Month: April 2018

The Power of Life in the Word of God

On By francesrogersIn CONTENTMENT, GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, QUOTES, Uncategorized9 Comments

We have but to spend time in God’s Word contained in the Old and New Testaments, known as the Holy Bible, to learn how powerful it is. We need to be reminded from time to time because we can slip away from it, as we are distracted by the everyday occurrences of this world. We need it more than we need daily food for the body. Jesus knew this when He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. It is more than daily nourishment now and for eternity.

“Men shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Matthew 4:4

Food for the body expires even as do our bodies.

“The grass withers, the flower fades,
  but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Isaiah 40:8

We have never found anything to replace food for our bodies, but we continue to look for alternatives for the spiritual food God planned for the soul.

I am amazed at websites that intrigue their audiences by their food preparations. But God’s Word needs no special recipes, ingredients or fanfare. To sit down with the Bible in hand is food and joy; more than any physical meal. God is present and shares His heart, spirit and soul with us. We find in it the power of His grace, His glory, contentment, peace, love, purpose and power for living. We are fed from the Master’s table with promise for all our needs and some to spare, to share with others. The power of life in Jesus Christ becomes the power of life in us by His Holy Spirit.

Physical food serves for physical strength, but God’s Word far surpasses all our needs, in all of life and through death. Meat and potatoes will only last until our death, but not afterward. Power from God’s living Word and His Spirit transitions us into eternity with Him.

Dear heavenly Father, Thank you for preserving your Word throughout centuries when men tried to destroy it. Thank you that through it you teach us how you preserve us. We have the promises you have given us through your Son, Jesus Christ. He, the living Word, is the power in us for all that you have planned. And in His name we praise you now and forever. Amen.
(Suggested reading: The Garden of God’s Word)

Reserved and Preserved

On By francesrogersIn CONTENTMENT, GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, Uncategorized7 Comments

English was my favorite subject in school. I was fascinated with words, their meanings and how they fit together with other words to form sentences; from there to weave thoughts into paragraphs and articles to share with others. And so, after I came to love God’s Word, I continued to learn of the life that He gives us through His Son, and to find more and more words for sharing this life with my family and friends. Such is the case with what is reserved and preserved in this life with Christ.

In 1 Peter 3:3-5 we read:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

We learn from Peter’s letter that God our Father, by His abundant mercy has given us new life ~ a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

This new life is given here and now with the promise of an eternal  inheritance reserved in heaven for us.

This new life comes with a double promise: not only is the inheritance reserved in heaven for us, but we are kept here on earth by the power of God until we receive this inheritance revealed in the last time ~ when Jesus returns to claim us as His own.

The apostle Paul refers to this in 1Thessalonians 5:23-24.

 “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”

This is to fulfill what is spoken in Ephesians 1:3-6

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.”

It is His plan, having chosen, predestinated us unto the adoption of our inheritance, according to the good pleasure of His will, ~

“To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.” ~ in Christ His Son.

The inheritance was reserved before the foundation of the world.

The writer of Hebrews makes reference to the calling that is ours in Christ.

“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus ……. whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Hebrews 3: 2, 6

There are more, so many more references, from God’s Holy Word that can be woven together to share the wonderful life that is ours, now and forever, through Jesus Christ. We must take His Word as His covenant to us as His children ~ His everlasting covenant that cannot be broken. We claim His promises and the life of Christ by faith as He writes them on our hearts ~ what is reserved for us who are being preserved for Him for eternity.

Dear Gracious Father, what is exceeding abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine, you are reserving for your children, joint heirs with Christ. We praise you that we cannot be separated from our inheritance, preserved in Christ, made to sit in heavenly places with Him, sealed with the Holy Spirit until the redemption of the purchased possession when you will claim us as your own. Work your witness in us, as those who belong to you, that we may live as those who are rich in the life of Christ. Make it evident so that others will ask us what is our hope and joy in this life. Give us your own words that reveal this life to others. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Image: freeimages.com

Bountiful Compensation

On By francesrogersIn CONTENTMENT, GOD'S GLORY, GOD'S GRACE, GOD'S WORD, PRAYER, Uncategorized2 Comments

How many times I have quoted David’s words, “The Lord hath dealt bountifully with me” are without number. Today I was brought to a new understanding of how bountiful the Lord is toward His people. It seems that His dealing bountifully with us is experienced more in the difficult times. It is as if by all the heavenly blessings He gives, He is compensating for the troubles that we go through; as our first parents robbed us of our original legacy, leaving us in a state of sin and misery. He gives mercy when we deserve His wrath; grace and more grace beyond what we are worth; love, joy and peace that we can never know apart from the power of His Spirit within us.

“Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.” Psalm 13:3-6

The compensation is much greater than anything we have lost. The heavenly blessings are ours in Christ, His Son, who is our life, and as He promised, it is life, abundantly. We can give up everything here, even through persecution, and He blesses beyond all that we can ask or imagine.

In Psalm 142:5-6 David seems to be speaking from the experience of the Lord’s care. He was trusting Him to again deal bountifully with him when he was in the cave; Saul in pursuit.

“I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living.
Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.”

Psalm 116:7  is another reference to the Psalmist’s experience of the Lord dealing bountifully with him.

Psalm 119:17 is David’s prayer that the Lord would again deal bountifully with him.

The apostle Paul speaks of this in how we live and use what we have been given.  If we sow bountifully, giving sacrificially, the compensation will be bountiful in what we reap.

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.”
2 Corinthians 9:6

As we trust and receive all the heavenly blessings that compensate for the lack in this life, we live joyfully in the care of our heavenly Father, who loves us and gave His Son for us, a bountiful compensation for our need of a Savior and Lord, now and for eternity.

Dear Father, we cannot thank you enough for first knowing our need for salvation, a salvation that is more than sufficient for all who believe. You do not leave us to fend for ourselves, but know that you supply abundantly all that we need ~ from your riches in glory. We praise you for dealing bountifully with us; that we can experience the abundant life that Jesus came to give. We praise you, that though this life takes us through what sometimes seems impossible, you never fail to be with us, prevailing through us and blessing us beyond comprehension with eternal things. These are worth the loss of all temporal things. Thank you for loving us and caring for us as your beloved children. Enable us to share the bountiful life that is ours in Christ, your Son. In Jesus’ name we thank you and praise you. Amen.

Image: Google