Tag: believe

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Out of the Darkness Into the Marvelous Light

Today’s Reading: John 12:12-50

 But Jesus shouted out, “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, 45 and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. 46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness

John 12:44-46

Clarification

In John 8:12, Jesus introduced Himself as “The Light of the World”, the One who would keep those who believed in Him from walking in darkness and give them life. He expounds on that truth in today’s passage, clarifying that not only did His LIGHT allow them to see in the “darkness” but it enabled them to see the Father who sent Him. To reject or look away from The Light is to reject salvation, the only true way to eternal life with God, John 14:6

Then Jesus spoke out again, “I am the light of the world! The one who follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12
If They Do Not Hear

In Romans 10 Paul shares his longing for all of Israel to be saved but writes of the reality that they have rejected God’s way to make themselves right with Him because they continue to believe it is what they do that saves them. He continues on with his teaching that it is by faith and not by works. It’s by believing what you hear and making a profession of that belief that salvation comes, and he clarifies that this is true for “everyone”, Jew or Gentile, who believe. In verse 14 of Romans 10, Paul then raises the question: How can they believe if they do not hear?

These writings of Paul came to mind as I read through John 12, specifically verses 17 and 18 where he wrote that the crowd who had seen Lazarus come out of the tomb were continuing to testify about it and because of this the crowd in Jerusalem went out to meet Jesus because they had heard about Him performing the miraculous sign. Knowing it was time for Him to be glorified, Jesus uses an analogy with His disciples in conjunction with His statement about being glorified: “…unless a kernel of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces much grain.”

What stands out to me here is that by the death of Jesus, many more were saved and are still being saved today! Because His Light continues in and through us. When we “continue testifying” about Him (17-18), what He’s done for us, what we’ve seen Him do for others, and what He says He’s going to do it impacts others. When we fail to testify about Him, when we love the praise/approval of man more than the praise/approval of God (42-43), we impact others. The question is – what goal have we set before us? God’s approval or man’s? God sent His Son to be The Light of the world and He has called us to be lights of the world – how can we be anything less?

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

Matthew 5:14
The Light

In our focus/SOAP passage today Jesus once again is heard pointing people to the Father, saying that to believe in Him was really to believe in the One who sent Him, and not only that but to see the One who sent Him. Jesus wanted them to know – He wants everyone to know that He is the LIGHT, reflecting and allowing all who believe to see their way out of the darkness to the Father.

Application

Jesus has “shone” me the way to the Father – because of His LIGHT I can see the Father. Because I have heard from The LIGHT and seen The LIGHT – I AM SAVED!

Because I am saved I am called to share Jesus with others – to make Him known in word and deed and actions- I am called to be the light of the world

Prayer

Father, Thank You for Jesus, the Light! The Light that You sent to seek and save the lost out of darkness into the glorious light!! THE LIGHT that led me to You! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Don’t forget the LGG Blog Post for today

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The One Who Believes and the One Who Doesn’t

35 The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority. 36 The one who believes in the Son has eternal life. The one who rejects the Son will not see life, but God’s wrath remains on him.

John 3:35-36 NET

The Message Continues

We last looked at John 3:16-17 and how God loved the world so much that He sent His only son to die on a cross for things He didn’t do- in order to save everyone who would believe in Him. In today’s passage we see how He loves Jesus, the only begotten son and how that love spills over to everyone who believes.

  • Out of God’s love for Jesus, His only begotten Son, God places all things under Jesus’ authority. This is the great news for us as believers because it means He has the power to save, to forgive, to rule over every other spirit and authority on our behalf, and it means He is equal to God the Father and no one can pluck us from His hand – we are eternally safe (secure) when we belong to Him. We will read more about this in John chapter 10.
  • Out of His love for the world God gives eternal life to all who believe in His only begotten Son.
  • Out of His love for the Son, we also see that God’s wrath remains on all who reject Jesus, His son. God wants all men to come to Him, He wants no one to perish and He has made a way for this to happen but for those who blatantly refuse Him and His gift of salvation there is only a coming judgment which ultimately includes the lake of fire – which “…According to the Bible, the lake of fire is the “second death.” This is the ultimate consequence of sin, which is to be totally cut off from God. The lake of fire will be a place of perpetual suffering and misery. Scripture indicates that every person whose name is not in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire”1 (Revelation 20:15). 

