We must believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be: the Son of God and Savior of the world. If we are to be saved by Him, we must turn to God in real trust and believe in His Son, committing ourselves to the truth that He can save us from our sins.
One day, we will answer for how we have used all that God has given us. When that time comes, we will want to be able to look back on a lifetime of work that was trustworthy. We will not want to be workers “ashamed” of our work (2 Timothy 2:15).
Paul did not see his sufferings simply as worldly hardships — he saw them as opportunities to honor Christ and influence others. No matter what happened, Paul was always looking for a way to exalt the Lord in dealing with his difficulties.
When the Prodigal Son came to his senses and returned home penitently to his father (Luke 15:20-24), the scene in which they were reunited is meant to tell us what it can be like when we are forgiven of our sins and reconciled to God spiritually.
Working constructively toward peace challenges both our wisdom and our courage. It calls for the highest and best within us. May we be people whose work results in a greater degree of true harmony, based upon the revealed truth of God’s word.
The firm foundation of what God has once and for all revealed stands in contrast to all the opinions of human wisdom about what is “necessary.” As for our own judgment, we should have a healthy skepticism about how reliable our own opinions are.
May we all eagerly wait for the judgment of Christ, who will appear for our salvation on that day. With Paul (1 Corinthians 16:22 NKJV), may we gladly say, “O Lord, come!” And with Peter (2 Peter 3:12), may we “hasten” the coming of the day of God!
The rock on which the church rests is the rock-solid truth about Christ. This truth was what Christ revealed to the apostles, individuals designated by Christ to serve as His authoritative spokesmen and representatives. Their teaching is normative.
“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
Because Christ shed His blood for us, we need not fear the wrath of God’s justice; we may rest in the confidence of His mercy. By the blood of Christ, we come into God’s presence and expect to “receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Confessing our faith is simply a matter of being genuine and authentic. I call it “courageous sincerity.” We are not to hide the truth about who we really are. When ...
As Robert Louis Stevenson said, “Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” Ultimately, there are only two paths available. It’s time to clear up our contradictions. ...
Sin is no ordinary problem, and its cure will not be ordinary either. Only Jesus Christ, the very embodiment of God Himself, has the power to get rid of the ...
If our present position is that we have said no to Christ, we’re on the side of the enemy. But Christ invites us to change our minds and obey the ...
Fervent and faithful, at least to the best of his understanding, Apollos needed to be shown “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). And to his credit, when Priscilla ...
As Paul reminded Timothy, the Scriptures are able to make us “wise for salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15). Whatever may seem right to us, we would do well to listen humbly ...
“There are two freedoms: the false, where man is free to do what he likes; the true, where a man is free to do what he ought.” Freedom is not ...
Paul described the Christian’s new life in Colossians 3:1-17. We have new goals, thoughts, and habits. With Christ as our Lord, we live under a new authority. And having been ...
The stability of the promised kingdom would be such that it “shall stand forever.” The ups and downs of history would not faze it, and no enemy could conquer it. ...
God said to David, “Your throne shall be established forever.” The kingdom of which God spoke would not be geographical but spiritual (John 18:36) — and this is the very ...
The path to heaven passes through the territory of repentance, and that is a painful place to be. But the horror of our sins has to become real to us. ...
It is in the gospel that God has revealed His plan. The righteousness He is willing to provide is based on faith in His Son. We might have preferred some ...