Redeeming the Time -- The Time God Gives Us is Our Most Precious Resource -- We Are Called Upon to Use it Wisely

Scripture Readings: 
Psalm 90:12 ¹² Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Eph 5:15-20 ¹⁵ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶ making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. ¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is one thing we all have as much of as the richest folks in the world.  You have just as much, in any given day. of this amazing resources as does Bill Gates or Warren Buffett, as anyone in the worlde, young or old, not matter what race or background.  The resource is TIME.

In any given day you have 86.400 seconds, 1440 minutes, 24 hours.  How do you use your time? In Ephesians 5:16 the Bible urges us to "Redeem the time."  It is a good motto for us all.

Even the young sometimes die, so we are not sure how many days we have.  But we know thar our earthly time will come to an end.  It always has, for everyone.  For Methuselah, for Moses, for Jesus, for Lazarus, for all the people we meet in the Bible, and it will for anyone that you now know, including yourself.

The country band Alabama put out a song a number of years ago which has this chorus or refrain, describing quite well a common lifestyle of our generation:

I'm in a hurry to get things done
I rush and rush until life's no fun.
All I really gotta do is live and die,
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why.

Time is our most precious resource. It is perishable and irreplaceable.1 God in his grace has given us all the same amount — 24 hours per day. The quality, joy, and impact of our lives are directly related to how wisely we use the time we have.

This does not mean that we have to hurry or hustle through life. In our nation, too many people are stressed-out, over-committed, and spread too thinly.  Are you one of those people?

Folks, note that the Bible never says that Jesus rushed anywhere. He was usually busy, but found time to pray a lot. His total ministry was accomplished in three short years, but he found time to play with children, to investigate a fig tree, to take a nap during a boat ride, to rest at noon-time beside a well, and to attend a wedding reception.

The Bible does not say, "If you hurry, you can catch up with God." It does say, "Be still (or cease your striving) and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) Jesus did not say, "Join up with me and I will work you eighteen hours per day." Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Why time is precious. 1. Because a happy or miserable eternity depends on the good or ill improvement of it.
2. Time is very short, which is another thing that renders it very precious.
3. Time ought to be esteemed by us very precious, because we are uncertain of its continuance.
4. Time is very precious, because when it is past, it cannot be recovered.

In our culture there are those who spend a great part of their time in idleness, or in doing nothing that turns to any virtuous account There are also people who spend their time in wickedness
There are those who spend way too much of their time only in worldly pursuits, neglecting their spiritual values for themselves, and for others.

 Paul tells the Ephesians 5, in verse 15 that they need to be wise concerning their ways, and then in verse 16 he tells them that they need to be wise concerning their days.

Let us to consider the importance of time since it is what each of our hours and days and weeks and months and years are made of.

How important is time?

Time is so important the Bible commands us to “redeem the time.” Twice we are told to redeem the time: “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Eph. 5:16). “Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5).

Each year that goes by, each of us have less ‘time’ to ‘redeem.’ But, to be sure, many of us have, in all probability, the prospect of many years yet to live.  But for all of us, redeem the time is a good motto to guide us..

But we never know.  Young people die, too.  And death can come in a split second.  So we need to redeem the time we have.

What is time?

When Augustine was asked, “What is time?” he replied, “If no one asks me, I know; if I want to explain it to someone who does ask me, I do not know.”

Another has said with tongue-in-cheek, “Time is that which keeps everything from happening at once.”

What is time? Let me define time in two ways.

A. It is A Divine Gift

Someone has said, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present!” Time is among many things a gift. Each day that we live is a gift. Since we began and close each day with no promise of another, each day we are given is a gift.

Every day of life is a gift. Understanding that God is the giver of life, and that the length of our days are in His hands, we realize that time is a gift from God.

Time is something that is given to us by God. We work hard to expand and extend our time, but ultimately the number of our days is determined by God. Therefore, each day and every day is a gift from God.

B. It is A Daily Grant

With the gift of time comes responsibility. Each day has been given to us by God as a grant or trust. Time is something we are entrusted with. As the receivers of time, we are stewards of God’s gift.

