Jesus is Lord!

2 Peter 1:5-10
5 So make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence. A life of moral excellence leads to knowing God better. 6 Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to godliness. 7 Godliness leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more you will become productive and useful in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who fail to develop these virtues are blind or, at least, very shortsighted. They have already forgotten that God has cleansed them from their old life of sin. 10 So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Doing this, you will never stumble or fall away.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

We are saved by faith and not by works, but once saved, God starts to make us into His image. God gives us the tools to become His righteousness but we have to pick them up and apply them. The tools are His promises. God will not make us walk a holy life, we have to apply the benefits of His promises to do so. Once we apply His promises by faith, we operate under the power of the Holy Spirit. Every promise of God starts with our faith and then requires action on our part. Once we step into action, the power of His Spirit enables us to complete the work. Applying faith to His promises produces moral excellence, self-control, endurance and love. Take the first step, know what the Word of God promises and then apply those promises to your life and see what a difference it can make.

Have a God Day!

Matthew 8:23-27
23 Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. 24 Suddenly, a terrible storm came up, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” 26 And Jesus answered, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly all was calm. 27 The disciples just sat there in awe. “Who is this?” they asked themselves. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Although the disciples had witnesses many miracles, they panicked in this storm. As experienced sailors, they knew the danger, what they did not know was Who was sleeping on the boat. We often experience sudden storms in our life, where we can not feel God’s presence. Even though God has done many things for us in the past, we forget Who He is and what He can do. When we truly understand Who God is, we realize He controls both the storms of nature and the storms of our life. The same power that calmed this storm can calm the storm in you heart that you are going through right now. God can change the circumstances, He can change the hearts of people, He can even change your heart. Jesus is right there with you in the storm, even though it may feel like He is sleeping, He is with you. Trust in His Word that tells you so and trust in His love that He is working out all things for His purpose in your life. Take your eyes off the storm and look to the One Who can control storms of nature and the storms of your heart.

Have a God Day!

Zephaniah 3:14-20
16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! 17 For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song. 18 I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more. 19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and renown to my former exiles, who have been mocked and shamed. 20 On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the nations of the earth. They will praise you as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Zephaniah is telling us about the day when Christ will rule on earth. God is not done with Jerusalem and even though it may look bad for the Jewish nation today, God is not done. His promises for this city will happen. And just as God returned His people to Jerusalem before the first coming of Christ, so He has returned His people to this city before Christ comes again. After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish nation returned to the homeland and rebuilt the temple. It was almost 500 years afterwards that Christ came as a Babe to save the world. Today the Jewish people are again back in their homeland and the temple will once again be rebuilt before Christ returns again. This time He is coming as Judge, the Lion of Judah. But we can rejoice with gladness because we have His Word that God rejoices over us with gladness and with His love He will calm our fears. Christians are His people both Jews and Gentiles, anyone who accepts His gift of grace will be calmed by His love. No matter what is happening today. So rejoice that God is in control and know that we have His Word that He will come again.

Have a God Day!

Matthew 7:13-19
13 “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose the easy way. 14 But the gateway to life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it. 15 “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you apart. 16 You can detect them by the way they act, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles. 17 A healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree produces bad fruit. 18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. 19 So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 20 Yes, the way to identify a tree or a person is by the kind of fruit that is produced.”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

What a person believes is shown in their behavior. What you do can not be separated from what you believe. So those who walk in the Kingdom of God, do His will because they believe in Him. Those who say they believe in Christ but do not walk in the Kingdom of God, do not believe God. The Kingdom of God is any place that His will is done. The fruit that we grow can not be separated from what we believe. If we believe in Christ and are baptized into His family, we will grow the fruit of the Spirit as stated in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, self-control…” Being in God’s family and believing in Him, will produce this fruit. But we need to be in obedience to His will and that takes practice. We must practice obedience to produce good fruit. Those who do not walk in the Kingdom of God will not produce good fruit. They may look good on the outside, but what they believe will show in how they live. Are you living in the Kingdom of God by living in obedience to His Word? Your life will show what you believe. Walk in His Kingdom, under His direction, through His power and you will glorify your Lord.

Have a God Day!

Matthew 14:25-31
25 About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came to them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him, they screamed in terror, thinking he was a ghost. 27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. It’s all right, he said. I am here! Don’t be afraid.28 Then Peter called to him, Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you by walking on water.29 All right, come, Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Save me, Lord! he shouted. 31 Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. You don’t have much faith, Jesus said. Why did you doubt me? 32 And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Living in this sinful world for our Lord Jesus Christ is a lot like walking on water. We are asked by God to step out of the norm and step into the supernatural. We are asked to live pure and holy lives that go against everything this world believes. Walking with Christ is not what the world expects. Lies and deceit are given by many but Christians are asked to return love for hate and to be the righteousness of Christ to the world. We might as well be walking on water because sometimes living for Christ is as supernatural. We need to compare our walk in this life with Christ to Peter’s walking on the water. He was not alone, Jesus was right there with Peter as He is with us today. We need to keep our eyes on Christ as Peter did to keep on top of the water. We need to keep our eyes on Christ to keep on top of the filth of this world. If you are struggling in your walk with Christ, you need to look at your focus. Are your eyes on Christ or are they on the world of pain and sin around you. You will be able to stay afloat only with your eyes on Christ.

Have a God Day!

Zephaniah 3:14-20
16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid! 17 For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song. 18 I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more. 19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and renown to my former exiles, who have been mocked and shamed. 20 On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the nations of the earth. They will praise you as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

Zephaniah is telling us about the day when Christ will rule on earth. God is not done with Jerusalem and even though it may look bad for the Jewish nation today, God is not done. His promises for this city will happen. And just as God returned His people to Jerusalem before the first coming of Christ, so He has returned His people to this city before Christ comes again. After the Babylonian exile, the Jewish nation returned to the homeland and rebuilt the temple. It was almost 500 years afterwards that Christ came as a Babe to save the world. Today the Jewish people are again back in their homeland and the temple will once again be rebuilt before Christ returns again. This time He is coming as Judge, the Lion of Judah. But we can rejoice with gladness because we have His Word that God rejoices over us with gladness and with His love He will calm our fears. Christians are His people both Jews and Gentiles, anyone who accepts His gift of grace will be calmed by His love. No matter what is happening today. So rejoice that God is in control and know that we have His Word that He will come again.

Have a God Day!