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King of the Hill (Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:25-32; Luke 32-43; John 19:18-27)
As a young boy one of the many games we liked to play at school was “king of the hill”. One thing I need to point out is that this game was very rough and not all boys were willing to play. This game was not for the weak. We would wrestle and scrap as we shoved each other off the top of the mound. By the time one boy stood at the top he was hurled off while others were grappling to take his place. All of this was done because we desired to reign as king. Several boys would play but not all were able to claim kingship. Over 2,000 years ago, on Golgatha's Hill, our Lord and Saviour hung on a cross for our sins. There was only One willing to bleed, suffer and to die for all people. On that day, at Calvary, the True King was crowned King of kings. Satan and his demonic army attempted to prevent His reign, but He arose in victory and forever secured His title. There are no challengers, no rematches and certainly no split decisions, or co-champions. He sits alone on the throne for He is the King of the Mountain! After arriving at Calvary, Jesus was nailed to the cross. Jesus' behavior during the crucifixion was in striking contrast to the way most victims of crucifixion reacted. They would usually beg, fight, curse and even spit at the soldiers and spectators. Luke 23:34 describes Jesus’ reaction to this brutal treatment. Jesus hung on the cross for six hours before He died. Words do not have the power to adequately describe how He suffered. Every nerve and every muscle caused excruciating pain. Besides all of this, even on the cross Jesus faced mockery, ridicule and the temptation to come down from the cross. We are all guilty of sin. That is why Jesus had to shed His Blood for us and die, so He could pay our sin debt. He suffered for us. It is very important that Jesus Christ really did resurrect from death because we live in a world filled with pain, tragedy, conflict, illness and death. With all the questions being asked over and over time and time again. We still have an unquenchable longing to find meaning in all the confusion and chaos that we experience. We all have a strong desire to know the answers to the deep questions in life. Spiritual leaders have come and gone, claiming to answer our deepest questions. When Jesus Christ came, He offered something totally different than all others before Him. He took our sin upon Him. The wages of sin is death. They nailed Him to the cross. And when they did this all sins were nailed to the cross. He took our sins upon Him. Not only did Jesus Christ takes our sins upon the Cross, it enabled Christ to give us His righteousness. It means that Jesus took our sins upon His record and then placed His righteousness upon our record. Prayer: Father, You sent Your only Son to pay for the debt that I owed. Why You did that is hard to comprehend. Jesus Christ did nothing wrong and I can’t seem to stay away from sin! What an amazing gift You have given me! Thank You for bringing me into a relationship with You through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Help me to never forget the debt Christ paid for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. If this post has blessed you in any way please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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God's Tool Kit for Perfection (Ephesians 4:12-13)
Ephesians 4:12-13, For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Many of you have a tool bag in your house or car. It may contain a ratchet kit, screw drivers, a hammer, wrench, or chisel. The question is, "Why?" What is its purpose? Most of us would say, "I have one to fix, repair, or maintain what is broken, or to install, or build something that is needed or wanted." When we use tools to work on a project, we normally try to bring the project, the repairs, the installation to completion. The tools in the hand of the craftsmen bring about the changes that are sought. The car runs better, the door opens smoother, the bicycle can be ridden, the tree house is a castle and the kids can swing on the swing set. The tool kit comes in handy for a variety of problems and projects. God has a tool kit for your perfection. This means being spiritually mature and spiritually equipped. In Ephesians 4:12, the phrase "perfecting of the saints" refers to the believer being equipped, repaired, mended, or strengthened. In Ephesians 4:13, the phrase "perfect man" refers to one who is spiritually mature, or complete. There is both unity and diversity in the body of Christ. Our diverse roles and abilities are for the purpose to enrich and bless