But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:4-5 Read Titus 3 What does justified mean? What is the twofold basis of our justification? God washed and renewed us when he saved us. He saved us through “the washing of rebirth and renewal.” Rebirth comes from a Greek word that means to regenerate or make new. The meaning of renewal is similar to rebirth. To renew is to restore, revive, revitalize, recondition – to make new. God justified us when He saved us. His…
-
-
God’s Love
John 3:16 ‘For God loved the world in this way: so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.’ God loves you. He loves me. He loves everyone. God is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, faithful, and abounding in love for us. God wants you to have a relationship with him. He is waiting for you to choose him. I have 7 children. I have 5 boys and 2 girls. I value each of them. I love each of them. I often try to comprehend how God could give his one and only son to us – humans. I can’t. I can’t imagine asking anyone…
-
This Is My Commandment:Love Each Other
This is my command: Love each other. John 15:16-17 Have you ever realized that almost all lessons from God come full circle, back to love? I have. The bottom line to our life, the one commandment that God wants us to follow and do, is to love one another. How well are we really following this command in today’s society? Here comes the risk of grace. God went out on a limb to make us apart of His branch with the hope that we will bear fruit. When we should love others, we are showing the world that we are God’s disciples. There is…
-
Advent: Day Twenty-Five
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11 . Christ is Born. Immanuel – God with us. It is time to yell, “Merry Christmas.” To be of good cheer. Have excitement. We are busy with opening presents, getting the dinner prepared. Do you make time for God on this Day? We use the day as a reminder that He did come here to earth to be with us. Yet, have we put him off to the side of all our business? Even though the Jews didn’t have the whole picture of God’s plan in the Bible times,…
-
Advent: Day Fifteen
And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2:7 The arrival! In Luke 2, Jesus arrives. How exciting is this? The Savior was born. He was born in a humbling way. Jesus was born in the barn in Jerusalem. He was wrapped in cloths and placed in a manger where animals ate their food. Not a place you would think a king should be born or even laid to sleep! Joseph and Mary knew this baby boy was special. Did they really comprehend how special or what the…
-
Unburdened
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35 What is a relationship in your life you’ve seen grow as you’ve intentionally devoted time to that relationship? Every relationship grows in direct proportion to the amount of time we invest in that relationship. Guess what? It is the same way with our relationship with Jesus. The desire of our hearts when we follow Christ should be one that wants to be like him. There is no substitution for time spent alone with God. IF you have developed a regular Bible time with God,…
-
Prioritizing The Kingdom
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15 Read Matthew 24:14; Revelation 5:9-10; Revelation 11:15; Luke 12:31-32 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood, you ransomed people for God from every…
-
Lives Sent
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so, I am sending you.” John 20:21 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.“I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. I…
-
The Mission Is Big
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:42-43 What are you passionate about? We give time to those things that we are passionate about. If you are passionate about sports, you will take the time to watch or participate in sports. You know everything there is about that sport (s). If you are passionate about your yard, you take the…
-
Light Of The World
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 What traditions do you hold close to your family? Read John 7:1-36. What is going on in this passage? What phrases or key words stuck out to you? Do you feel any tension in this passage? The feast of Tabernacles or the Feast of booths is what going on in this passage. The two aspects of the feast are water and light. The Feast of Tabernacles was the most joyous and longest festival of all the holidays. It lasted…