Listen to my words, Lord, consider my lament. Hear my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:1-3) I was helped on this post by a sermon by Derek Thomas that I heard …
God’s Secret Agents
Angels are only God’s servants, spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. (Hebrews 1:14) This post, titled God’s Secret Agents,1 builds on previous posts: Jesus our Immanuel, Immanuel Has Come!, and No Fear In Christ. John Paton and God’s Angels John G. Paton (1824-1907) was a Protestant missionary to the Vanuatu Islands near Australia. He ministered to …
No Fear in Christ
Jesus, the rising sun, will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace. (Luke 1:78-79) Reflecting Back on 2020 This year has been hard in many ways. But thank God, Bible searches soared online, and a record number of people are …
Immanuel Has Come!
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16) Christ is Still Present with Us Pastor Charles Spurgeon encourages: “Since Christ our King who is risen and reigning was once an infant, I may go to Him …
Jesus our Immanuel
The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) Jesus’ Saving Impact Never Ends In a “Peanuts” cartoon, Lucy throws up her hands and shrieks, “For months we looked forward to Christmas. We couldn’t wait til it came; now it’s all over.” I’m glad that the …
Christian Thanksgiving
Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. (Colossians 3:17) Let’s Not Forget A woman complained to her pastor, noticing repetition in his sermons. The preacher said, “I keep reminding, because people keep forgetting.” We forget things due to the passage of …
The Best Optimism
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope….Put your hope in the Lord, for with Him is unfailing love and full redemption. God Himself will redeem us from all our sins. (Psalm 130:5-8) Christian Optimism1 Jesus’ followers navigate through God’s world through Christ-centered thinking and attitudes. We must go through many …
True Optimism in Christ
Christ’s reign (His kingly rule) will and must continue until every enemy has been conquered….And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (1 Corinthians 15:25; Romans 8:28) Dr. Tony Evans praised his late wife Lois, calling her “The Leftover Queen.” Lois made first-rate …
Optimism in Jesus
The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23) By nature, some of us tend to focus on the hole instead of the doughnut. We might be labeled pessimists instead of optimists. But Scripture says: “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all …
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say (Part 3)
Echoing Scripture, Pastor Vance Havner said: I am a pilgrim and a stranger on the earth, but I am not an orphan. Our Lord Jesus makes discipleship hard and loses many prospective followers because He says: Follow me. Christ calls us to a pilgrimage, not to a parade, to a spiritual fight, not to a frolic.1 Likewise St. Augustine said: …