we are brought to a true knowledge of God and a living experience of God.

Do We Have Faith? – Let Us Commit Ourselves To A Life Of Obeying God’s Word.

Don’t worry about ‘what will happen tomorrow’. It’s in the Lord’s hands (James 4:14-15).

We must not lose sight of ‘the purpose of the Lord’. We must remember that ‘the Lord is full of compassion and mercy’(James 5:11).

We look forward to ‘the Lord’s Coming’ as the great Day of our salvation (James 5:7-8).

We must not, however, forget God’s words of warning: ‘The Judge is standing at the door’. God speaks to us concerning ‘the misery that is coming upon you’. What is He saying to us here? - He is warning us: Be careful how you live - Don’t trust in riches. ‘Don’t grumble against each other’(James 5:1-3, 9).

The warning and the promise belong together. Those who are facing judgment can be brought to the Saviour. May God help us to speak His Word - the warning as well as the promise - , always praying that sinners will be saved (James 5:16, 19-20).


Note The Post, Font, Font Style, Font Color

Note; this post and the two that follow are all are in conformity regarding font style, font size, and font color. Then when scrolling down, the font sizes, font colors, and font styles change.

The system is preset with regards to font, font color, font size, and font style. Just type and post.

Bless The Lord Oh My Soul

When we lift our voices up in praise and worship, offering a sacrifice well pleasing to God. The presence of God comes and fills us. As we bless the Lord, the Lord blesses and inhabits us.

For He is a God that inhabits the praises of His people.

New Template, New Style

This template is preset with regards to font style, and colors. When you leave the font style and colors as set, and do not change when posting. This allows you to change templates at anytime without the need of adjusting colors to match on the next template. Colors that are manually changes will appear the same when you chose a new template, which 9 times out of 10 results in post font colors that do not match the templates overall design.

Note the font color within this post. This is the preset color. When posting you simply write and post without changing the font color.

Wait For God

Worshipping God and working for Him, we await the Day of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:2). We wait upon the Lord and we renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31).
Paul prayed for the Thessalonians and he asked them to pray for him. He prayed that God would ‘comfort their hearts and establish them in every good work and word’(
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). He prayed that they would enjoy peace: ‘Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in all ways’(2 Thessalonians 3:16). He asked them to pray for his ministry: ‘pray for us, that the Word of the Lord may speed on and triumph among you’(2 Thessalonians 3:1). Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, ‘You keep on praying for us and we’ll keep on praying for you’.
Far too often, we forget. It becomes a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. We must not forget each other. We are to keep on praying for those who belong to our past. We must remember each other - in prayer. Don’t forget to remember!We’re not to live in the past. We are travelling towards the future – God’s future. God’s future: That’s the reason we keep on praying for those who belong to our past. We pray that their future will be filled with His blessing- filled with the comfort of the Gospel, filled with the peace of God and filled with the triumph of His grace.
We await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him (
2 Thessalonians 2:1). As we await the of God’s eternal Kingdom, may we grow strong in the firm conviction that He is not the God of the dead, but of the living (Luke 20:38).

Worship God.

Our work for God is to be grounded in worship. ‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding’. Let us worship our great God: ‘I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:1-3).

The God whom we worship is so much greater than the worship we bring to Him.
Our worship is to be a ‘joyful celebration’.

* We celebrate His great love: ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love’.

* We rejoice in His great faithfulness: ‘The Lord is faithful to all His promises’.

Here on earth, we have only begun to worship our great God. Our worship will continue in His ‘everlasting Kingdom’.
There, we will ‘praise His Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:7-8, 13, 21).

Let us worship the Lord – “Sing to the Lord a new song … Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth” (Psalm 98:1, 4).

Work For God.

"Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding My Temple?” asks the Lord’. His reply to them is this: ‘Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?’(Haggai 1:2-4). God’s people had forgotten about God. They were pleasing themselves - but they were not pleasing God!

God is challenging us to think about our way of living - ‘Consider your way of life’ (Haggai 1:5, 7).
We are to ‘obey the voice of the Lord our God’. We are to change our way of thinking - ‘the people feared the Lord’ - and living - ‘They came and began work on the House of the Lord Almighty, their God’. Let us obey God’s voice. Let us trust in His promise - ‘I am with you’ (Haggai 1:12-14).

“Be strong, all you people of the land”, declares the Lord, “and work. For I am with you”, declares the Lord Almighty’ (Haggai 2:4). We are to work for God. When we commit ourselves to serving Him, the Lord promises His blessing: ‘From this day on I will bless you’ (Haggai 2:19). To His faithful servants, God promises great blessing: ‘I will fill this House with glory’ (Haggai 2:7).

"Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that, in the Lord, your labour is not in vain’ (1 Corinthians 15:58". "Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King? ... We are on the Lord’s side, Saviour, we are Thine ... Always on the Lord’s side, Saviour, always Thine".