James 4.14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

A. Time Will SWIFTY Pass

O, the swiftness with which it passes. If there is one thing that is characteristic of time it is its speed. The seconds fly by so fast. The minutes continue without interruption. Life is like a fleeting shadow.

The Bible is constantly speaking to us of the swiftness of time’s passing.

Psalms 39:4,5 “LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am. Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.”

B. Time Will SURELY End

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”

Time is a precious matter. Time is a passing matter.
The moment a man is born, he begins to die. Death could come at any moment by disease, disaster, or decay. Man is not here to stay, but he is here to die

But never forget this truth: This world is not my home. I am just a passing through. We should stand in awe of the time. God created time and gives it to us as stewards.  We need to order our time according to God's purposes and values and unapologetically subject everything that falls outside of this to the back burner. Know:  Time is the most precious resource we have, which is why we need to regularly evaluate and order our time according to God's purposes.

A. There Is PROGRESS We Should Make
Philippians 3:14 “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
The apostle Paul was a firm believer in forward progress. In the book of Philippians, Paul vividly explained that he left the past in the past, and pressed. Like Paul, we must not focus on the failures of the past; nor can we afford to focus on the fears of the future. We must simply keep pressing forward for Christ.

Forward progress in this life requires two things of us: FOCUS and FAITH. Concerning the matter of focus, Paul said, "...this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before," (Phil.3: 13b). Paul’s focus was always forward.  It doesn’t matter how long you have been saved and how spiritual mature a person may be, there is always room for further growth and development. Spiritual growth is not for a time in your Christian life. It is for the total of your Christian life. It is not for a while, but for the whole.

Peter said, "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." It doesn’t matter how much you know about the Lord, there is always far more to learn. The truth is, there is more than you can learn in a lifetime. Spiritual growth means you are always learning and always growing.

Not only should we be a people of focus, but we must also be a people of faith. We should be touching lives everyday with the gospel. However, we can cannot make a difference unless we establish relationships with people.

To redeem the time that is divinely and daily given to us is to manage time so that it is personally and eternally profitable. Benjamin Franklin said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” Rather than squandering time, we are to use our time on things that matter most.

Men can mark time, waste time, and kill time. Only a Christian who walks in wisdom can redeem time. In order to redeem the time, let me suggest two steps to take. When the Bible calls for us to redeem the time, it is calling for us to get our priorities right. Believers are to take advantage of every spiritual opportunity because we know that the night is coming when no one can work. There is an open window in time for the gospel. We must seize the moment!

The word “redeem” that is used in our text is a word from the market place. You go down to your supermarket and look for bargains because you know they will not last long; they are passing away. Therefore, you make the most of them and buy them up. This is exactly the word he employs here. Buy up the opportunities which are created constantly by the evil days. Redeeming the time means that we buy up and seize the opportunities that are presented us.

If you are saved you should live for God and serve Him now. If you are too busy to serve God, then you are just too busy. An anonymous writer has said, “One thing you can’t recycle is wasted time.”     

Do It Now

If you have work to do—do it now.
If you have a witness to give—give it now.
If you have a soul to win—win him now.
If you have an obligation to discharge—discharge it now.
If you have a debt to pay—pay it noire.
If you have a wrong to right—right it now.
If you have a confession to make—make it now.
If you have a preparation to make--make it now.
If you have children to train—train them now.
Remember, time is passing and you are passing out of time.
We are a procrastinating lot. It is always what we are going to do tomorrow that entices us, but it is only what we do today that counts.—Gospel Herald.

Will You Set Your Face to Follow Jesus?

He Set His Face Towards Jerusalem

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. – Luke 9:51-54 NKJV

Have You Ever Set Your Face?

Have you ever set your face in determination to do something that must be done?

Jesus did.  And the Scriptures tell us he accomplished what He set our to do.

Luke’s record of Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem in Luke 9:51-54 is set in the context of Jesus’ personal journey to the cross. Earlier in the chapter Luke recorded Jesus’ prediction of His own crucifixion and suffering (Luke 9:22) along with a clear admonition for the disciples to embrace the same determination in their own lives if they want to follow Him (Luke 9:23-27). When we come to Luke 9:51-54 it is clear that Jesus is going to Jerusalem and no man can turn Him from that goal and that He is going to suffer and die in Jerusalem.