the church. Paul shows us how the church, with all of its glorious diversity, functions in a healthy way. Imagine the Master Carpenter’s tools holding a conference. Each tool saw issues and errors in one another rather than seeing the potential in unity. One tool complained about Brother Hammer and said, “He is so disruptive to our work. He’s got to be heard. he’s too noisy”. Bro Hammer responded and said of Brother Screwdriver “He is so confusing. You have to turn him around and around to get anything accomplished.” Brother Screwdriver responded and said of Brother Plane “There’s no depth to his work. It’s always on the surface." Brother Plane responded and said of Brother Ruler “He’s constantly measuring people as if he were the only one who’s right." Brother Ruler said of Brother Sandpaper, “He ought to leave too, because he’s so rough and abrasive. He’s always rubbing people the wrong way.” Brother Sandpaper said of Brother Saw, “Every time he works, he leaves a big mess on the floor. He can’t make his mind up if he wants to go forwards or backwards”. Brother Saw said of Brother Blade, “He’s has a very sharp and cutting personality.” Brother Blade said of Brother Level, “He always tends to blame others for being crooked and unbalanced.” Brother Blade said of Brother Clamp, “He is always so uptight and never seems to be relaxed.” Brother Clamp said of Brother Drill, “He comes along and sticks his long penetrating nose into other people's business.” In the midst of all this discussion, in walks the Carpenter of Nazareth. He has arrived to start His day’s work. Putting on His apron, He goes to the bench to make a pulpit from which to proclaim the Gospel. Every day He uses all of His available tools. After the day’s work was done, when the pulpit is finished, the tools observed and understood that they are all workers together. I believe this is a good description of spiritual gifts in the body of Christ. He has followers from every corner of the globe, each with God-given spiritual abilities to accomplish His work. Only as each member yields to the Holy Spirit can God use our diverse gifts to accomplish His work in the world. I hope and pray you’re ready to work today. Prayer: Lord, teach me how to love one another as Christ loved others. Keep me from doing anything out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Help me see the importance of humility of the heart, so that I will consider others before myself. Help me to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace in my home, my church and my community. May I diligently seek after all those things that are well-pleasing in Your sight so that I may live in unity one with others. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. If this post has blessed you in any way please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Jesus is the Model…Paralleling Daniel and Jesus
(Matthew 26:36, 39) Matthew 26:36, 39, Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Notice the parallels between Daniel and the Lord Jesus in the Gospels. Thinking of Jesus. He, too, had an excellent spirit, for He came as the wisdom of God (I Corinthians 1:20-31). And when Jesus was conspired against, like Daniel, His integrity held fast (Matthew 27:14; Mark 15:3-5). The entire Sanhedrin conspired against Him. The chief priest rose up in alliance with worldly powers to undo Him. Yet, His response was to go into the garden to pray (Luke 22:39-46). Like Daniel, this was his life pattern (Daniel 6:10). The Lord was confronted by Pontius Pilate. The Gospels record that Pilate attempted to do everything in his power to see that Jesus was released, but, like Darius, to no avail. In the end, he washed his hands of the matter and delivered Jesus over to crucifixion. Just as in the end, King Darius “Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions” (Daniel 6:16). On the cross, Jesus would quote (Psalm 22; Matthew 27:45-46) as He cried out: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”--a psalm that includes these words: “Save me from the mouth of the lion!” (Psalm 22:21). All that King Darius could do for his favored servant is commend him to his God and hope for his deliverance. The man who had allowed himself to command he be treated as a god (Daniel 6:7) now has to hope that the God of a conquered people will do what he could not, and “deliver you!” And so, over the mouth of what must become Daniel’s tomb “a stone was brought and laid … and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel” (Daniel 6:17). A large stone was pushed over the opening so no one could get out, or in. Christ arose from the tomb regardless of the stone covering the entrance of the grave. No stone of man will stop God. HE is the ROCK OF AGES!
