My strength and my peace

~The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

This world is not our home! Lost people of this world are constantly seeking peace and looking for it in all the wrong places. Our God of Heaven provides for us all our need. Truly, all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).

And if we truly love God, then it should be easy for us to keep our eyes on Him. There is a promise that He will keep us in perfect peace if our mind is stayed on Him (Is 26:3). It should also be easy for us to keep Him informed of everything that goes on in our life; that is to talk to Him as our Father.

I don’t understand why it’s so much easier for me to focus on the problems and trials of life. I am thankful for God’s Word because His Word reminds me that if I want strength and peace, then I need to seek His face and put my “issues” in His hands. I need to leave everything at the foot of the cross and trust that He will carry the burden.

Peace is worth a great price, and our God gives it to us freely. He promises a blessed peace to His people. He is our strength (Ps. 81:1). He is our peace (Eph. 2:14).

I have to rejoice that I have an Almighty, all powerful and an ever present God seeing to my every need. I will praise the Lord. Amen!

The hidden Man of the heart

A simple morning meditation God placed upon my heart.

Far above rubies

A time to rest

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. Ecc 3:1

Everybody calls this time of the year “holiday season”, but those who know me well know that I’m not big on christmas, neither is my family nor my church. To me, this is more like “resting season”.

I am off on Monday and Tuesday. I then work on Wednesday and Thursday, which will be very quiet days at the office, and get to have time off on the Friday, Monday and Tuesday after that! That’s some excellent resting time for me for which I am very grateful to the Lord. My plans consist mainly of reading my Bible and spending quality time with my brother and mother. I will also hang out as much as possible with good friends from the church.

I do pray and trust that the Lord will give all my readers and friends a good resting season as well!

I can do all things…through Christ!

~I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Philippians 4:13

If you just read the first part of this verse, it may sound an alarm indicating arrogance: "I can do all things." Yes, this was the spirit that attempted to build the tower of Babel. This was the downfall of mighty men like Saul and the Egyptian Pharaoh. Unfortunately, that same spirit still lingers as many today are consumed by a false belief that they do not need God. They make the same claim: "I can do all things.

But the next two words in the verse take this out of the context of arrogance altogether. It is not a boast of self: "I can do all things"; but rather, I can do all things through Christ! There is a huge difference there. Arrogance is declaring "I can do all things”, but confession is "I can do all things through Christ."

To fully grasp this verse, one must stop and think about what he/she couldn't do without Christ. We could not effectively and thoroughly know our lost condition. Without Him, we could not have an adequate concept of God. Without Him, we could not overcome sin. Without Him, we would all be victims of the wrath to come. And without Him, we could not obtain eternal life. Jesus said to His disciples "without me ye can do nothing" (John. 15:5). Ephesians 2:12 teaches that outside Jesus Christ we have "no hope".

But through Christ and through our relationship of active faith in Him we find true inner strength! Strength to adequately evaluate ourselves. Strength to know the difference between right and wrong, that is, by faithfully applying His Word. Strength that comes through the remission of our sins.

And something that I have been beautifully experiencing all year, I have found inner strength in response to prayer I offer to God through Him. Truly, without Christ, I can do nothing.

A tract in the mail

One of my co-workers is on maternity leave. Her husband and her had waited four years before finally having this first child of theirs. Incidentally, they named their son Benjamin…

I received in the mail a Christmas card from her, and I was very touched, since I found out that I’m the only one from work to whom she sent a card. Tonight, I also mailed her a Christmas card. I quoted Psalm 127:3 “Lo, children are a heritage of the LORD” and worked up courage to also include a gospel tract.

I’m very anxious in knowing what her reaction will be when she reads the tract, and even more so, her husband’s reaction. With a name such as Benjamin, it would be a shame not to train up their child in Godly fear.

Please pray for my friend Jenn!!

One of my many favorite Hymns!

Tell me the Story of Jesus

Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.
Tell how the angels in chorus,
Sang as they welcomed His birth.
“Glory to God in the highest!
Peace and good tidings to earth.”

Refrain
Tell me the story of Jesus,
Write on my heart every word.
Tell me the story most precious,
Sweetest that ever was heard.