He Set His Face

…when the time had come…He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. – Luke 9:51 NKJV

Luke 9:51 must be understood in the context of Luke 9:21-27. Jesus had already embraced the suffering and rejection that would come when He entered Jerusalem. He knew what was going to happen when He entered Jerusalem and He was determined to enter the city.

The suffering and agony of the cross could not deter Him from His Father’s will. Doing His Father’s will was His primary consideration, not the shame and suffering of the cross. Nothing could deter Him. This is why He called His disciples to have this same sort of resolution in their hearts and follow His heart posture (Luke 9:23-27). He did not just follow the Father’s will fatalistically, but He approached Jerusalem with determination.

Jesus understood the shame of what He was about to do. In this context, He called the disciples to not be ashamed either of Him or His words. He knew His words about embracing the cross were offensive to men. He knew that what He was about to do in Jerusalem would be humiliating and that men would be forever ashamed of the idea of God hanging naked and humiliated on a cross as the means of cosmic redemption. In that context, Jesus spoke very direct and serious words – we are not to be ashamed either of Him or His words. Instead we are to set our face like Him (Luke 9:23).

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed…” – Luke 9:26 NKJV

Luke’s description of how Jesus set His face and His heart (Luke 9:22,51) reveals how fierce His dedication was to entering Jerusalem and securing mercy on the cross.

This gospel is all about commitment. Jesus was committed to his father’s will and he expected that same commitment from those who would work with him in proclaiming the kingdom of God. Commitment is not a popular word or concept these days. Keeping one’s word is more and more difficult. It’s easy come and easy go.

Will You Set Your Face to Follow Jesus?

I’ve heard it explained this way; we are a throw away society, nothing is meant to last, everything has its own built in obsolescence, there is always a new and improved product coming down the line. We trash things and then we end up trashing relationships. Things are disposable, people are disposable. A valid question is, can anybody say ‘forever.’

Jesus was committed to doing his father’s will and he demanded that same commitment from those who wanted to be his followers. He warned them it would not be easy, he told them it would mean taking up the cross every day, in some way or other.

May we set our own faces to the task of living for Jesus.  May we do the things He calls us to do in this time and place.

 

1 Peter 5:7 "Cast Your Cares upon the Lord, For He Cares For You!"

Psalm 55:22 Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Matthew 6:25-34 ⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.ut seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In Matthew 6th chapter, at the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us powerful keys to living the victorious Christian life. In verses 19-21, Jesus is telling us not to base our lives around the acquisition of earthly treasures. And then in verses 22-23, he explains why. He says that if you keep your eyes focused on the things of God, your body will be full of light. But if your eyes are always focused on the things of this world, then your body and soul will be full of darkness.

“Therefore, since we are not supposed to base our lives around the things of this world, there’s no need to worry about them! Jesus says in verse 25 “Do not worry about your life.”

 Notice that Jesus isn’t giving us a suggestion. He isn’t saying, “Well, in my humble opinion, it might be a good idea not to worry!” No! In the original Greek, this is a strong command! Do not worry!  The Greek New Testament word for worry means to be divided and distracted.

Jesus is teaching us in Matthew chapter 6. The first thing that He says is that worry is UNREASONABLE. Verse 25 says “Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes?” In other words, God has already given you the two earthly treasures that are more valuable than anything else! He’s given you life! And He’s given you a body! Since God has already given you the most important stuff, how reasonable is it to worry about the lesser stuff like food and clothing?

Since God loves you enough to give you life, then I’m thinking that He loves you enough to give you the other things that you need. You might not have the exact job that you want, or the car that you want, or the fine huge television that you want. But God will always make sure that you have what you need.

How many of you have ever been worried about your finances? How many of you have ever been worried about your health? How many of you have been worried about school or work?

The next time that happens, I want you to say, “Lord, I’m not being reasonable. You’ve been taking care of your people for thousands of years. I think I can trust you to take care of me. Help me to trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

And then beginning with verse 26, Jesus gives us two illustrations of why worrying is unreasonable. He says “look at the birds. They don’t sow or reap or store away in barns. They don’t worry about where the next meal is going to come from. All they do is fly around and look for the food, and God makes sure they can find it!”