The highest goal of our lives should be obedience to God in all circumstances. This is not easy, or perfectly attainable in this life, but Christ gives us hope. Like Jesus, we can pray for courage and a spirit of complete obedience. God gave it to him—and He will give it to us. Prayer: Lord, my desire is to be submissive and obedient to You and to those in authority over me. Forgive me for those times I have chosen my will over Yours. Lord I commit myself to You and the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. If this post has blessed you in any way please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Dilemma in the Den of Lions (Daniel 6:16-28) – PART 5
The king was in great distress as this had to be the hardest command he ever made. His great concern was not the dynasty he ruled, but Daniel, the godly man. He was putting his best man in government in the den of lions, which was normally certain death. Take note of what Darius said to Daniel as he was about to face his execution. The testimony which Daniel had was that “he served God continually”. A powerful lesson remains to this day regarding how important faithfulness is to the Lord. Our lack of holiness is why many of our prayers are not answered and why God does not work on our behalf. To secure that Daniel would not get out, nor that any assistance would come, was in a large stone pushed over the opening. What’s worth noting is that no stone of man will stop God. The angel got into the den regardless of the stone (Psalm 91:1; Psalm 34:7; Hebrews 1:14). That evening, Daniel spent the night with the king of the beasts. But most importantly the King of kings, the Lion of Judah, was near him. The king, who should have slept, didn't rest and the man who should have stayed awake for fear, rested in God's care. There was no supper, no stereo, nor any sleep because the king was so disheartened. Sin never brings peaceful nights, only restless nights. God protected this godly man and can protect us any time He wishes to do so. When we are in those helpless situations, our Lord proves to us He is strong. A living faith in a living God will give courage and strength for every emergency in life. Sometimes God prefers to keep us safe in the lions' den rather than safe from the lions' den. We may go through troubles and trials and not be spared the storms of life, but God can keep us in turbulent times just as easily as He can keep us from difficult times. Often it brings more glory to the Lord to save us in our troubles than to save us from our troubles. God has a way of turning the tables against the wicked. The accusers of Daniel were executed by the lions. These men reaped what they had sown. They desired Daniel to be eaten by the lions, but they and their families were eaten by lions. It was not Daniel that took revenge against these men. God vindicated Daniel and took care of the "revenge" issue through the king himself. The scales of justice were leveled in the end. This is why the Lord urges us to not take revenge against others. Romans 12:19, Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Prayer: Lord, You have delivered me from countless circumstances. You have parted waters for me and have delivered me from fiery trials by Your sovereign hand. While my enemies were encouraging me to doubt and deny You. You hastily answered my simple cry for help. Thank You for preserving me from my persecutors. In Jesus name, Amen! If this post has blessed you in any way please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com The Book Above All Books (Psalm 19:7)
Psalm 19:7, The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Here in Psalm 19, David describes God’s Word. He first describes the law of the LORD. The word perfect has the sense of not only ‘unblemished’ but also ‘complete’ as well. Switching to another synonym, David continues, the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Here, David refers to God’s written Word as His testimony, or witness. It is sure, meaning that is it ‘faithful’, or ‘reliable.’ When asked what book he would like to have if stranded on a desert island, G.K. Chesterton replied, "Thomas' Guide to Practical Ship Building". He said he could not imagine himself in that kind of circumstance but if such an occasion arrived he would like to at least have a chance to get home. Although Chesterton's answer seems logical and quite witty, there is another book that would be far more helpful - the Holy Bible. As John Quincy Adams said, "The Bible is the book of all others, to be read at all ages, and in all conditions in life". The Bible is indeed for all conditions of human life. The Word of God has an answer for every question we face. It has light for our darkened paths. It is armor for the war-ravaged soldier. It is a cool drink of water for the dry, parched soul. The Bible is the only book that reads the reader. It provides nourishment, direction, inspiration, comfort and rebuke. It is alive. Thomas Guide to Practical Ship Building may give instruction on how to escape a desert island, but the Bible gives instruction on how to get to our Heavenly home. David Livingstone is said to have begun his expedition into the heart of Africa with over seventy books in three cases with a cumulative weight of almost two hundred pounds. A doctor and an explorer by trade, these books were precious as needed reference to Livingstone. But as Livingstone’s party trekked into the heart of Africa, it became obvious that some of the books would have to go. Some of his carriers deserted, leaving less men to carry the load. Of those who remained, many were weakened through fatigue and fever. Over the journey, Livingstone’s library became smaller and smaller as he was forced to discard the weight of his books in the jungle. When he reached the end of the expedition, he had one book remaining—the Bible. Out of a seventy-book library of materials needed for his trade, the only book that was truly indispensable was God’s Book. Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I have treated Your Word casually, as if it’s any other book. Your Word is fire, cleansing me; a sword, cutting through my pretenses; a hammer, pounding my hard heart; a seed, growing life in me; milk and meat to nourish my soul; a light to illuminate my path; and a mirror to show me who I am. Thank You for Your Word and teach me to treat it as the Book above all other books. In the name of Jesus, the Word, amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com He Will Cover You (Psalm 91:4)
Psalm 91:4, He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler During a blizzard in South Wales, England, a young mother and her baby were making their way across the foothills when she was overtaken by the frigid storm. Failing to reach her destination, a group of searchers found her frozen body with her baby tightly wrapped underneath her; the child was warm and still alive. The mother had taken off her outer garments and covered her child from the cold. The child grew up to be David Lloyd George, Britain's Prime Minister and one of the greatest statesmen in England. His political and social greatness was made possible because his mother covered him in love. Much like David Lloyd George, our achievements in life can only be attributed to the covering of God's love. God is omnipotent, all-powerful. He will cover and protect us under His wings of care when we stay close to Him. The psalmist compared God’s care for His people to a bird gathering her young under her wings in order to protect them. The Lord will be our refuge, covering and protecting us in the dangers of life. The truth, or faithfulness, of God will be our shield and buckler. God has given us His faithful promises to use as our armor for life’s battles (Ephesians 6:10-20). We are protected by His faithfulness to His Word. Knowing that, we can have complete confidence that He will fulfill His promises to us. Through it all, however, God is our helper and He is always with us (Hebrews 13:5-6). In perilous times, we need to trust God to help us. When we abide in Him and live in the fullness of His Spirit, we can face every situation of life without fear. Whatever difficulties or dangers we may face, our Lord will be with us. The shadow of the Almighty will cover us through them all. Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your presence with me and that my future is secure in the place You're preparing for me. Your words bring me hope and comfort. Daily I catch glimpses of Your glory and blessing along the way as I walk with You. In Jesus name, Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Careful Concerning the Company You Keep (I Corinthians 15:33)
I Corinthians 15:33, Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. The wrong crowd has a powerful influence upon people. They can be very distracting in our quest to do God's will. Never underestimate the power of peer pressure. Be careful about the friends that you choose and spend your time with. Avoid critical, carnal people as your close friends. Communications can refer to either conversation or companions. Most of the time when you’re in the wrong kind of company there will be bad conversations, which in turn, influences bad conduct. Bad company hurts a person’s good character and name. Proverbs 16:29, “A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.” Violent people mislead, or deceive, others to a life of lawlessness. A violent man’s aim is to lead his neighbor away from the ways of righteousness. Too often, people look up to others who are bad examples and eventually end on the same broken road. They craftily seduce the innocent to get them convinced that the evil way is acceptable. Evil people never warn them of the consequences of sin. Wicked people paint evil as good and shut the eye to any danger. Many have fallen for this tactic of evil and paid a terrible price. Once a spider built a beautiful web in an old house. He kept it clean and shiny so that flies would patronize it. The minute he got a "customer" he would wind him up in a web so the other flies would not get suspicious. Then one day this fairly intelligent fly came buzzing by the clean spider web. Old man spider called out, "Come in and sit." But the fairly intelligent fly said, "No, sir. I don't see other flies in your house, and I am not going in alone!" But presently he saw on the floor below a large crowd of flies dancing around on a piece of brown paper. He was delighted! He was not afraid if a lot of other flies were doing it. So he came in for a landing. Just before he landed a bee zoomed by, saying, "Don't land there, stupid! That's flypaper!" But the fairly intelligent fly shouted back, "Don't be silly. Those flies are dancing. There's a big crowd there. Everybody's doing it. That many flies can't be wrong!" Well, you know