Jun. 20, 2021

Against all odds

2 Corinthians 4:8=10

8 We are hedged in (pressed) on every side [troubled and oppressed in every way], but not cramped or crushed; we suffer embarrassments and are perplexed and unable to find a way out, but not driven to despair;
9 We are pursued (persecuted and hard driven), but not deserted [to stand alone]; we are struck down to the ground, but never struck out and destroyed;
10 Always carrying about in the body the liability and exposure to the same putting to death that the Lord Jesus suffered, so that the [[a]resurrection] life of Jesus also may be shown forth by and in our bodies.

KJV
8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; 10 always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

The above verses indicate that we as Christians are constantly facing challenges however even though the odds are against us, we overcome because of the victory that Christ won for us.  We are in essence in a hostile environment and we still manage to thrive despite the attacks on our faith, our body's and our children. Even though the odds are stacked against us we are more than conquerors through Christ who strengthens us. We have all read the end of the book. Christ being the King of the universe, returns to rule with a rod of iron. When Christ who is our life appears, we will also appear with Him in glory. Someone said " Between the prayer and the answer God makes saints out of sinners " . It's the in between time that is difficult to endure. We are transformed from glory to glory until we become like Christ. We all enjoy the glory however it is the "to" period that really changes us and also challenges us. As I stated above even though the odds are stacked against us we emerge victorious in Christ. Sometimes seeing what the apostles went through will make our trials trivial. 2 Corinthians 11: 24-28 Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; 25 three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. 26 In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. 27 There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. 28 And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Regardless of our modern day trials which to us may seem to be insurmountable, we need to rest assured that Christ will pull us through. We will have an eternity to discuss our battles and victories.  Sometimes our faith walk may be reduced to a limp, however we need to press on and move forward to the finish line. At the end of our earthly journey we should be able to say like Paul, I have fought a good fight, I  have finished the course and I have kept the faith.  A quick word of encouragement to continue in the faith walk despite being against all odds. Walk in the victory that Christ has won for us. In closing: 
Troubles almost ’whelm the soul;
Griefs like billows o’er me roll;
Tempters seek to lure astray;
Storms obscure the light of day:
But in Christ I can be bold,
I’ve an anchor that shall hold.
William C Martin 1902 The anchor holds
Amen .

Jun. 18, 2021

Every kindred every tribe

Revelation 14:6

And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having [the] everlasting glad tidings to announce to those settled on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people,

Revelation 5:9

And they sing a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open its seals; because thou hast been slain, and hast redeemed to God, by thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.

As we see in the above verses, God is interested in reaching every nation and tribe with the glad tidings of great joy. He created all tribes and every ethnic group and would like to see them redeemed. God does not discriminate between different races or ethnic cultures. He has one way of salvation for all. Regardless of your race or ethnic background you need to follow God's plan of salvation for all. As a song says: there is one way and it is God's way, there is one truth, it's in His word, there is one life His name is Jesus,  one way one truth one life is in the Lord. Anything else would be unfair. If each race and ethnic group had a different way to reach God, it would be illogical and unjust. Christ died once and for all.  God's love is extended to whosoever. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You have to get His name right though, you cannot call him what you want.  His name is Jesus.  Any other name refers to different manifestations of the devil. There is no other name by which man may be saved, except the name of Jesus. As the song says: His name is Jesus, sad hearts weep no more, He has bound the broken hearted,  open wide the prison doors and is able to deliver for evermore. A call is issued to every kindred and every tribe. Call upon the name of the Lord and you will be saved and your household. Amen 

Jun. 11, 2021

Calling all sinners
Mark 2:17
"I did not come to call the righteous, but the sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus is issuing a call, in these last days. A call for sinners to repentance.  Hebrews says that without the shedding of blood there shall be no remission of sin. Jesus shed his blood once for all. However the onus is now on us to accept his sacrifice and repent of our wrongdoing in order to have our sins erased.  In other words, the ball is in our court. God did what He had to do to secure our salvation. However, we need to repent and turn away from sin in order to be forgiven. Some people think that they have to clean up their lives before coming to Christ. However they have this backward. The first step is to acknowledge that they are in sin or in disobedience to God.  Next, we need to repent of our sins and sinful nature. Once we have done that, we accept what Christ did on the cross. We need to acknowledge that He died for our sins and that He rose from the dead. Then we invite Christ as the savior of our souls and ask Him to be our savior. Once that is done in sincerity, we look to Him to clean us up. Isaiah says My sins were as scarlet and He washed them white as snow. We cannot wash our sins away on our own. It takes the blood of Christ to cleanse us from unrighteousness. We entrust our deliverance to Christ.  We cannot set ourselves free. Christ has released us from the clutches of sin once we entrust our lives to Him. We have to do our part and surrender our rebellious will to Christ and then trust Him to clean us up and set us free. We need to experience His salvation or saving power. Once we have done that, we trust Him to direct our steps in the pathway of holiness. Trust Him and He will clean us up. However, as long as we try to justify our disobedience to God, we have missed His plan of salvation. We need to back up to step one and acknowledge that we are sinners in need of redemption. Then we surrender to Christ and trust His blood to cleanse us and set us free. The whole verse above is as follows: People who have their health don’t need to see a doctor. Only those who are sick do. I’m not here to call those already in good standing with God; I’m here to call sinners to turn back to Him. Jesus was talking to the religious leaders. In closing let us pray. Father we acknowledge our sins and ask Christ to cleanse us. We believe that the death and resurrection of Christ has saved our souls. We ask that you change the course of our lives and put us on the path of holiness. Fill us with your Spirit and keep our lives on the straight and narrow path. In Jesus name, amen.