Then in verse 28, Jesus says “Look at the lilies of the field! Look at how colorful they are! Look at how pretty they are! Those flowers are indisputable evidence that God knows how to take care of His creation!”

The fact of the matter is, animals don't worry, trees don’t worry, and plants don't worry.There's only one thing in all of God's creation that worries – that’s us. Human beings.

And God did not design us to be able to take the stress of worrying. That's why when we worry, we get back aches, stomach aches, headaches. I read that this year there will be 7.5 billion headaches in America.  Every day Americans consume fifteen tons of aspirin.You know why?We’re worried.We're up tight.

The Bible says in Proverbs 12:25, "An anxious heart weighs a man down." Worry will weigh you down even more than work. If you worry about something, you're much more fatigued than if you just went out and did some work. Worrying is simply unreasonable.

The second thing Jesus says is that worrying is UNPRODUCTIVE. It doesn't work.It's useless. It’s is like rocking in a rocking chair.You've got a lot of activity, but you don't go anywhere. You don’t make any progress. That's what worry is.It doesn’t change yesterday. It doesn’t affect tomorrow. All it can do is make you miserable today.

Jesus says in verse 27, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Not only will worrying not add anything to your life, it might end up SHORTENING your life! If you have a heart condition or a digestive condition, worrying can make your symptoms worse!

Worrying is stewing without doing. It is unreasonable, and it is unproductive.

The third thing Jesus says is that worry is UNNECESSARY. Verse 30 says that since God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" In other words, “Since God knows how to take care of the birds of the air and the grass of the field, then what makes you think He can’t take care of you?”

New Testament scholar Leon Morris puts it like this: “since God takes such good care of the lower orders of creation, God will certainly take care of the crown of His creation.” Psalm 145:15 says “The eyes of all creation look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.”

Not only is worry unreasonable, unproductive, and unnecessary. It is UNCHRISTIAN.Verse 31 says “31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the PAGANS run after all these things!

In other words, “Worrying about what we’re going to eat and what we’re going to wear is something that NON-Christians do! THEY’RE the ones who are always worried about money and food and social status! THEY’RE the ones who panic every time the price of gas goes up! THEY’RE the ones who are trying to make it through this life without the one true God!”

Worry is atheism in action.It's acting as if there's no God.It's saying, "I don’t believe that there’s anyone out there who can take care of me. I don’t believe that God can help me with my two sick toddlers at home! I don’t believe that God cares about the fact that I barely have enough to make my monthly mortgage payment! I’ve got to take matters into my own hands!”

Now, to be sure, work and planning for the future are NOT bad things. Even birds don’t sit around waiting for God to drop the food into their beaks. But I am saying that when we worry about the things of this life, we’re acting like atheists. We’re forgetting that God is actively involved in our lives. We’re forgetting to trust and obey.

Here is what Jesus says for us to do in verse 33, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.” If you put your relationship with God ahead of everything else, He’ll make sure that you have everything you need.

Trusting God to provide eliminates the need for worrying.  And over in Philippians 4:6, Paul says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In other words, “if you hand everything over to God in prayer, He will provide you with peace of heart and peace of mind. And He’ll take care of all the other worries in your life, because verse 19 goes on to say that “my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”There can be no doubt that Trusting God to provide eliminates the need for worrying.

Jesus Christ has made it possible for you to live without worry. There's absolutely no reason for you to live with worry in your life.It is simply a matter of coming to Christ, putting your life in His hands and trusting Him on a day by day, moment by moment basis.   Don't worry! Trust Jesus and Be Happy in God!

Gospel Singer Andrae Crouch with His anthem *My Tribute* (To God Be The Glory) "Live"

To God be the Glory -- Let the Earth Hear His Voice!

John 14:15: "If You Love Me, You Will Obey What I Command"

As Christians, We Must Strive to Give Honor to God in Our Daily Life

May our Holy God be  honored in all parts of our daily lives. . Certainly, the evil one and the ways of the world cry out for us to be selfish and not to honor God, but to honor ourselves first.

