Meditations

“Now it is high time to awake out of sleep.”  The Apostle Paul wrote these words to the church at Rome over two thousand years ago.  Here we are in the 21 st century, and the same words apply to us today.  “It is high time”  for us “to awake out of sleep”.  Why are we sleeping and why should we awake now? Paul the Apostle said, “Now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed”.  Romans 13:11  The Lord Jesus’ return for His Church is two thousand years closer than when Paul penned those words.  Our Lord’s return is closer now than when we accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior.  Paul said, in Romans 13:12.   “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.” …..  If “the night was far spent”  then, we are very close to the dawning of the morning.  The Son is about to rise from his seat at His Father’s right hand. Are you ready to meet Him?  Will He find you sleeping or will He find you alert and overco...

We are saved unto good works.  For we – the believer in Jesus Christ are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:10.  We are not created for the gospel.  We are commissioned to go and preach the gospel.  We are not created to protest.  We are commanded to love.  We are not created to criticize the government.  We are created for good works.  The early Church got the message.  The Lord Jesus when He was here on earth went about doing good.  The disciples now apostles witnessed those good works.  Upon the Day of Pentecost the Apostles understood they were to do as their Master had done.  Do good works.  Acts 2:44-47; 4:34 -37 tells us of their good works.  “They distributed to each as anyone had need.” Verse 35.  Today, there are many Christian organizations and churches that do good works.  Some of their good ...

Our Lord Jesus is our example in every circumstance of life.  When He was on the cross being pummeled with the hatred of men, and with the vitriol of hell, He said, Father, forgive them…..Why did Jesus ask His Father to forgive them?  In the midst of intense hatred Jesus loved.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.  Jesus came to redeemed us back to our God.  He died for us, so we can be forgiven. That is why He calls upon us to love our enemies.  In Matthew 5:44 our Lord said, ….“Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”   Love your enemies.  It is only through God’s love that we can love our enemies,    we can do good to those who hate us, we can bless those who curse us.  It is only through God’s love that we can pray for t...

Giving thanks is always a bit difficult.  The Lord Jesus when He was here on earth once healed ten lepers, and only one returned to give Him thanks.  I do not know about you, but sometimes I do not feel like saying “thank you”.  Sometimes I forget to say thank you to the person holding the door for me to step into a building.   Giving thanks always – means all of the time – no excuses, no forgetfulness, no apprehensions.  It takes effort and discipline to always say thanks. Giving thanks always for all things means everything is included.  No item is left out.  We are to give thanks for the things we consider good.  The things we consider bad.  The things we consider to be inconsequential, and the things we consider unworthy of our thankfulness.  We are happy to give thanks for the good things, the good happenings in our lives.  We are overjoyed to do so, and we – I know I do – let everyone around us know that we are. G...

How often do you speak with your friends, family members (not living with you), and members of your church family?  I hope regularly.  We are so busy living our lives that some of us hardly make the time to chat with friends, family, colleagues or even our church family.  Speech is a gift from God.  We should cherish our speaking and use our tongues to encourage others.  Have your conversations taken a back seat to texting, facebook and twitter?  I hope not.  Ephesians chapter 5 tells us how to live our lives daily. V1 : Imitate God as children imitate their parents.  V2:  Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, ….”  Jesus is our example of what love looks like.  Happy Valentine’s Day! One of the habits we are to adopt (v19) is “Speaking to one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.  Has anyone ever spoken to you in Psalms?  How would that sound?  I am thinking we should ...

A new year is a good time for a fresh start – a new beginning.  Thirty days of 2015 have already passed.  That’s okay.  We have three hundred and thirty five ahead of us.  Now is a good time for a new beginning.  God also love beginnings.  God may be saying to some of us if not all of us, hinting even, trying to get our attention on what He wills for us this year. In Genesis chapter 12 after the death of Abram’s father, God called Abram to a new beginning.  For some of us our new beginnings come after the death of a loved one, or after the loss of a job, or a move to a new neighborhood, or even during or after an illness or tragedy.  “Now the Lord had said to Abram:”And He may be saying the same to some of us. “Get out of your country,”   Before you accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, in what country did you live?   Some believers in Christ Jesus are still living in the country of their first birth.   The “country” o...

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!   How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!  Romans 11:33 When we think of riches, we think of money, mansions, luxurious vehicles and on and on.   This verse is telling us that God  has riches of wisdom and knowledge.  The depth of the riches of God’s wisdom and God’s knowledge is so deep, no human being can fathom it. God's wisdom and knowledge is seen in His judgments.   We cannot search out God’s judgments.  We should not even try.  When we see an unusual occurrence in a person’s life or in our own, the temptation is usually to analyze or explain the reason for the event.  God’s ways are vastly higher than ours.  We should not even try to give a reason for any event in anyone’s life or in our own.   The only reason we are exhorted to give - is the reason for the hope that is within us. 1 Peter 3:15...