The Love of Christ Saves Souls

Take time next weekend to read again, slowly and scrupulously, through Sat.’s Scripture reading2 Corinthians 11-13. List the issues the apostle Paul endured. I’ve been in work and difficulty, through many restless nights, in hunger and thirst, frequently without food, in cold and exposure. If I need to boast, I can boast of what applies to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is sanctified forever, knows that I’m really not lying.

I grin as I read this, because if anyone ought to had a miserable face, it should have been Joseph. They were there on an impulse of the Pharaoh and certainly wouldn’t be there forever. But Joseph had been charged by the chief executioner’s other half and did not know if he’d ever see the light of the day. But despite his very own circumstance, he spotted the predicament of these two men. When your heart is right, although the bottom could have dropped out of your life, it is extraordinary how delicate you may be to someone else in need.

Instead of asserting, “You think you have got a lot to gripe about, hear my story of woe. “Joseph expounded, “How come you are so sorrowful today, guys? What’s wrong?” I admit it could be saying the plain to ask this in a dungeon, but it shows Joseph’s capability to think beyond his very own immediate cares and wants to minister mercy to others.One of the beautiful things about the right perspective is that, with it, each day has sun. You do not have to have cloudless days for there to be sunlight days. Basically, it’s rather fantastic that Joseph would need to have anything to do with dreams.

The last time he did that, remember what happened? He told his siblings about his dreams and it was “Operation Pit City.” He wound up in an Egyptian slave market. It’ll show you an opportunity for ministry you never would have touched with a ten-foot pole.

When money is our objective for contentment, we must live in fear of losing it, which makes us paranoid and suspicious. When becoming a celebrity is our target, we become competitive lest others upstage us, which makes us envious. When power and influence drive us, we become self-serving and strong-willed, which makes us conceited. And when possessions become our god, we become materialistic, thinking enough is rarely enough, which makes us greedy.

All of these pursuits fly in the face of happiness and joy. Only Christ can satisfy, whether we have or don’t have, whether we are known or unknown, whether we live or die. And the excellent news is this : Death only sweetens the pie.

That alone will make you giggle again. The New Testament in Modem English, reads : “For living to me means simply ‘Christ,’ and if I die I should only gain more of him.”.

The fear of the Lord does not need to do with fear or trepidation, but rather refers to suitable amazement and reverence for who God is. It’s a quality that we as Christians should seek and nurture. Though we do not hear the expression frequently enough today, it may still be a great compliment to be known as a God-fearing woman or man. To fear God produces all demeanors of fruit in the Christian’s life. It leads to our hating evil as God does, and the Bible also tells us the fear of the Lord is the start of knowledge (Psalm 111:10 ).

The more we obtain divine understanding, the larger will be our love for the Bible and God’s commandments. As well as all these assets, we find that the person that learns to fear God will have a powerful family (v. 2), with children who grow to be bold for the truth. God-fearing folks also find that “light arises in the darkness for the upright” (v. 4).

This doesn’t suggest that we won’t ever have dark times or times of trouble in the valley – we’ll have trials, headaches, and tears like the remainder of humankind. But in our problems, we are guaranteed the light that comes from God’s angels of deliverance. These protecting messengers encamp around those who fear the Lord. They surround followers above and underneath so that nothing can get at you without divine authorization. Ask God to help have a correct, reverential fear of Him. It’s a request He’s going to be thrilled to receive.

Folk are often puzzled by talk which has to do with fearing God. On the one hand, Scripture scolds us to be afraid of the Lord, but at the same time, we are told that God hasn’t given us a spirit of fear. So how are we to appreciate this phrase? Fearing God does not mean always looking over your shoulder in stress to see what he’s going to do next. The fear of God is something positive and healthy and is obviously outlined in several different scriptures.

A particularly useful one is Proverbs 8:13, where we are told that “the fear of the Lord is to detest evil.” many folks are worried by the idea of hating anything. Yet God announces we are to hate evil as he Himself hates it in all of its forms.

He detests it as he obviously sees its corrupting and destructive influence. We frequently can’t see any corruption at all. In fact, we occasionally look at what is malicious and think that it is not actually too bad. The Devil’s job is to camouflage wickedness till it seems quite trusting or perhaps enticing. The enemy is such a success in his deception that we frequently fall into his snares with out any compunction.

That is why we must learn how to view things as God sees them. We want to develop such a holy loathing for iniquity that we shun and refuse it at each turn. When we get the Lord’s view of misdemeanor, the Devil will be stymied in his attempts to seduce us. Though it might not be a popular position, we will decide to love God and hate evil.

There are a great many times in life when we are overpowered by feelings of hopelessness and despair. We find ourselves beset by uncontrollable circumstances that are fully beyond our control. In our weakness and dismay, we become so fretful and fearful that we even lose sight of the guarantees of God.

We cry to Him for help and adhere to the hope that he’ll change our outward circumstances. Even in our moaning and supplications, we barely know what to ask because our vision is so limited. In times like these, it’s a great comfort to recollect that we’ve got a Guide, a Governor, a Caretaker who sees what we actually need. His timely interventions are typically inward rather than outward.

That is, while we would like to see things change, He wants us to modify. In our weakness, we cry out for relief while the sanctified Holy Spirit is sieving our moaning thru the will of God. As our advocate, He has a commitment to interceding with the Father on our behalf. And His petitions are always heard because they perfectly fit God’s great purposes for our lives.