 One of the most obvious ways we can fail to honor God is to be disobedient. There are many possible reasons or excuses why people disobey God. They may seem like good ideas for doing something against God's revcealed will in the Bible, bu they all come down to obedience or disobedience no matter what the reason. In short, the truth is this, if we understand and truly know who God is and understand our relationship with Him and how much He loves us there is no good reason to disobey Him. We should do, without hesitation, whatever God tells us to do but that is hard sometimes since our flesh doesn't like some of what God wants. Jesus said it like this: "If you love me, you will obey what I command" (John 14:15). We fail to honor God when we disobey Him.

It is such a great privilege to go to God in prayer and to spend time reading in His word. God wants to rejoice with us; He wants to comfort us in our sorrow. He wants to help and encourage us in our difficult times and see and hear our joy and excitement in the good times. Another way that we fail to honor God when we don't invite Him into our everyday life. 

During the remaining days of Lent, let us press in and see that God is good.  Let us honor God in our homes and in our work, in our families and in every part of our lives.  To God be the glory, great things He has done!

Praise God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth

God the Father at the Creation of Man from the Sistine Chapel by Micheangelo

We live in a broken world.  We are a broken people.  If we had the time, most of us could name many times where we have failed, where we have missed the mark. After all, we are imperfect and fallen creatures. We make mistakes as humans and we don’t measure up to each other’s standards.

Ah, but the One we serve IS perfect!  There is only One who is able to meet that need. There is only one perfect Being that is more than we can ask for or imagine. He is perfect in every way and is the model for how all our relationships should be. That person is God our Father in heaven.

God has become our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of Ephesians we discover three deep truths about our relationship with our heavenly Father.
First: Our Father in heaven has adopted us as his very own children.
Second: Our Father in heaven is a trustworthy Father.
Third: Our Father in Heaven deserves our praise.
Our first point: Our Father in heaven has adopted us as his very own children.

 In Ephesians 1:5 “we read that he predestined us to be adopted as his sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.”

We have a spiritual Father. God in heaven is our spiritual Father who has adopted us as his children.
This is good news. God through the grace of his son Jesus Christ has adopted us as his children. This means that before Christ came into the world we were all illegitimate children in a spiritual sense. We belonged to the powers of darkness.

In fact we could say that the Devil was our spiritual father. We belonged to the kingdom of darkness. We were all deserving of death because of the fall of humankind when Adam and Eve sinned. Christ changed all that when he died on the cross. He died so that we could be reconciled to God. He did what Adam was not able to do. He was obedient to God’s will for his life. Christ fulfilled all righteousness so that we would not have to. Now when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God adopts us as his children. We no longer belong to the devil. We are baptized into Christ and share in all his blessings.

That is a pretty amazing thought if you really think about it.  The God who made the universe out of nothing and who continues to rule that universe has time in his busy schedule to be our God and Father. There is a personal element to our relationship with God. God does not just create the universe and then simply watch from a distance to see what is going to happen. He does not just wind it up like a clock and then let it run on its own and have nothing to do with it. God is intimately involved with his creation and he is intimately involved with his children here on earth as well. 

You see, the God who created the universe is my God and Father because of Christ his Son. I tis all because of Jesus!

In the Apostle's Creed we confess “I believe in God the Father almighty creator of heaven and earth,” and behind that line is the underlying meaning that this powerful and mighty God has adopted us as his very own children.

Like Jesus we too can call God our "Abba" Father which is a personal term of endearment in Hebrew that children use to call their fathers. It is the equivalent to a child calling their father daddy. God is our daddy in heaven. When we confess that together as brothers and sisters we join together as the family of God declaring that we belong to our Father in heaven. We are his children and we can take great comfort from that.

Our second point: Our Father in heaven is a trustworthy Father.

We must nurture a strong trust in God, and we must believe that God is sovereign over all things in our lives, which includes whatever adversity that comes across our path. It was this kind of unwavering faith that convicted people like Martin Luther and John Calvin to stand up for the truth that we are saved by grace alone. They trusted their heavenly Father enough to die for what they believed in. They had the assurance that, no matter what happened, their lives were in God’s hands.
When reciting the Apostles’ Creed the early reformers associated an element of trust when they expressed their belief in God the Father. In their confession they were suggesting that our Father in heaven is a trustworthy Father.

