Jesus Is Calling Us On To His Future.

Jesus Christ is not merely a figure from the past. He is “Jesus Christ, risen from the dead” (Hebrews 13:8). Jesus Christ, the risen Saviour, the living Lord, stands at the centre of our future. He does not only speak to us from the past. He also speaks to us from the future. What is He saying to us? How will He affect our present way of living? Jesus speaks to us from the future. He calls us on to heaven, but He does not turn us into dreamers who are so “heavenly-minded” that we’re not learning to serve the Lord right now. We sing of our heavenly hope: “On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, and the glory of His resurrection share; when His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.” What is to be our present response to this glorious hope? - “Let us labour for the Master from the dawn till setting sun. Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care. Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, and the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.”

Book Cover Templates & Designs

Need a custom designed book cover for your new book publication? Contact Elijah Rain Productions & Publishing. They can create a custom cover to fit your needs.

"Christ Is 'Beautiful Beyond Description' ... "

Christ is "beautiful beyond description" - "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me ... ."

Narcistic Hairdo's

Act 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:

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"We Cannot Buy God's Love."

We cannot buy God's love. We must receive His love as a gift.

A New Journey Through The Scriptures

At my Let's Share the Good News and The Theology of G. C. Berkouwer blogs, you can still find the Reading for each day (in its own box at the top of the page). The "New Journey Through The Scriptures", beginning with Genesis 1, starts tomorrow (22nd January 2009). If you follow these readings each day, they will take you through the whole Bible in three years.
I hope you will visit the "Daily Devotional Readings" and receive a blessing from the Lord.
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"When you read God's Word, you must constantly be saying to yourself, 'It is talking to me, and about me.'" (Soren Kierkegaard).
Let's commit ourselves afresh to reading the Word of God day-by-day.
Here are some links which you may find helpful.

Look up Scripture passage

Read a specific comment online

Print a booklet containing monthly readings

"Jesus Came From Heaven To Earth ... "

Jesus came from heaven to earth - to be with us, so that we might go from earth to heaven - to be with Him.

"In Christ, We Have The Victory ... "

In Christ, we have the victory: "they have conquered Satan by the blood of the Lamb."

"Satan Will Not Prevail ... "

Satan will not prevail over the Lord and His people. The victory is the Lord's. He gives His victory to us.

The Key To Blessings

Give and it shall be given unto you!

You might say, I have nothing to give. However, your love, your compassion, reaching out to others in the love of Christ is precious before God.

Your times, your service, your talents.

These are all gifts before God.

Blessings,
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"There Is Only One Foundation ... "

There is only one Foundation for our faith - Jesus Christ. Build your life on Christ, the solid Rock.

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This thought is taken from

Isaiah 28:1-22

Jesus Christ is 'the precious Cornerstone'. He is 'the sure Foundation' (16). Jesus is the Name of our salvation - 'Salvation is found in no-one else...there is no other name...by which we must be saved' (Acts 4:10-12). There is only one 'Foundation' for our faith - 'Jesus Christ' (1 Corinthians 3:11). He is the 'chosen and precious Cornerstone' - 'to you who believe, this Stone is precious' (1 Peter 2:6-7). Build your life on Christ, 'the solid Rock' - 'My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; no merit of my own I claim, but wholly trust in Jesus' Name. When weary in this earthly race, I rest on His unchanging grace...When earthly hopes are swept away, He will uphold me on that Day. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand' (Matthew 7:24-27; Mission Praise, 473).

Eternal Life (5)

Many Christians have come to faith in Christ through a little booklet entitled, "Journey into Life." This is a good description of what it means to become a Christian. Becoming a Christian means beginning a journey into life. this journey is a never-ending journey. The life, which Christ gives, is not only abundant life. It is also everlasting life. Have you begun the journey into life? If not, you can begin, today, your own personal journey into life. Let Jesus Christ lead you into this journey into life.

Eternal Life (4)

Years ago, on a mission in Brodick, on the island of Arran, I heard an interesting song, the words of which have remained in my mind: "Why do Christians never turn back? They could, if they desired. Or, could it be that Christians are permanently fired with a love for a life they've found to be so real? They've found the perfect living in a God who is ideal for today." Jesus has given us abundant life. When we are tempted to turn back from following Jesus, we find, in our hearts, an echo of the words of Peter: "Lord, to whom shall we go?You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Through faith in Jesus Christ, we look forward to life after death. Our sense of expectation is greatly increased by the marvellous fact that we have received life before death: "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine: O what a foretaste of glory divine!" Abundant life, here on earth, is a foretatse of life, in heavenly glory, with the Lord. We are not in heaven yet, but we have been heaven in our hearts, because we have Jesus in our hearts: "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." It is a wonderful thing to know that eternal life has begun. It is an even more wonderful thing to know that it shall never end.