Fasting alone in the desert,
Tell of the days that are past.
How for our sins He was tempted,
Yet was triumphant at last.
Tell of the years of His labor,
Tell of the sorrow He bore.
He was despised and afflicted,
Homeless, rejected and poor.

Refrain

Tell of the cross where they nailed Him,
Writhing in anguish and pain.
Tell of the grave where they laid Him,
Tell how He liveth again.
Love in that story so tender,
Clearer than ever I see.
Stay, let me weep while you whisper,
Love paid the ransom for me.

Refrain

Click here for the music

Christ is Jehovah-Jireh

The LORD commanded Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, as we read from Genesis 22. As they approached the place of sacrifice, Isaac was unaware that he himself was the intended sacrifice. He asked his father “where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” Then, as Abraham prepared Isaac to be sacrificed, God interrupted him just at the very minute he was about to slay his son with the sacrificial knife. Abraham was instructed to release Isaac.

It is at that moment that Abraham lifted up his eyes and understood that the LORD had provided a ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead. Therefore, Abraham honored the sacrificial place by naming it Jehovah-Jireh, “The LORD will provide”.

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. Genesis 22:13-14

Jesus Christ is Jehovah. He is co-equal and co-eternal with His Father. Jesus Christ is, therefore, Jehovah-Jireh, “The LORD will provide.” Like His Father, Christ is Jehovah who provides for all the needs of His people. The greatest need for humanity is the salvation of the soul, which can only be found through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

What is astounding is that Christ provided Himself as the offering and sacrifice for God’s people (Ephesians 5:2). Just as God provided the ram to be sacrificed in Isaac’s stead, Christ provided Himself to be sacrificed in the sinner’s stead (read Isaiah 53). God has provided for our salvation.

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

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Romans 5:8-9

Have you, by faith in Jesus Christ, embraced Him as Jehovah-Jireh? If not, you have refused the only divinely ordained sacrifice for your sins to the eternal damnation of your soul.

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

A verse to always keep in mind

Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33

A Reasonable Service

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

The believer is to present his body to God which is his reasonable service. But unless we distinguish between salvation by Grace and salvation by service (works), or discipleship, we are like to become confused when we read certain portions of the Holy Scripture.

We are not called to earn our way to Heaven, but rather, because we are already citizens of Heaven, we are called to present our bodies to God which is our only reasonable service. Because we are already saved by the shed blood of Jesus Christ we are to abstain from every unholy thing that would hinder our progress and bring dishonor to Christ our Redeemer.

Notice, we are to present our body a LIVING SACRIFICE. . We know our body is the temple of God. The temple is the building in which God dwells. “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” 1 Cor. 3:16. In a nutshell, we must die to our prior selves, that is to let go of all our prior wicked deeds. See Colossians 3:5-14

All such service will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. If it was a reasonable service for Jesus to leave His Heavenly glory, become a man, and as a man to sacrifice Himself unto death, then surely our little sacrifice is indeed most reasonable. We have very little to give, and when there is an opportunity for showing our appreciation to our great God and Saviour for His love toward us, we should make haste to use it.

The Heavenly Father set before His Son a great joy as a recompense for His obedience. The LORD does not invite us to sacrifice ourselves without any reward from Him. He has promised that if we do this He will make us joint-heirs with his beloved Son and partakers of the Divine nature.

I would say, not only is it a reasonable service for us to mortify the deeds of the body (Rom. 12:8) but thanks to our just God, it is also a most rewarding service.

Tract!

It is rare for young people to be religious; however, Melissa is a 25 year-old Roman Catholic girl and very deep in her “faith”. She sings in the choir and has even appeared on television. She too, likewise, spends most of her free time in church.

Even though I see Melissa on a daily basis, she works with a notary who is not affiliated with our law firm but just happens to use our premises. It’s good for lawyers to know good notaries because legal documents often need to be notarized.

Going back to Melissa, I have always wanted to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with her, but never had the chance since I don’t work with her. But this week, Melissa has not been feeling very well; probably due to stress. She came in to work today but was feeling even sicker, so she quickly opted to go back home. I told her that she would be in my thoughts and prayers. I know Melissa is an avid reader, which is why I also gave her the French tract “Eternal life is a free gift.”

Please keep this young lady in prayer. May she come to know that is not by works, but by God’s GRACE!

~For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9