We are God’s children, through Christ, and we do not have to fear. The opposite of trust is fear. In Paul’s letters to the Romans, he writes in chapter 8:15, “for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the spirit of sonship. And by him we cry “abba” father.” Fear can restrict us as God’s children from truly becoming what God has intended us to be. God does not want his child to become a slave to fear. Fear restricts. It inhibits. It does not enable us to experience the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus. God desires that his children are confident and sure of our faith and trust in him.

The third point: Our Father in heaven deserves our Praise. The mission for us as God’s adopted children is to praise him. In verse 11 of our passage we read, “In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will….” Then in the following verses we discover the purpose: “In order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory.”

Our purpose is to praise and glorify God. We see that word praise four times in this passage from Ephesians. In verses three, six, twelve and fourteen. Our Father in heaven has adopted us as his children and our initial response is one of praise. We are put on this earth to glorify God. God deserves our praise. After all, not one of us deserves the kindness that God has given to us. No one deserves to be adopted by God as his children. It is not a right or privilege. It is only God’s power and grace that is the reason we have become his children. It is because God has shown us his incredible kindness towards us by sending his own Son Jesus Christ to die in our place for the sins of the whole world. 

God is a Father who is faithful to his children. In fact his desire is that we flourish as his children. He is the kind of Father that turns to good whatever adversity comes our way in this world. God is a Father who is faithful to his word and promises. If he says it, he will do it.

God is faithful even when his children are unfaithful. That is the assurance of salvation. God’s grace is unconditional. We cannot earn it. It is freely given even though we do not deserve it. Our Father in heaven will continue to be faithful to his covenant promises even when his children break theirs. Our Father in heaven deserves our praise.

We have a perfect Father in heaven. God loves each and every one of his children unconditionally. He has adopted us into his family because of his son Jesus Christ. God desires that we come to him for all of our needs. Our Father in heaven is trustworthy. As His children we can have confidence that God desires for us to flourish. He longs to live in relationship with us through His Word and Spirit. He has given us the ability to know Him better through his Word. Our Father in heaven has revealed a way to know him. We can discover the deep truths about God from Scripture. We can trust Him to supply all of our needs according to his riches in glory.

As you spend time in God’s Word, take time to praise him for the spiritual insight that he gives to you.  We have many reasons to praise him because God has become our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ.  May God help us to become the children he intended us to be. Amen. Amen.

Jesus Suffered and Died for Our Sins --Praise Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 53-- The Suffering Servant

¹ Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
² He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³ He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
⁴ Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
⁶ We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
for the transgression of my people he was punished.^[b]
9 He was each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
⁷ He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸ By oppression^[a] and judgment he was taken away.
Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.
¹⁰ Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes^[c] his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.
¹¹ After he has suffered,
he will see the light of life^[d] and be satisfied^[e];
by his knowledge^[f] my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.
¹² Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,^[g]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,^[h]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.


 Is it not remarkable how much the descriptions of the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53 match up with what Christ suffered in His execution?  Written about seven hundred years before the crucifixion of Jesus, it is prophetic and powerful, and divinely predestined and appointed by God.


As we lead up to Easter, let us consider the walk of Jesus to Jeruselem, and what He went through for us there. Let us focus on our Christian faith in this holy season of Lent.  Let us lean upon God in the midst of our own issues and crises, pressures and problems. May we all draw nearer to God. and commit ourselves anew to His Suffering Servant, the Crucified Christ.

Jesus is Lord! Let All the World Hear that Jesus Christ is Our Lord!

The saying "Jesus is Lord" serves as a statement of faith for millions of Christians who regard Jesus as both fully man and fully God. It is also the motto adopted by the World Council of Churches.