Eternal Life Versus The Wrath of God

Eternal Life

Remember, the Bible says we have all sinned and fall short of God’s glory and that the cost of sin is death, Romans 6:23. This certainly sounds like we have nothing to hope for but the good news is “God so loved the world” and sent His gift of eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Because of that gift we do have hope and the promise of eternal security – if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Wrath of God

So, what happens to those who don’t believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? The Scripture is clear that for those who do not place their faith in Jesus Christ there is no hope of escaping God’s wrath. There is no promise of eternal security, and there is no forgiveness of sins. Actually, our focus passage today says that the one who doesn’t – “rejects the Son” – will not even see life.

The wrath of God is a fearsome and terrifying thing. Only those who have been covered by the blood of Christ, shed for us on the cross, can be assured that God’s wrath will never fall on them. “Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him!” (Romans 5:9).

But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done.

Romans 2:5-6

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

Acts 16:31

1As explained by gotquestions.org @ https://www.gotquestions.org/lake-of-fire.html

Do you want to know Him as your personal Savior? Consider these truths and believe in Him to be saved. Turn it into a prayer, tell Him you believe you are a sinner and your are coming to Him in faith – trusting Him to save you from your sins. 1 John 1:9 says that when we confess our sins He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Claim the eternal security (John 3:16) and the new life (2 Corinthians 5:17) He has promised to all who believe in Him.

Please let me know if you have chosen to believe in Christ and be saved. I would love to send you a gift to celebrate your new life in Christ. If you have questions just message me I would be happy to connect with you and help you understand this amazing gift of God.

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The Gospel of Mark: Wk4, Friday Praying With Power

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Read: Mark 11:15-33; SOAP: Mark 11:24-25

Jesus Clears the Temple

When they arrived back in Jerusalem, Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people buying and selling animals for sacrifices. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves, 16 and he stopped everyone from using the Temple as a marketplace. 17 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

18 When the leading priests and teachers of religious law heard what Jesus had done, they began planning how to kill him. But they were afraid of him because the people were so amazed at his teaching.

19 That evening Jesus and the disciples left the city.

20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”

22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

The Authority of Jesus Challenged – Read how

Prayer is powerful. Our faith is powerful. God works mightily through us when we pray. 

Read the rest of the devotional

 As Oswald Chambers so wisely said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, prayer is the greater work.”  

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Draw Near: Week 6, Monday — Praying God’s Word

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 19:14; 2 Timothy 2:14-19 (SOAP Psalm 19:14)

Remind people of these things and solemnly charge them before the Lord not to wrangle over words. This is of no benefit; it just brings ruin on those who listen. 15 Make every effort to present yourself before God as a proven worker who does not need to be ashamed, teaching the message of truth accurately. 16 But avoid profane chatter, because those occupied with it will stray further and further into ungodliness, 17 and their message will spread its infection like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are in this group. 8 They have strayed from the truth by saying that the resurrection has already occurred, and they are undermining some people’s faith. 19 However, God’s solid foundation remains standing, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from evil.” 2 Timothy 2:14-19 NET

The Bible is the most important book in the life of a Christian. It is where we find God and through Him, eternal life. We believe that prayer is very important. It is how we communicate with God. It is through prayer that we repent of our sins, praise who He is, and approach Him with our needs.

What if we faithfully used prayer and Scripture together?

Read the rest of the blog at LGG

The words we speak begin with the thoughts in our heart. In other words, the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Luke 6:45). That is why it is so important that we meditate on God’s Word and His works, which are the first two themes of Psalm 19.

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After Thoughts: John 3:9-21

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Today’s Reading

I’ve recently started using the NET (New English Translation) Bible and was fascinated with the rendering of verse 16. “For this is the way God loved the world:” This is a demonstrative statement that demonstrates God’s expressed love. A love so deep and wide that He held nothing back. We were all sinners (Romans 3:23) condemned (Romans 6:23) unclean but God’s love triumphed over sin and death and brought not just life but eternal life to all who would believe (Acts 16:31). The action of “giving His one and only Son” for the salvation of all who would believe showed an unimaginable love not just for the collective world but for each individual, no matter their race or station in life – Jew or Gentile, uncivilized, slave or free. The demonstration wasn’t just for show or done without thought – He planned and carried out each detail. So, He didn’t just give His Son, He gave Him with the knowledge that He would be crucified on a cross of shame for the sins of the world, more pointedly for your sins and mine. Simply stated, belief would equal salvation and salvation would equal eternal life and not because of anything we had done or could do – but simply and yet profoundly because HE SO LOVED THE WORLD! 💜

My encouragement for today – Let this knowledge move you to worship Father and Son for their deep and matchless love. Let it move you to live and love like Jesus. Finally, let it move you to share this message with at least one other person (friend, family member, neighbor…) today. Who knows, maybe they will share it with their friends and on and on until the whole world knows of God’s amazing love.