what happened. He died on the spot on the fly paper. Some of us want to be with the crowd so badly that we end up in a mess. What does it profit a fly (or a person) if he escapes the web only to end up in the glue? Ben Carson, MD, Johns Hopkins University neurosurgeon who grew up on the streets of Detroit said, "Go down to the fish market and look into the crab barrel. They never have to put a lid on it because if one crab starts to crawl out, the others will grab onto him and pull him back down." That's what the wrong crowd does and that's what you must fight against. Don't be distracted nor fall into the trap by degenerate people. Prayer: Father, Your Son is the example by which we are to live. Help me to live in a way that pleases You and will draw others to Your Son. I pray that they will receive Him and have a desire to walk with You. In Jesus name, Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Charge it to My Account (II Corinthians 5:21)
II Corinthians 5:21, For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. The stealing had to stop. Deep in the heart of Russia, local police were on the lookout for a thief who got away with hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise. Neither the local businesses nor the residents could afford the losses, or the increased prices, any longer. The stealing became a federal crime. The Russian czar made the offense punishable by 40 lashes. Police finally caught up with the crook and brought her to the Town Square where she would be tied to a post to get 40 lashes. The czar came, along with hundreds of villagers from the city. But the czar recognized the woman’s face as that of his mother. Everyone looked at him to see what he would do. Would he pardon her, or would he make her pay the price for her crime? The czar knew the crime had to be punished, but he also knew his mother could not survive 40 lashes. So he walked over to the post where his mother was tied and took off his shirt. He chose to take the lashes in her place and the people were touched. Over 2,000 years ago, the world was guilty and condemned before God because of sin. We deserved to spend eternity in Hell, but God took our place through His Son on the cross. He didn’t just sweep our sins under a rug and pretend nothing ever happened. He didn’t say, “I’ll let it go this time—just don’t do it again.” Blood had to be shed. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He paid the purchase price for our redemption. Three days later, He arose from the dead as proof that His payment had been accepted by the Father. You and I can be completely forgiven for every sin we’ve ever committed, or will commit, if we just accept Christ’s free gift. The very core of the principle of justification is here presented. The great substitutionary work of Christ is in view. God made Jesus to be sin for us. He, the sinless One, who never knew sin and never will, had the iniquity of us all laid on Him. Nevertheless, God imputed to Him our sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. It is the very heart of the great doctrine of justification. Jesus placed your sins on his account. If you will go to the LORD, He will take Christ’s righteousness, which is perfect, and He will accredit it to your account. So it will be that when you will stand before God it will be as though you have never sinned. Not because your sinless, but because of your account. If you will receive Jesus Christ (Gospel) He will credit your account with perfection because He has already accredited your sin onto Jesus Christ. Jesus earnestly wants to impute your sin to His record and impute His righteousness to your record. Friend, the price has already been paid for your sins. Accept Christ’s free gift today, and you will find complete forgiveness. Prayer: Father in Heaven, thank You for sending Jesus to pay for our sins that we would be made righteous in Your sight. Every day I want to live to bring honor and glory to You and to share my testimony and the Gospel to others. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Compassion…the Christian’s Duty (Jude 22)
Jude 22, And of some have compassion, making a difference: Compassion gets involved with others. People struggle today to get involved with other people. If people have any kind of relationship with one another, for many it is through their phones or I-pads instead of having eye contact with people. We are becoming more isolated from others. A few years ago, Snoopy, the beagle in the Charlie Brown cartoons, had his left leg broken. Hundreds wrote letters to Snoopy or sent sympathy cards. Perched on top of his dog house one day and staring at his huge cast, Snoopy began to philosophize about his plight. "My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my head's fault, and my head blames my eyes. My eyes say my feet are clumsy, and my right foot says not to blame him for what my left foot did." Snoopy looks out at his audience and confesses, "I don't say anything because I don't want to get involved." This attitude does not belong among God's people. We are to be concerned and involved in serving Jesus Christ. The watchword of society today is "privacy." This is true even of Christians. People want to be left alone or given their space. Commitments have become short term, even in marriage. We are adopting the unwritten regulation observed in elevators, "Absolutely no eye contact, talking, smiling, or