Romans 10:9-13 of the New Testament Christian Bible says, "...if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

From Matthew Henry's commentary on Romans Chapter 10: "The self-condemned sinner need not perplex himself how this righteousness may be found. When we speak of looking upon Christ, and receiving, and feeding upon him, it is not Christ in heaven, nor Christ in the deep, that we mean; but Christ in the promise, Christ offered in the word. Justification by faith in Christ is a plain doctrine. It is brought before the mind and heart of every one, thus leaving him without excuse for unbelief. If a man confessed faith in Jesus, as the Lord and Saviour of lost sinners, and really believed in his heart that God had raised him from the dead, thus showing that he had accepted the atonement, he should be saved by the righteousness of Christ, imputed to him through faith. But no faith is justifying which is not powerful in sanctifying the heart, and regulating all its affections by the love of Christ. We must devote and give up to God our souls and our bodies: our souls in believing with the heart, and our bodies in confessing with the mouth. The believer shall never have cause to repent his confident trust in the Lord Jesus. Of such faith no sinner shall be ashamed before God; and he ought to glorify in it before men."\

As the apostle Paul wrote, "We do not preach about ourselves, but we preach that Jesus Christ is Lord and that we are your servants for Jesus."^{[2 Cor. 4:5]} It is a mindset imperative not only in understanding Christianity, but the very nature of truth itself. Jesus is Lord goes beyond a mantra or political statement and represents a worldview. Christians believe that Jesus Christ represents ultimate truth, meaning and reality whether people choose to accept it or not. It embodies an anchor in a world that sets its mind on a postmodernist worldview.

This statement also represents a strong relevance to the present as indicated by the present tense. It also equates Jesus with eternal sovereignty.

As humans cannot exist in the realm of eternity, Christians must deal and act in the present. The grear author C.S. Lewis stated, "Where, except in the present, can the eternal be met?" Christians believe the eternal can be met in the person of Jesus and it is here that the need for truth and coherence is met. JESUS IS LORD!

 

LENT -- Turn Toward God -- Turn Away from Sin

Remember the Classic Poem "Footprints" -- The Lord Promises to Be With Us Always

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and hequestioned the LORD about it: "LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The LORD replied: "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you." written by Carolyn Joyce Carty

The Great Promise of the New Testament -- Jesus Offers Us Salvation from Our Sins

The Parable of the Rain

One rainy afternoon I was driving along one of the main streets of town, taking those extra precautions necessary when the roads are wet and slick. ! Suddenly, my daughter, Aspen , spoke up from her relaxed position in her seat. "Dad, I'm thinking of something." This announcement usually meant she had been pondering some fact for a while, and was now ready to expound all that her six-year-old mind had discovered. I was eager to hear. "What are you thinking?" I asked. "The rain! ;" she began, "is like sin, and the windshield wipers are like God wiping our sins away." After the chill bumps raced up my arms I was able to respond. "That's really good, Aspen." Then my curiosity broke in. How far would this little girl take this revelation? So I asked... "Do you notice how the rain keeps on coming? What does that tell you?" Aspen didn't hesitate one moment with her answer: "We keep on sinning, and God just keeps on forgiving us." I will always remember this whenever I turn my wipers on. Isn't it distressing to know that when you forward this message you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them. Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me. In order to see the rainbow, you must first endure some rain. When there is nothing left but God, that is when you find out that God is all you need Contributed by a Friend

Make Me A Servant -- Answering the Call of Christ to Be a Christian

Jesus Calls Us -- There is a Call of God Upon Your Life, O Christian! Answer His Call!

A man asked his pastor, "If Jesus knew Judas was going to betray Him, why did He call him in the first place?" The pastor answered, "I don't know, but here's a harder question: Why did He call me?"

Tom Moffatt put it well: "My call is stronger than any of my faults, and my call is greater than any of my faults. "
 

The great blessing of the calling is God’s power and anointing on your life through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Reinhard Bonnke said, "David the anointed non-professional looked at Goliath and saw the God of Israel as a giant and Goliath as a dwarf. He said, 'Thank God he's so big. My stones can't miss him.' Whereas David’s big brother Eliab, the unanointed professional saw Goliath as a giant and himself as a dwarf. God made all the difference for David and He will do the same for you!"

In the eleventh century, King Henry III of Bavaria grew tired of court life and the pressures of being a monarch. He made application to Prior Richard at a local monastery, asking to be accepted as a contemplative and spend the rest of his life in the monastery. "Your Majesty," said Prior Richard, "do you understand that the pledge here is one of obedience? That will be hard because you have been a king."

"I understand," said Henry. "The rest of my life I will be obedient to you, as Christ leads you."

"Then I will tell you what to do," said Prior Richard. "Go back to your throne and serve faithfully in the place where God has put you." When King Henry died, a statement was written: "The King learned to rule by being obedient."


