"Who his own self bare our
sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should
live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" 2 Peter 2:24.
Jesus brought us peace with God by the means of His sacrifice. As He took all the sins of the world upon Himself, God's judgment fell not on us, but on Him. Most Christians know that. However, that is not all. He also took our infirmities, sicknesses, and all kinds of diseases upon Himself, so that we could be healed. The Scriptures give this fact in the past tense. We were healed. It takes faith to bring this promise into realization. Let's pray that God almighty would stop the current pandemic of the coronavirus, those that are infected would be healed, and the healthy ones would be protected from the disease. We have the right to pray like that because healing of our bodies is part of the redemption that Jesus gained for us on the cross.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Anguish of the spirit
"So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage" Exodus 6:9.
Oppression causes our spirit to experience anguish. This is what Jewish people experienced when they were forced to labor under very severe conditions. Instead of freedom, as God spoke through Moses, they found themselves in even worse situation - they had to collect the straws for making bricks on their own, meet the quota of the day, and if they did not, they were severely beaten by the Egyptian guards. When Moses reminded them of what God has promised to do for them (set them free), they could not listen to them. Their spirits were so oppressed that the good news could not break through.
You might be experiencing anguish of the spirit for a variety of reasons: disease, never ending battle with addiction, broken relationship, dire financial situation, and many more things that cause you to lose hope. You just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Remember this, Jesus is your liberator, He liberates you from any spiritual, soul, physical, or any other bondage, and your anguish will end the second His light reaches you. Keep on looking at Him, praying to Him, and the oppression will end. He promised to set you free, and He will keep His promise. Hold on to this hope.
Oppression causes our spirit to experience anguish. This is what Jewish people experienced when they were forced to labor under very severe conditions. Instead of freedom, as God spoke through Moses, they found themselves in even worse situation - they had to collect the straws for making bricks on their own, meet the quota of the day, and if they did not, they were severely beaten by the Egyptian guards. When Moses reminded them of what God has promised to do for them (set them free), they could not listen to them. Their spirits were so oppressed that the good news could not break through.
You might be experiencing anguish of the spirit for a variety of reasons: disease, never ending battle with addiction, broken relationship, dire financial situation, and many more things that cause you to lose hope. You just can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. Remember this, Jesus is your liberator, He liberates you from any spiritual, soul, physical, or any other bondage, and your anguish will end the second His light reaches you. Keep on looking at Him, praying to Him, and the oppression will end. He promised to set you free, and He will keep His promise. Hold on to this hope.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Does Jesus care if we are drowning?
"A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”" Mark 4:37-41.
How can you sleep in a small boat in the middle of the squall? The disciples could not. They were doing the best trying to save the boat and themselves from drowning by pouring water out as fast as they could, but it was filling the boat faster than they were managing to pump it out. Yet, there was one who was sleeping during all this life threatening experience. It was Jesus. Why didn't He join to help the disciples to pour water out? He neither joined in their futile attempts to save the boat, nor in their panic. It seemed that they would all go down to the bottom of the lake sooner rather than later. Seeing that it was impossible to save themselves, the disciples rushed to wake up Jesus.
Jesus did not answer their question "...don't you care if we drown?" He miraculously solved the situation by commanding the wind and the waves to calm down. And the nature listened to its' Master. The issue wasn't with Jesus. He does care. The issue was with the disciples. They lacked trust in the master. They believed they could drown together with him. That was the problem, and Jesus addressed it.
So often we find ourselves in the middle of life storms: recurring problems, addictions, breaking relationships, curable and incurable diseases, financial challenges, mental issues, global pandemic (now) and we try to deal with that and other great challenges on our own in our own human ways and strengths. A lot of challenges are way beyond our human strength to solve. Yet, we keep on doing things our way, and only when we see that we are drowning, we start praying to God as the last resort for help.
