News

Would you like to get a great reward? Of course, you would! I want one too! Ah, good news. We can have it!

We all like the things we do to be appreciated, rewarded. Think of the things you have done that you are proudest of. Were they things that were easy to do, or things that were difficult to do? Maybe they took a long time, maybe a lot of effort, maybe a lot of practice, maybe a lot of patience.

There are many times when you work hard for something, achieve it (or some measure of it), and no one seems to notice, no one seems to appreciate it.

We don’t do good works to please men – although it makes us glad when they do appreciate our work. God is your Master, and you answer to Him, you seek His approval, His reward. People may not know how to reward you, or may not have the ability to reward you properly. God does!

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24

Let God Himself be your reward. There will never be a greater!

Just as he reminded Abram, in Genesis 15:1, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”

Not just a reward! Not just a great reward! But an exceeding great reward!

As it says in Ephesians 3:20: “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think..”

Draw close to God. Let Him be your exceeding great reward.

Let us confidently say “I trust the Lord.”

On the surface, maybe that sounds easy. It’s a phase that is heard a lot. It may be more difficult to trust God – with the things going on in this world, with the things going on in your life, with the things going on the life of the people you love. Trust God with the past, with the present, and with the future.

God has promised good things to those who put their lives in his hands.

Forgiveness of sin and freedom to live a righteous life:

“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” – 1 Peter 2;24

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all they ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct they paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

The young mother whose baby has died. Yet can say “I trust the Lord.”

The youth who is not able to get into the school they had so hoped for. “I trust the Lord.”

The person lost a job, and no prospects in sight.  “I trust the Lord.”

The person whose spouse walks away leaving them with unpaid bills, unsupported children, and an uncertain future. “I trust the Lord.”

The doctor delivers news that you will not recover. “I trust the Lord.”

Yet God is good. He will always work for your good. “all things work together for good to them that love God” – Romans 8:28. Not all things are good – but rather God will cause all thing to work toward good.

“for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – Hebrews 13:5

“The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” – Psalms 34: 7-9

“The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.” – Psalms 34:22

Say boldly and confidently today: “I trust the Lord.”

Christians celebrate Easter to commemorate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ followers had given their entire lives to Him. Then he was crucified. Laid dead in a tomb. All earthly hope destroyed. Dreams, ambitions, relationships, thoughts of good to come – all gone.

Have there been times in your life when all earthly hope is destroyed? Maybe you’re there now.

That’s the time to remember Easter. Against all odds, against the laws of nature, Christ arose from the death. Victorious over all – sin, failure, disappointment, sickness, disease – and yes even death.

Remember Easter today.

Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live;”

Friends are wonderful. A true friend can make all the difference in life. A friend can help loneliness, make circumstances easier to bear.

Maybe there is someone you know who use a friend. Reach out to them today. Let them know you care about them.

What about those times when you don’t have a friend? Take courage today and know that God is always your friend, and always will be your friend.

 “Greater love has no one that this that a man lay down his life for his friend.” – John 15:13. Jesus gave his life to atone for sin and showed what great love he has for you.

Note some other scriptures:

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” – Jesus speaking in John 15:15

“When my father and mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up.” –  Psalms 27:10

“A friend loveth at all times” – Proverbs 17:17

“there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother” – Proverbs 18:24

“for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” – Hebrews 13:5

You have a friend you can always count on.

There is not a person who has not sinned. It’s the sin nature that entered the human race with Adam.

Sometimes intentional sin. Sometimes inability to do different. Sometimes mistakes. Sometimes failure in the moment. Sometimes just doing what we think is the best, and then looking back on it, and wishing we had done better.

Good news! God can, and will, forgive all.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

There is one hard part of that verse: to confess, i.e., acknowledge our sins. Many refuse to do that. It’s in our nature to try to justify ourselves, try to explain ourselves, try to find reasons. Regardless of the reasons, the first step of forgiveness is to acknowledge sin.

It’s painful.
– What are the areas you know you have sinned in?
– What are the areas you might have sinned in?
– What are the areas you could have done better in?
– In what areas have you failed in? failed yourself?
Failed your family? Your children? Your friends?
– In what areas have you hurt people?
Maybe even those closest to you?

It’s painful. But it’s ok, because God forgives.

Jesus Christ paid the price for every transgression at Calvary.

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more..”

Thank God, He forgives! Why does He forgive? Because of who you are? No, because of who He is. “for my own sake”, because His nature is love, grace, goodness and mercy.

And He forgets! And remembers your sins no more. That is, He forgives, and He chooses to never remember them again. He never holds them against you. Never.

Your life has had struggles. You’ve done some bad things. You’ve failed.

Acknowledge to God your failures, ask forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

Accept God’s forgiveness. Then forgive yourself.

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,
both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;”
– Hebrews 6:19

An anchor is sometimes used as a symbol of Christianity. An anchor is steadfast, it holds steady when the world shakes. A good anchor will hold the boat no matter how hard the storm. The fierce winds and rains will damage, but the anchor will ensure safety.