When we tire of our roles and responsibilities, it helps to remember God has planted us in a certain place and told us to be a good accountant or teacher or mother or father. Christ expects us to be faithful where he puts us, and when he returns, we'll rule together with him.

What we are called from and called to:

I. Called from labor to rest (Matt. 11:28)
II. Called from death to life (1 John 3:14)
III. Called from bondage to liberty (Gal 5:13)
IV. Called out of darkness into light (1 Pet. 2:9)
V. Called from bondage to peace (1 Cor. 7:15)
VI. Called to the fellowship of His Son (1 Cor. 1:9)

What we are made by obeying the call:

I. We are made sons of God (John 1:12)
II. We are made the children of God (Gal. 3:26)
III. We are made the servants of God (Matt. 25:21)
IV. We are made God's saints (Col. 1:1)
V. We are made God's witnesses (I Thess. 2:10)
VI. We are made workers together with God (2 Cor. 6:1)
VII. We are called to a high calling (Phil. 3:14)
VIII. We are called to a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9)
IX. We are called to a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1)    
                                                         

In Hebrews Chapter 11 is one of the great chapters in the Bible. We read about Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David, Samuel, the prophets…they all had one thing in common…THEY ANSWERED THE CALL!! Common sense tells me that God had probably called others, but they refused to answer His call.

The Bible tells us that “many are called, few are chosen”. We must be willing to answer God’s call when it comes. Noah answered God’s call to build the ark. Abraham answered God’s call to leave Ur. Moses answered God’s call to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. There are three basic elements in answering the call of God. First, you must know God. Second, you must respond by faith. Lastly, you can’t turn back.

You must first know God in an intimate way. If you have a special job to be done, do you ask a stranger to do it, or call a friend? When God has a special job to do, He calls someone that he has a relationship with. He knows each one of His children intimately. He knows our strong points, our weak points, what we are capable of. God knows better than you do what you can accomplish. Never forget, God calls us for a specific purpose at different times in our lives based on His plan.

Our scriptures today reveal that All Christians have a call of God on their lives.
                                                                                                                                                       
You have a call of God on your life. According to 1 Peter 2:9, we have become part of a body, we are already citizens of heaven,we are the body of Christ, a royal priesthood. God looks at us both as individuals and as a body, and He leads and guides us.. He expects those who are now part of the body through baptism and the receipt of His Holy Spirit to be willing to follow him, to be a people set aside for His purpose.

We have been reserved for this special period in history. The Apostle Peter described us in the second chapter of 1 Peter, the ninth verse: “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

 
You see, we can pray directly to God as His priests in this time – all of us, separately and together. That is how we are a royal priesthood – we are royal because we are part of the present earthly body of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
 
What an honor and what an opportunity of service to God is ours because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us a royal priesthood. The spiritual priesthood is more honorable than the Aaronic priesthood. Even the old high priest did not have the blessed privilege we have as born again believers. Our access to God is greater and nearer than was theirs. Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Ephesians 3:12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

The call of God should not be restricted to missionaries, pastors, the call of God is all embracing of all Christians, I believe that I have a calling on my life to pastor and to preach, but I also call on my life to be a husband, and a call on my life to be a father, you have calls on your life, too. All these are valid callings, we must not make little of any of them, all of life is sacred, as Christians we must recognize, the call of God on all our lives, in whatever role He has placed us. We are all called to serve God, it may be as a farmer, a doctor, a businessman, a teacher, a nurse, a Sunday school teacher, or a missionary, We must not undervalue any of these calls. Whatever our calling is ,it is important that we glorify our Saviour, by our lives and words .Let us all pray that God grant us the grace to gloriffy God in our lives.

So, in conclusion, I encourage you to answer the call on your life. Serve God through your work, your family, your church, and your community involvement. n God's economy there are no prestigious vocations. The sanitation worker is as valuable as the doctor. The janitor can live out the call of God just as surely as the pastor. Worldly status is irrelevant to God. What is relevant is that God wants to use you where you are. You do not need to wait to serve him. He has gifted you with your unique talents and abilities, use them for his glory. Use them now.  In Jesus Name, Amen!