Eternal Life (3)

Eternal life is life with a new quality. It is life with an everlasting duration. When we think of the abundant quality of eternal life, we can testify with the hymnwriter: "All that thrills my soul is Jesus; He is more than life to me." When we think of the everlasting duration of eternal life, we rejoice in these words from the hymn, "Amazing grace": "When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first begun." When we read the words of our Lord Jesus Christ in John 10:28 - "I give them eternal life", our hearts are filled with joy - the joy of the Lord. When we read the rest of the verse, our hearts are filled with even greater joy: "they shall never perish." These are great words! The truth of Jesus' promise is presented very effectively in a Gospel song: "He didn't bring us this far to leave us. He didn't teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn't build His home in us to move away. He didn't lift us up to let us down." When we read the words, "they shall never perish", we may be painfully aware of the many temptations which we face. we are aware of the Lord's presence, but we are also aware of the activity of Satan. He is always seeking to snatch us out of the Lord's hands. What does Jesus say to us about Satan? - "No one (not even Satan himself) shall snatch you out of My hand."

Eternal Life (2)

Eternal life has a beginning, but it has no end. It begins when we come in faith to Jesus Christ to receive from Him the new life which He alone can give, the abundant life which is far better than life without Christ. Without Christ, life is empty. In Christ, there is abundant life. Apart from Christ, we have mere existence, just going on from day to day with no real sense of meaning, purpose and direction. With Christ, everything is different. This great change is well described in the words of the hymn: "What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart!" Jesus makes a difference here and now. He also gives us a life which has no end. This is also emphasized in this hymn: "I'm possessed of a hope that is steadfast and sure, since Jesus came into my heart!"

Eternal Life (1)

What does it mean to have eternal life? There are two important dimensions in eternal life. There is life after death and there is life before death. There are a great many people who never give any thought to an after-life. The question, "Is there life after death?" rarely crosses their mind. they are content to live from day to day, taking each day as it comes. These people are, however, interested in another question: Is there life before death? When they hear of Jesus Christ, they ask, "Can He change my life here and now? Can He make a difference in my life right now? The Gospel answer to that question is an emphatic "Yes". Jesus Christ does not only give us heaven. He give us new life here and now. The two sides of the life which Christ gives to us must be emphasized. There is life before death. Jesus calls this: "abundant life" (John 10:10). There is life after death. Here, Jesus speaks of "everlasting life" (John 3:16, Authorized Version).

Read The Prophecy

Rev 18:17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought.

Read Revelation 18
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Learning From the Apostle Paul

Paul was no silent disciple, no half-hearted follower of Jesus. He was not ashamed of his Lord. He was glad to say, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith" (Romans 1:16). Why was Paul bold to say, "God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Galatians 6:14)? Why was Paul so emphatic in saying, "I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2)? The answer is very simple and straightforward. He was a man who had been grasped by the power of the Gospel. Through the power of Christ, Paul was no longer his own. He belonged to Christ. This was why he was able to write to the Corinthian Christians, "You are not your own; you have been bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He was a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. This was why he was able to challenge the Corinthian Christians: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? ... So glorify God in your body" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). He was a man grasped by the power of the Gospel, a man filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. What kind of men and women are we? This is the challenge of Paul's life for us.

God’s Salvation Comes To Us Through The Death Of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus prays for you. Jesus prays for me. We have come to faith in Him through the written Word of His apostles (John 17:20).

The story of the Cross (John 17:1-5), the story of the first disciples (John 17:6-19) is an ongoing story. It continues in us. The saving effects of Christ’s death are still being felt today. The written Word of His apostles is still exerting its powerful influence on today’s world. Jesus is still praying for us (Hebrews 7:25). He prayed for His first disciples - ‘that they may be one’ (John 17:11). He prays the same prayer for us (John 17:20-23). Among His first disciples, there was Judas Iscariot, ‘the one who chose to be lost’ (John 17:12). If we are to ‘maintain the unity of the Spirit’, we must take account of ‘the Judas factor’ - ‘take notice of those who create dissensions… avoid them’ (Ephesians 4:3; Jude 4; 1 John 2:18-19; Romans 16:17-18).