Love Is The Greatest Of All Gifts

Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Loving, Serving And Following Jesus (John 21)

‘Fishers of men’ (Matthew 4:19) - Set your goals lower than this, and you will take others with you. Together, you will discover the emptiness of life without Christ at its centre - ‘they caught nothing’(3). Note the contrast between the self-centered life (5) and the Christ-centered life (6, 8, 11). Loving, serving and following Jesus - These are the most important things in life (15-17, 22). Don’t look over your shoulder at someone else - ‘Lord, what about this man?’(21). Let it be personal - Jesus says, ‘Do you love Me?’(15-17). He asked Peter, ‘Do you love me more than these?’(15) - more than you love these other disciples, more than these other disciples love Me, more than your boats, nets and fishes? Look back and ask yourself, ‘Do I love Jesus more than I did a year ago?’

Keeping Christ At The Centre Of Our Praise And Our Preaching

* Christ is to be pre-eminent in our praise.

In Luke 1:68-79, we have a song of praise. Zechariah worships the Lord: Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and He has redeemed His people (v. 68). This song of praise – from the father of John the Baptist - is directly connected to the song of praise which came from Mary, the mother of Jesus: My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour ... (Luke 1:46-55). Like Zechariah and Mary, we are to praise the God of our salvation. We are to give thanks to God for the gift of His Son - our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

* Christ is to be pre-eminent in our preaching.

Jeremiah warns us against the false prophets: ‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ (Jeremiah 23:1). We are not to be like the false prophets. We are to be faithful servants of the Lord. God is calling us to be faithful. To John the Baptist, God’s Word was spoken: “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him” (Luke 1:76). This is our ministry. We are to prepare the way for the Lord. We are to point away from ourselves, saying, “I must decrease. Christ must increase” (John 3:30). We are to direct attention to Jesus, our Saviour, saying, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

Jesus Christ - Our Great Saviour

‘In everything’ Christ is ‘pre-eminent’ (Colossians 1:18).

* He is pre-eminent in our salvation.

In Luke 23:42-43, we read of the thief on the cross, trusting in Christ for salvation. Like the dying thief, we come to Christ in our weakness. He meets us with His strong salvation.

Deeply conscious of our sin, we know that we can do nothing to save ourselves. We must look away from ourselves to the Saviour.

In Him, there is redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14).

Through Him, we receive the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:77).

He is our Saviour. We look to Him and we say, Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to Your Name be the glory, because of Your love and faithfulness (Psalm 115:1).

Do We Have Faith? – Let Us Commit Ourselves To A Life Of Listening To God’s Word.

Much is said about John the Baptist here, yet the whole purpose is to draw attention to Jesus the Saviour. Jesus is superior to John. He is the One to whom John pointed. There are two responses to Jesus.

- We can take offence at Him: ‘Blessed is he who takes no offence at Me’(Matthew 11:6).

- We can hear what He says, receiving Him with faith: ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear’ (Matthew 11:15).

In His time, Jesus asked the question, ‘To whom shall I compare this generation?’, giving the answer, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn’ (Matthew 11:16-17).

The promise of the Gospel is preached, yet many will not rejoice. The warning of the Gospel is preached, yet many will not repent. This is the story of our generation.

May God help us to lead people of this generation to Christ, the ‘Friend of sinners’ (Matthew 11:19).

Give Glory To God

For He is worthy of all glory, all honor and all praise!

Do We Have Faith? – Let Us Commit Ourselves To A Life Of Worship.

‘I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live’ (Psalm 146:2).

Praising the Lord our God: This is a lifelong commitment. We cannot maintain this lifelong commitment in our own strength.

We need the Lord’s help. We must never forget this: ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’ (Psalm 127:1). We are not expected to maintain this lifelong commitment in our own strength.

We have the Lord’s help. We must always remember this: ‘Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth’ (Psalm 124:8).

‘Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, the Lord who remains faithful for ever’(Psalm 146:5-6).

Let us join with Mary in saying, ‘My soul praises the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour’ (Luke 1:46-47).

"I Will Give Thanks To The Lord ... " (Psalm 7:17).

What a wonderful privilege it is to bring God's Word of life to so many people!
In ourselves, we are never anything more than *unworthy servants" (Luke 17:10).
We have "received this ministry through God's mercy" - "We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us".
Our ministry is simply this: "We do not preach ourselves , but Jesus Christ as Lord."
Let us pray that God's grace will be "reaching more and more people" and that the sharing of the Good News of Jesus Christ will "cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:1, 7, 5, 15).

Thank You Charles Cameron

Thank you for being a part of all that God is doing through the network of In His Glorious Name Ministries Online. Your love for God, dedication, and desire to bless others around the world is not only a blessing to the overall network, but also to all that visit the various blogs and sites that you post on.

Blessings in Christ
In His Glorious Name Ministries Online

Do We Have Faith? – Let Us Commit Ourselves To A Life Of Holiness.

What blessings are given to those who draw near to God - ‘Your God... will come and save you’ (Isaiah 35:4).

The Good News of Christ comes to us as a call to faith - ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’ (Acts 16:31).

We have been saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We cannot remain the same. We are called to live a new life. We must travel on the Lord’s ‘highway’- ‘the Way of Holiness’ (Isaiah 35:8). This is ‘the Way’ which leads to ‘everlasting joy’ (Isaiah 35:10).

This ‘Way’ is so different from the world’s way. The world has no time for those who seek to live a holy life. This is what Jesus says about the world’s way of life: ‘the gate is wide and the way is wide that leads to destruction’ (Matthew 7:13).

Whatever the world may say, we must never forget this: ‘Without holiness, no-one will see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14).