God wants to be the first resort of help. He wants to see our trust in Him. He cares, and He wants to help, but His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is a miracle working God. He is ready to help. Yet, He is expecting us to believe in Him, and call on Him as the first resort for help. When you face the impossible, go to Him who solves the impossible.
How can you sleep in a small boat in the middle of the squall? The disciples could not. They were doing the best trying to save the boat and themselves from drowning by pouring water out as fast as they could, but it was filling the boat faster than they were managing to pump it out. Yet, there was one who was sleeping during all this life threatening experience. It was Jesus. Why didn't He join to help the disciples to pour water out? He neither joined in their futile attempts to save the boat, nor in their panic. It seemed that they would all go down to the bottom of the lake sooner rather than later. Seeing that it was impossible to save themselves, the disciples rushed to wake up Jesus.
Jesus did not answer their question "...don't you care if we drown?" He miraculously solved the situation by commanding the wind and the waves to calm down. And the nature listened to its' Master. The issue wasn't with Jesus. He does care. The issue was with the disciples. They lacked trust in the master. They believed they could drown together with him. That was the problem, and Jesus addressed it.
So often we find ourselves in the middle of life storms: recurring problems, addictions, breaking relationships, curable and incurable diseases, financial challenges, mental issues, global pandemic (now) and we try to deal with that and other great challenges on our own in our own human ways and strengths. A lot of challenges are way beyond our human strength to solve. Yet, we keep on doing things our way, and only when we see that we are drowning, we start praying to God as the last resort for help.
God wants to be the first resort of help. He wants to see our trust in Him. He cares, and He wants to help, but His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He is a miracle working God. He is ready to help. Yet, He is expecting us to believe in Him, and call on Him as the first resort for help. When you face the impossible, go to Him who solves the impossible.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Has God given you a spirit of fear?
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7.
If fear has come your way, I want to ask you, has God sent it your way? Nope. He never does. He has no fear in his arsenal. It is not part of His nature. He is not afraid of anything and does not share fear with anybody. In this time of massive panic, it is important to fill our minds with the thoughts that are inspired by the word of God. It is a fact that what you focus on becomes greater. If you focus on all the news and facts coming from the current situation, you will be filled with fear. If you turn away from that and start looking at God's promises you will be encouraged, and filled with peace. Do you know that the phrase "Fear not" is used 365 times in the Bible. Some say, even 366. One for every day, and one is for the future, when the leap year comes. So, God has no intention of scaring you. He wants to take away your fear and give you love, peace, and joy. During these days of global quarantine, we have to look at the word of God daily and rest our minds on his promises. This will push away fear. FEAR NOT.
If fear has come your way, I want to ask you, has God sent it your way? Nope. He never does. He has no fear in his arsenal. It is not part of His nature. He is not afraid of anything and does not share fear with anybody. In this time of massive panic, it is important to fill our minds with the thoughts that are inspired by the word of God. It is a fact that what you focus on becomes greater. If you focus on all the news and facts coming from the current situation, you will be filled with fear. If you turn away from that and start looking at God's promises you will be encouraged, and filled with peace. Do you know that the phrase "Fear not" is used 365 times in the Bible. Some say, even 366. One for every day, and one is for the future, when the leap year comes. So, God has no intention of scaring you. He wants to take away your fear and give you love, peace, and joy. During these days of global quarantine, we have to look at the word of God daily and rest our minds on his promises. This will push away fear. FEAR NOT.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Fix your thoughts on Jesus
"Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest" Hebrews 3:1.
People copy other people. They typically do that with the ones they like or even adore. Those who want to be successful in some field often follow and repeat those who are successful in that specific area. They say that Kobe Bryant became so great because he actually copied all of the moves of Michael Jordan. Well, Kobe said that he added some of his own. Anyway, we Christians also have an example to follow if we want to be successful Christians. Jesus is our example. He left us not only His teaching, but also showed His attitudes, behavior, and lifestyle. We can only be successful if we imitate Christ and eventually become like He was. That is being a successful Christian. Not just reading His words, but becoming like Him in how we think, speak, and behave. That is what means being a disciple of Jesus. Let us learn from our teacher and become like Him.