Renewed By God’s Salvation, We Are Strengthened For Service.

In all the service we offer to God, there is to be the offering of worship: ‘To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever’ (1 Peter 4:11; 5:11). We will not learn to serve God unless we are learning to worship Him. There is a ‘form of religion’ which ‘denies the power’ of God - ‘These people honour Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me’ (2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 15:8). They go through the motions - but their hearts are not in it! We must pray that God will deliver us from this kind of thing: ‘O for a heart to praise my God! A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels Thy blood, so freely shed for me’ (Church Hymnary, 85). ‘Religion’ is about respectability. Salvation is about renewal: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10).

The Lord Saves Us With His Strong And Powerful Love.

‘We boast of the Name of the Lord our God…Through the steadfast love of the Most High’ we ‘shall not be moved’ (Psalms 20:7; 21:7). We do not trust in things that ‘collapse and fall’. We build on ‘the Rock’ (Psalm 20:8; Matthew 7:24-27; Psalms 18:1-3; 62:5-7). We ‘rejoice’ in our God. He has made us ‘most blessed for ever’ (Psalm 21:1,6; Ephesians 1:3). Think of Jesus Christ your Saviour. He is absolutely trustworthy. He is completely dependable. His love is an ‘unfailing love’ (Psalm 21:7). In Him, there is salvation. In Him, there is joy. With His strong and powerful love, He has saved us. He has given us ‘a new song’ to sing, ‘a song of praise to our God’ (Psalm 40:1-3). Let us lift our hearts and voices to Him in praise and worship: ‘Be exalted, O Lord, in Thy strength! We will sing and praise Thy power’ (Psalm 21:13).

The Lord Strengthens Us With His Salvation.

‘I am the Lord… I will strengthen you’ (Isaiah 45:5).

How does the Lord strengthen us? He strengthens us with salvation. He comes to us as our ‘God and Saviour.’ He calls us to come to Him and receive salvation: ‘Turn to Me and be saved…’ Through faith in Christ, we are ‘saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation’ (Isaiah 45:15, 17, 21-22). We are strengthened with ‘everlasting salvation’. We look ahead to Christ’s Return ‘in power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:30). On that Day, the glory of our Saviour will be fully revealed: ‘At the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.’
Jesus is our Saviour. His ‘Name is above every name’. Our ‘strength’ comes from Him (Isaiah 45:23-24; Philippians
2:10-11).

From The Lord, We Receive Salvation.

God is ‘our salvation’. He is the ‘God of salvation’ (Psalm 68:19-20).

God’s salvation covers our past, present and future.

(a) You have been saved. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have received the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 5:1).

(b) You are being saved. God is at work in our lives, making us the kind of people He wants us to be (Romans 5:3-5).

(c) You will be saved. We look forward to ‘sharing the glory of God’, being with the Lord forever (Romans 5:2, 9-10).

From beginning to end, salvation is the work of God. He has forgiven our sins. He is making us like Christ. He will lead us on to heaven.

Our God is great. His salvation is great. Let us ‘be joyful’. Let us worship the Lord ‘with joy’ (Psalm 68:3). Let us give all the glory to God - ‘Blessed be God!’(Psalm 68:35).

Waiting On The Lord, We Renew Our Strength.

Jesus tells His apostles, ‘the Holy Spirit’ will ‘come upon you’ (Acts 1:11, 8). He gives them His Word of promise: ‘I send the promise of my Father upon you’. He gives them His Word of command: ‘stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high’ (Luke 24:49). They wait upon the coming of the Holy Spirit. They cannot fill themselves with the Spirit. They can only ‘be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). Waiting for the Spirit, the apostles ‘devote themselves to prayer’ (Acts 1:14). They do not earn the Holy Spirit as a reward for spending much time in prayer. Waiting on God, their strength is renewed as they receive God’s gift (Isaiah 40:31; Luke 11:13).

