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A Know-So Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:3-5 NAS95). What a glorious thought. As believers there is an inheritance beyond what we can even imagine waiting for us who have hope. Not a-hope-so kind of hope, but a-know-so kind of hope. It is a-know-so kind of hope because it is protected by the power of God through faith. While there are times when sin and distress causes us to waver, the power of God always returns us to the cross. There are two reasons this happens. The first reason is the work of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit that worked in our hearts to believe the Gospel, and it is the Holy Spirit th...
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Soli Deo Gloria

 Soli Deo Gloria: For the glory of God alone. We were created and exist to bring glory to God. The twenty four elders cry out, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created" (Revelation 4:11 NAS95). Are you or were you lost? It was for the glory of God. As it is written: For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11 NAS95). Are you saved? It is for the glory of God. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to ...
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Plan Wisely and Trust God

To trust God in all matters is a difficult thing to do. We live our lives, for the most part, without fear of great calamity. We make decisions as to what to buy and sell, where to go on vacation, and a myriad of other things often without much prayer. It is easy living in a prosperous society to become over confident and self reliant. Take for example the farmer who’s barns were full.  "The land of a rich man was very productive. "And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' "Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' "So ...
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Take Care How You Hear

  And He was saying to them, "A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? “For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. "If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." And He was saying to them, "Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. "For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him” (Mark 4:21-25 NAS95). At first blush, this passage says some things that are hard for the casual reader to pick up on. The first part is easy enough; you obviously don’t put a lamp under anything. You put a lamp on a stand or table so the light can illuminate the room. The next part is a little more obscure. That is nothing is hidden except to be revealed. You would think the reason you would hide so...
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Beware of Self-Righteousness

  When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, "Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?" And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Mark 2:16-17 NAS95) The scribes and Pharisees considered themselves to be righteous. They based this on their keeping of the Law of Moses along with other laws/traditions designed to help them better keep the Mosaic Law. Two points concerning this self-righteousness. One, the scribes and Pharisees really didn’t keep the Mosaic Law perfectly. No one could. Two, their self-righteousness excluded them from Jesus’ call to sinners. As long as they saw themselves as righteous, they remained blinded to the truth. Jesus came to call sinners. A critical part of salvation is the need to repent. To repent you must know yo...
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Devine Contemplation

 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!  (Romans 11:33 NAS95) The text of Romans 11:33 is a conclusion to what Paul had previously wrote. After he had expounded the doctrines of Salvation, justification, predestination, and other eschatological issues, its as if he is overwhelmed with the majesty of it all.  This is an appropriate response to the glories of Christ. It is indeed humbling to contemplate the divine attributes along with the condescension of Christ. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how He could love me, a sinner condemned unclean wrote Charles Gabriel as he contemplate his salvation. All too often days are filled with the affairs of this life to the neglect of divine contemplation and prayer. That will surely lead to spiritual stagnation. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). There are no shortcuts! Let Pa...
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Fear Not and Preach the Good News

 Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of Christ has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment (Philippians 1:12-17 NAS95). Paul had a mission to preach the Gospel at any and all cost. His devotion to Christ and the Gospel was a source of great encouragement to many. No matter in what circumstance he found himself, he would preach the good news of Jesus Christ. For Paul preaching the Gospe...
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Choose the Good Part

 Jesus answered them and said, Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled (John 6:26 NAS95). Jesus spoke these words to the people after He had fed five thousand of them with only five loaves of bread and two fish. They saw Jesus as a meal ticket and entirely missed the purpose of the miracle. They wanted food for their stomachs when they needed food for their souls. Today, just like that multitude, many attend church for what they can get. Jesus said He was the Bread of Life. Be careful to seek Jesus and not the things of this world. Friendships, positions, emotional support, orthodoxy as a salve for conviction, a need to be respected in the community and other fleshly desires are no substitute for Christ. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal (John 6:27 NAS95). Remember, Je...
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God Will Finish His Work

 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me (Philippians 1:6-7 NAS95). What God begins, God completes. This is a good thing. Left to our own strength, we would never remain faithful. Thankfully, we have a helper, the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus, The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit (John 3:8 NAS95). Paul’s confident assertion about the Philippians was based on two things: God’s character and the effects of the Holy Spirit.  Concerning His character the Book of Hebrews says: For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmati...
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Be Involved

 The Apostle Paul had a great love for those who were committed to the same goal of glorifying Christ through the proclamation of the Gospel. With that in mind he writes. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God (Philippians 1:9-11 NAS95). The Philippians were helpful to Paul when he was in prison. All they did for him and the Gospel entrenched in Paul a great love for them. To that end he wanted them to have all they could have of Christ. He desired their love would abound more and more. He knew this increase would come form a deep understanding of who God is. He prayed they would have real knowledge and discernment that would lead to the fruit of righteousness in Christ to the glory of God. ...
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