Strength in Weakness

Today's society has little tolerance for weakness. Our culture teaches us not let anyone catch us in a moment of weakness, to stand up for ourselves, and prove that we strong and powerful. God has a different outlook on weakness. In 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10, Paul tells us of God's reassurance that "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." When we submit our power to God in weakness, then His power will rest in us, making us stronger than we could ever be in our own strength.

Struggle with Sin

For many of us, the struggle with sin is a constant battle between our desire to please God and the natural desire to please ourselves. How do you balance the two? In Psalm 119:9-11, the psalmist says "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Winning the struggle with sin starts with a decision to live your life according to God's word, seeking Him, inquiring as to what is pleasing to Him, and surrendering your will to become His will.

Lord, Help Me!

Oftentimes, it seems as though we are left on our own, with no one to lean on for a little help. Our families and friends are too busy, or too engrossed in their own issues to worry about ours. In Psalm 121: 1-21, David declares "I lift up my eyes to the hills— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Instead of seeking help from those around us, who need as much help, or more, than we do, we should look to Lord for our help; all of our help comes from the Lord.

Redeemed in Christ

A common reason that people give for living outside of the will of God is their upbringing; they were raised to live in their own will, so they continue living outside of God's will. In 1 Peter 1:18-19, the Bible declares “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” Consider the price, the sacrifice, that Christ paid for us all so that we would be free from the empty lives of our past.

I Will Bless the Lord!

David was far from a perfect man and had a long list of issues with his flesh, not unlike many of the issues that we face today. He spent many of the days of his life in conflict with those who were close to him, running and hiding from his enemies, and fighting for what he believed in. In Psalm 34: 1-3, David declares "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together." In all that David experienced in his life, as a shepherd, a warrior, lover, and king, he continued to worship the Lord because of his great love and adoration for Him.

Not Perfect, Just Forgiven

We often hear that Christians are not perfect, just forgiven. The truth is that we are not perfect, nowhere near perfect, but thankfully, God has given us the gift of eternal life. John 10:28-29, Jesus says that "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father,who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand." Salvation is a free gift, and there was nothing that we could have done to earn it; there is also nothing that we can do rescind that gift. Jesus says that no one can snatch us out of the Father's hand, not even us, despite all of our imperfections.

God's Promise and Purpose

In a world full of uncertainty, it is comforting to know that God's promises are infallible. His promises are so sure that not even we can interrupt the fulfillment of His promises. Psalm 138:8 declares that "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands." As God's people, we are His workmanship, His masterpiece. He will fulfill his promise and His purpose for us because he loves us forever, and He will not reject His own.

Rejecting the Faith

Approximately 100,000 Britons are downloading certificates of "de-baptism," which essentially renounces their Christian faith. In Acts 2: 38, Peter urged the people to “repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Repentance must come before baptism, as the baptism is an outward display of your inward conviction; it's your declaration to the world that you have accepted Christ. What is the purpose of publicly rejecting the faith? Is this "de-baptism" something that will become more widespread as the more people reject their faith?

Complete in Christ

So often, broken people are looking for wholeness in things that cannot deliver them. When two broken people unite in search of wholeness, they simply become two broken people in the same house. Our hope for wholeness is in Christ alone. In Colossians 2: 9-10, the Bible declares "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." The fullness of God dwells in Christ, and when we dwell in Christ, we are made whole through Him. Instead of seeking all of the trappings of this world that will only leave us wanting more, we must seek after Christ, as He alone is one who can make us whole, complete, and lacking nothing.

Hope in Eternal Life

Now that Easter is over, we continue to have hope in the Resurrection as it is our link to eternal life. In John 11: 25, Jesus comforts Martha, who was grieving about her brother Lazarus, Jesus said "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he die, he shall live." We have the same promise of eternal life, Even when we transition from this life to eternal life, we continue to trust in the promise of eternal life through our faith.

Where would we go?

At some point, we will face disappointment that will try our faith, and possibly doubt God. For the believer, the struggle between our faith and doubt can be incredibly taxing. In John 6: 66-68, Jesus challenges his disciples after losing many of his followers. Jesus asked the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. " Even when our faith is tried and we may experience doubt, we must consider the limited alternatives of trying to face our trials on our own.

Saved by Grace

During this Resurrection season, we must not only remember the sacrifice that Christ made, but remember that He laid down his life for us all, regardless of the condition that we are in or the degree of our sin. In Romans 5: 6-8, the Bible declares that "at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Christ was not concerned with our denomination, our family situation, race, color, economic status, or the degree and severity of our sin; He died for us all simply because He loves us.

No Greater Love

Friendship is one of God's greatest gifts. Aside from the marriage bond, the relationship between friends is often the strongest bond that we have. What would you do for a friend? In John 15:13, Jesus says "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." The disciples called Jesus their "Master," but he called them "Friends." The love that Jesus has for His disciples extends far beyond the privilege of friendship; He loved us to the point that He laid down his life His friends, which now includes us all. Jesus loves us now just as much as He did his disciples, as we show ourselves to be His disciples through our love.

Fool for Christ

The Internet, satellite television, and mobile communication has made a connected society, where we are able to obtain information any time and at any place. We have the ability to access more information than ever before, but are we any wiser concerning the things of God? In 1 Corinthians 1: 20-21, Paul declares that "God has made the wisdom of the world foolish. In the wisdom of God the world did not know God through its own wisdom. So God chose to use the message that sounds foolish to save those who believe." Without the Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, the gospel message makes little sense to an unbeliever. When the world determines that the gospel message is foolish, then we must be determined to live to live the gospel message all the more.

Christ Lives in Me

In our daily interactions with people outside of the Christian faith, we often show the world our faith through our unexpected reactions and responses to things that happen within our families, workplaces, social settings, and sometimes, even our churches. Our peculiar response often prompts others to notice that there is definitely something different about us; that is our opportunity to witness. Paul says in Galatians 2:20, that he has been" crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me." When someone hurts us, our natural reaction is repay that hurt, but the Christ that is within us prompts us to respond differently.

By His Stripes

The ultimate sacrifice of Christ, His great display of passion for us, is almost too intense for some believers. In Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah prophesies about Christ; "He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." Before His crucifixion, Christ was whipped so severely that he could not be recognized, and he accepted this brutality for our sakes. Christ was brutalized for more than just healing our physical illnesses; He accepted every sin from every person in the world, of that time and those to come, just so we could be healed, whole, and set free from everything that separates from God.

Jesus Paid it All

We often hear of people who do not feel worthy to enter in the church because they are not worthy to be in God's presence. There are no perfect people, only a perfect God who loves us in spite of all of our imperfections. In Hebrews 12:2, the Bible declares that we should “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." In spite of our sin, which we all have, Jesus paid the ultimate penalty for our sin with his own life. We are justified by our faith in Christ, so when God sees us, He does not see our sin and shame; He only sees the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Faithful with a Little

Today, more families have to manage their homes with less money and fewer resources than before, and must make challenging decisions about how to manage their shrinking resources. In Matthew 25: 23, Jesus tells the parable of talents, where the servant multiplied the few talents that he was given, and earned a return on his master's investment. "His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." In reality, all of our resources belong to God, and He has trusted us as stewards to take care of His resources. When we are faithful stewards over the little that we have, we only need to trust that God will be faithful in fulfilling each one of his promises.