A Life Of Mission

You've heard the phrase, "on fire for the Lord." There was a real difference between the healed man and his critics. He had just received his sight, and, with it, he received a mission. straightaway, he was seeking to win his critics for Christ: "Do you too want to become His disciples?" (John 9:27). the healed man was on fire for the Lord. His critics were also on fire, but they burned with a very different fire. They were burning with the desire to have Jesus killed. They did not know who Jesus was (John 9:29), because they did not want to know Him. they refused to recognize what the Lord had done for the blind man. In the face of such unbelief, we, who must continue to give our testimony: "He opened my eyes" (John 9:30). We must pray for our critics - "Open their eyes, Lord, and let them see Jesus."

A Life Of Wholeness

When the blind man received his sight, he received wholeness. Until that day, his life was incomplete. He could not see. When Jesus touches our lives, He makes us whole. Closely connected with the word, "wholeness", is the word, "holiness." There is no wholeness without holiness. Our lives are incomplete if we are not walking in the way of holiness. There's a children's chorus which says, "I'm walking on the King's Highway." What does this mean? - The King's Highway is the Highway of holiness. In Isaiah 35:8, we read about the Highway of Holiness: "And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way (Revised Standard Version) or the way of holiness (Authorized Version)." We are walking on the King's Highway when we are walking on the Highway of Holiness. Whenever we think of the love of Jesus, we must also think of His holiness. Jesus, our loving Saviour, is also Jesus, the holy Son of God. Jesus' love is a holy love. It is not a gushy, sentimentalized thing. His love is holy. It is filled with moral strength, strength of character. If we are to show the love of Christ to the world, we must also show His holiness. living as men and women who are different, men and women who have been changed by the holy love of Christ.

A Life Centred On Jesus

When the blind man was asked, "How were your eyes opened?" (John 9:10), he began his answer with the words, "The Man called Jesus" (John 9:11). Jesus was at the centre of the man's life. The Christian life is a life of looking to Jesus, a life of seeing Jesus. When we say, "I once was blind, but now I see", what we are really saying is this: "Now, I'm looking to Jesus. Now, my eyes are fixed on Him." Once our eyes have been opened to see Jesus, we must keep on praying, "Open our eyes, Lord. We want to see Jesus." The more we see Jesus, the more He will rise in our estimation, the more He will be exalted in our eyes. We see this in the case of the healed man. In John 9:11, he speaks of "the Man called Jesus." In John 9:17, he says, "He is a prophet." In John 9:35-38, he confesses his faith in Jesus Christ as "the Son of God" (Authorized Version) or "the Son of man" (Revised Standard Version). The expression, "the Son of man", should not be seen as a weakening of our faith in Christ as the Son of God. Notice what Jesus says, in other places, about "the Son of man"- "The Son of man must be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15); "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him; and when He is killed, after three days, He will rise" (Mark 9:31); "They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Is Jesus becoming more and more precious to you? Is He coming to mean more and more to you? True Christian growth is marked by a growing love for Jesus.

A Life Of Love

There's a Gospel song , which contains these fine words: "Love lifted me. When no-one but Christ could help, love lifted me." This is the believer's testimony - "Love lifted me." What no-one else could do, Christ has done for us. He alone is able to lift us out of our sin, because He alone is our Saviour. Only Christ can give us new life, since He alone is the risen and living Lord. Later on, in this Gospel song, we find the words: "Jesus completely saves. He will lift you by His love." This is the believer's message. When we have been lifted by the love of Christ, we have more than a personal testimony. We have a message to share with others. We give our testimony, "Love lifted me", and we say to others, "He will lift you by His love." This is precisely what the healed man did . In John 9:25, he gave his personal testimony. In John 9:27, he invited his critics to follow Jesus - "Do you too want to become His disciples?" Here is a model for us to follow. We have become disciples. We must now seek to make disciples. In love, Christ has drawn us to Himself. In love, He uses us to reach out to others.

Open Bloggers Invitation

Your Invited!

We are looking for loving, compassionate Christian Bloggers with a heart and desire to share the love, redeeming passion and word of God around the world. Together in Christ, we can make a difference.

Contact us by email or leave a comment.
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A Year Of The Unknown

2008 is simply past history and 2009 is upon us. Our world is struggling in so many areas, in so many situations and the circumstances, well, they just seem to be intensifying.

Much like watching a hurricane building and creating strong winds. However, there is a eye in the midst of such storms where the air currents are calm.

May the Prince of Peace be the eye of the storms that arise in your life. May Christ be the Rock that you stand upon and may the Spirit be the wind in your sails.

Happy New Year!
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