There will be a time when your world is shaken. Time when everything you thought you could count on, is simply not.

“Truly my soul waiteth upon God:
from him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
he is my defence;
I shall not be greatly moved.”
– Psalms 62: 1-2

Jesus will see you safely through.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

The scripture makes it clear we are created for good works. Good works come in many forms: acts of love, charity, kindness, or good will.

Focus a little on kindness. I Corinthians 13:4 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind”

Kindness is an attitude of seeking the best for our neighbors. It may be a kind word. It may be an act of generosity. It may cost little or nothing. But it results in great reward, to the giver and to the receiver.

Kindness does not mean weakness. As in, being kind only because we don’t have the power to do otherwise, or because we will suffer if we are not kind

Kindness is not just being kind in order to get something in return.

To whom should we be kind? To those who deserve it. And to those who don’t deserve it.

Ephesians 4:32 – “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” It’s important to practice kindness to those closest to us. These are the people who know us best, they know our weaknesses, and our faults. And we know their weaknesses and their faults. Because you know them so well, you know how to not be kind to them. And you know best how to be kind to them.

Be kind to those who are not kind to you, and who don’t deserve your kindness.

“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” – Luke 6:35.

Don’t skip over that. “your reward shall be great”.

Want to be like God? Be kind.

Psalms 118:24 “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Take time to enjoy the moment – yes, this moment, this time, this hour, this day.

We may spend a lot of time thinking about what we need to do, and what we are going to do. Of course, that is necessary to do that some. Don’t’ forget to enjoy the present.

Sometimes it’s our own expectations that we have that cause us the greatest pain. It could cause us to not enjoy the present. Things are not as we think they should be. Thoughts like, ‘it’s not supposed to be that way’; ‘I expect him/her to treat me better.’ ‘I expected a promotion.’

If the expectation is causing too much pain, then it may be time to let go of the expectation. Don’t let those expectations keep you from enjoying the present.

“Expect nothing, accept everything.” – is a quote from author Gary John Bishop. It’s not meant to be pessimistic. It’s meant to be liberating. Let go of the unrealized expectations; accept things as they are. That means you can enjoy the present. It also frees you to start working to make the best of whatever circumstance you may be in.

“But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” – Matthew 6:33-34.

Some of the ideas below are from author Gary John Bishop. He is not a Christian author, but we should not reject ideas just because they are not labeled ‘Christian’. I’ve thought about some of these ideas and how some of them related to Bible scriptures and ideas.

One of those ideas is being content.

Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

I Timothy 6:6-8 “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content”

You can choose to love the life you have. That does not mean that everything is perfect, or that everything is good. It does mean that you choose to enjoy this moment, this day, just as it is.

Acknowledge the things that are, without anxiety, bitterness, or regret.

By living in the day, you can accept the circumstances that are, and find joy where you can. This frees you to acknowledge what is, and you can start in those circumstances to work toward better. But don’t be dissatisfied until you get the better you seek – choose to love the life you have.

Enjoy life.

Love the life you have.

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;

We move forward into a new year, let us have new hope, new courage, and new strength.

You don’t have to somehow generate that strength. Let’s face it, your strength will fail. Physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally. Life wears us down, circumstances wear us down, people wear us down. They zap our strength. Hope, courage, and strength need to be renewed.

The most important thing to do is to wait on the Lord. To do that, you trust Him with your life. Trust Him completely and wholly. You trust His love to you. His goodness to you. His mercy to you. God is enough. He is sufficient. You trust His sufficiency.

Waiting upon the Lord may be being quiet and listening to His voice.

Don’t trust yourself or your own actions to renew your strength, trust God. It may be that by waiting on the Lord, listening to the Lord, that He does show you some things to do. Doing them doesn’t mean trust in those things, you are still trusting in the Lord. You are trusting Him by following the direction you feel He leads you.

Maybe God will speak to you about some things you can do.

Sleep – to be the best you can be, sleep is important., One psychologist says that waking up at the same time every morning is very important. He has he has seen many clinical patients that starting a habit of waking up at the same time each morning (weekday and weekend) has lifted them from clinical depression. That’s very powerful!

Food – eat a nutritious meal. There are some foods that will renew your strength and energy. What are those foods that do that for you? Maybe a good meal of delicious vegetables, a steak, a hamburger, eggs, nutritious and filling cornbread.

Go somewhere – a chance of scenery / environment can do wonders to give a fresh perspective. Go to a difference room. Go to the backyard. Go to the front yard. Go for a walk. Go window shopping, at a mall or at a hardware store, something you enjoy looking at.

Laugh – it lifts the spirits. Maybe you can think of a time when a good laugh renewed you and others. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” – Proverbs 17:22

Talk to a friend – a positive friend can renew you.

Or maybe God will just speak peace to your soul.

Wait on the Lord. He will renew your strength.