That is why the apostle Paul was so certain about all things collaborating for good to people who love God. He revealed, “we know,” not “we hope.” He talked with guarantee, not in terms like “maybe,” “if,” or “but.” Likewise, this certainty takes in “all things,” not just some things. What confidence we should all have! Our heavenly Father, the sovereign God of this universe, is exercising supervisory control of each single affair in our life.

Across the Bible, we see God reaching out to His creation to attempt to save and revive. Naturally, nowhere is this more obvious than in the New Testament and particularly in the Gospels thru the life of His Son. Jesus came to earth to find and save those that were spiritually lost and bound by sin.

By His very own profession, He makes this clear when He tells His followers that He didn’t come to judge humankind, but to save the lost from an eternal death (John 3:17). Frequently we are almost convinced to think that God is too wrapped up in the small print of the universe to be worried about our issues. But this isn’t true. Jesus was and still is completely curious about the lives of every one of us. Even after His crucifixion, His intimate concern was for those He loved.

One example of this is the compassion He had for Mary as she searched for Him at the empty crypt. Jesus hadn’t yet ascended to the Father.

He witnessed Mary’s deep sorrow and was moved with compassion. “Mary!” Jesus called out to her. “Rabboni!” that means “Teacher!” was her answer. When she saw the Lord she knew her requests had been answered. Jesus was alive! This was her best need – to understand that what He had guaranteed was true. What’s your best need? Call out to the Savior, and he’ll meet that need.

Some know precisely why they are stalled but have not been able to move past the sin that trips them up. Others feel blind to the source of their difficulties but understand that all they do is run prepared. Israel, God’s selected country, had a record of defeat because they compromised and yielded to enticement rather than obeying God’s commands. Compromise defeats us too. God calls His kids to live obedient lives, but instead, we are sometimes occupied with our own self-centered wants. At the same time, we are influenced by both the world and Devil . The reality is that our self-absorbed side likes reinterpreting God’s commands to suit us.

The world clamors for us to join its way of thinking but shows tiny desire to follow God’s way. Thru Scripture, the Lord commands us to rid our lives of ungodliness ( Titus 2:11-12 ), and He provides the Lord God Almighty’s power, which enables us to do so.

When we yield to enticement, we start losing God’s power that helps us stand firm. Have you concluded with God that your angle or action is displeasing to Him? Have you set your consciousness on obeying God, whatever the cost you? Only dumb folk believe they can compromise and live a winning Christ-centered life.. Is a good outline of your life? It is for many Christians.

Some know exactly why they’re stalled but have not been able to move past the sin that trips them up. Folks feel blind to the source of their problems but understand that all they do is run prepared. Compromise defeats us too. God calls His youngsters to live obedient lives, but instead, we are customarily occupied with our own self-centered wishes. At the same time, we are influenced by both the world and Demon .

The actuality is that our greedy side likes reinterpreting God’s commands to suit us. The world clamors for us to join its way of thinking but shows little would like to follow God’s way. Thru Scripture, the Lord commands us to rid our lives of ungodliness ( Titus 2:11-12 ), and He supplies the Lord God’s power, which enables us to do so.

When we yield to enticement, we start losing God’s power that helps us stand firm. Have you concluded with God that your point of view or action is displeasing to Him? Have you set your intelligence on obeying God, whatever the cost you? Only dumb folk believe they can compromise and live a winning Christ-centered life.

Some of our doubts appear too tiny to deserve our attention. Other doubts have been with us so long that we barely notice them any more. Just because they are little or unnoticed does not mean they don’t impact us.

Crises have a way of showing our doubts and adding to our emotional trouble. Scripture tells us that our heavenly Dad takes pleasure in us only if we trust Him : “And without religion it’s not possible to please God ( Hebrews 11:1 NIV ) .” guarantee and certainty are going to be the features of our religion – not doubt. A 2nd effect of doubt surfaces in our prayer life.

It is doubt that short-circuits religion and causes our requests to become cancelled. If we believe God and don’t doubt Him, we’re going to have the right of experiencing His power to do stuff that, humanly talking, are unattainable. Lives will be modified as we believed God and failed to waver.

What percentage of us have failed to answer God’s call as we queried our ability? How frequently have we hesitated to share the Gospel as we were uncertain of having the right words? Spend some time now in the Scriptures, and permit the Spirit to bare the certainty of God’s truth. Some of our doubts appear not enough to warrant our attention. Other doubts have been with us so long that we barely notice them any more. Because they are small or unobserved does not mean they do not impact us.

We won’t have intimacy with God or please Him when we doubt what he is saying. Scripture tells us that our heavenly Pa takes pleasure in us only if we trust Him : “And without faith it isn’t feasible to please God ( Hebrews 11:1 NIV ) .” Guarantee and certainty are going to be the features of our faith – not doubt. A 2nd effect of doubt surfaces in our prayer life.

If we believe God and don’t doubt Him, we’ll have the concession of experiencing His power to do stuff that, humanly talking, are unattainable. Lives will be changed as we believed God and did not waver. What pc.s of us have failed to answer God’s call as we questioned our ability? How often have we hesitated to share the Gospel as we were doubtful of having the right words? Spend some time now in the Scriptures, and allow the Spirit to reveal the certainty of God’s truth.