relating without the written permission from the management." Our role model is becoming the Lone Ranger, mask and all. This kind of life of isolation is not what God intended for us who know Jesus Christ as Saviour. We are not to be turtles in a shell. We are to get involved in blessing others and reaching them for Christ. You won't do this in your shell. Involvement is a word of “ministry”. Webster says, "Involvement means to draw in as a participant, relate closely, to connect or include." We are to be involved with God, family, Christians, and reaching the lost for the Lord Jesus Christ. James 1:27, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. The word "visit" means more than going by a house and saying "Hello." This word has the idea of getting involved in the lives of others, providing for them, helping them out, and caring for them if they cannot care for themselves. It is a word of giving and sacrifice. It is important that we have a genuine concern for other people. When we do it will lead us to have compassion on them and desire God’s best for their life. This is not a natural reaction of the flesh, but it is a quality that needs to be manifested in our life if we are going to be all that God wants us to be. A person without compassion will embrace callousness and never be close to God. We need to have compassion like Jesus and have a genuine heart of love that desires to help other people. George Washington Carver said, “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” Prayer: Lord, I desire so much to be compassionate. Use me as a vessel of compassion to a world in need. I want to be aware of those in need. Please let me see those around me that are in need of hope. Compel me to listen to them, to hear their needs. Let me be what others need, Lord. In Jesus name Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Love Thy Neighbor (I John 3:16)
I John 3:16, Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. In the book of Ruth, we find the Biblical account of the kinsman redeemer. The kinsman redeemer had to be willing to redeem his kinsman. He could say “No” if he wanted to do so. This is what the kinsman that was first in line to Elimelech did with Ruth. He was unwilling to marry Ruth, to love, cherish and care for her, whereas Boaz unselfishly was willing to take on this responsibility. Note that Boaz is remembered and the other relative is unknown and forgotten. The famous artist John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) was approached by the founder of John Hopkin’s Medical School, Elizabeth Garrett, who wanted him to paint a group portrait of the four men that brought prestige to the school. The four doctors were Drs. Welch, Halstead, Osier and Kelly. From the very start, Dr, Welch began making problems for Sargent. All of Sargent’s attempts for reconciliation with Dr, Welch were unsuccessful. He complained that Sargent called all of them “Kelly” and he did not like the pose for the picture. Sargent was so angry with Dr. Welch that he told him he would paint his face in such a way that it would gradually fade and he would not be remembered by posterity. The painting today still hangs in the school and sure enough, the face of Dr. Welch has steadily faded to the point that you cannot recognize, or discern his features. This is a reminder of the truth that people who are selfish and live only for themselves seem to fade away into history, but those who serve the Lord and live for others will be remembered not only here on earth, but by the Lord for eternity. Don’t be a fading face. Make your life count for Jesus Christ. Christ impacted the world and history because of His unselfishness. When we look at Christ, we find He was willing to redeem us. He did nothing against His will when it came to giving His life for us. When our Lord agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane He demonstrated His willingness to the pay the price for sin. Thank God for Christ our Redeemer! How would you define love? Most people would describe it as a passionate feeling of desire. This is only partially true; the emotional aspect only outlines a bigger picture. Real love is demonstrated by actions and truth. A single mother was forced from her house. She asked for several men from our church to help her move to a new home. If I had told her, “Don’t worry; God will take care of everything. He’ll work it all out,” without offering any assistance, that wouldn’t be showing real love. Because we helped, she saw love in action. God proved His love for us by sending His only Son, Jesus, to die on a cross for our sins. No greater example of true love exists. False love is empty and meaningless. It lacks a heart and soul. If we claim to love our neighbors, we must be willing to love in action. Do your claims of love for your spouse, family member, or neighbor extend beyond words? How do they know you love them? Strive to make your love visible in your relationships today. Prayer: Heavenly Father, I have a growing capacity to love. Because You have set Your love on me, I am growing in my love for You and for others. I am in process and moving forward. Please keep growing in me the capacity to love well those You’ve given me. In Jesus name, Amen! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com |
AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
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