People copy other people. They typically do that with the ones they like or even adore. Those who want to be successful in some field often follow and repeat those who are successful in that specific area. They say that Kobe Bryant became so great because he actually copied all of the moves of Michael Jordan. Well, Kobe said that he added some of his own. Anyway, we Christians also have an example to follow if we want to be successful Christians. Jesus is our example. He left us not only His teaching, but also showed His attitudes, behavior, and lifestyle. We can only be successful if we imitate Christ and eventually become like He was. That is being a successful Christian. Not just reading His words, but becoming like Him in how we think, speak, and behave. That is what means being a disciple of Jesus. Let us learn from our teacher and become like Him.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
The Guardian of the Universe
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word" Hebrews 1:3.
The Universe came into being after God spoke it into being. He did that by the power of His word, Spirit and through His Son Jesus. All things are upheld by the power of His mighty word. Every planet has its' trajectory. The sun, the moon, the earth, and all the planets have their own place in the Universe and move or stay where they are because God decided so. And it will stay that way as long as He sees that fit. Nothing will happen to the earth without God's permission. He knows everything. He knows about you too. Every hair on your head is counted. Your life is upheld by His mighty word. One day He will say "Come, your days on this earth are over", and you will leave the earth. Nothing is eternal on the planet. Only God is from eternity to eternity, and He knows everything, and He sustains everything by His word. Let's rely on His word. Let it uphold us. Let us be moved by the words. Then, our lives will be lived with a meaning. God has a purpose for you, read His word every day to find it out. Pray to Him every day, and He will reveal His eternal plans for you. God bless.
The Universe came into being after God spoke it into being. He did that by the power of His word, Spirit and through His Son Jesus. All things are upheld by the power of His mighty word. Every planet has its' trajectory. The sun, the moon, the earth, and all the planets have their own place in the Universe and move or stay where they are because God decided so. And it will stay that way as long as He sees that fit. Nothing will happen to the earth without God's permission. He knows everything. He knows about you too. Every hair on your head is counted. Your life is upheld by His mighty word. One day He will say "Come, your days on this earth are over", and you will leave the earth. Nothing is eternal on the planet. Only God is from eternity to eternity, and He knows everything, and He sustains everything by His word. Let's rely on His word. Let it uphold us. Let us be moved by the words. Then, our lives will be lived with a meaning. God has a purpose for you, read His word every day to find it out. Pray to Him every day, and He will reveal His eternal plans for you. God bless.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
God remains the same
"But you remain the same, and your years will never end" Hebrews 1:12.
There is nothing stable on this earth. Seasons change, we grow old, people change their opinions, fashions change, music changes, trends change. You cannot really build your life on anything or anybody you know around you. There is no stability anywhere. However, God does not change. He is not influenced by your opinions, market trends, changes of generations. He is the same: yesterday, today, and forever. His character is just as it was a thousand years ago, or even before the creation of the world and planets. That's why you can trust Him. He never lies. What He said thousands of years ago remains true today. His word is the only solid material to build your life on. It is a solid foundation that will not shake when the storms come. Thank God we can build our lives on His word. Let's do it. Have a great day.
There is nothing stable on this earth. Seasons change, we grow old, people change their opinions, fashions change, music changes, trends change. You cannot really build your life on anything or anybody you know around you. There is no stability anywhere. However, God does not change. He is not influenced by your opinions, market trends, changes of generations. He is the same: yesterday, today, and forever. His character is just as it was a thousand years ago, or even before the creation of the world and planets. That's why you can trust Him. He never lies. What He said thousands of years ago remains true today. His word is the only solid material to build your life on. It is a solid foundation that will not shake when the storms come. Thank God we can build our lives on His word. Let's do it. Have a great day.
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