RSS

Tag Archives: Christ

Climb that Hill

02 Apr

Psalm 24:3-6
Who may ascend the hill of the LORD?  Who may stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.  He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.  Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.

These are the real mountain-climbers.  Those who desire to ascend to the hill of the Lord and to stand in His holy place.  Are you one of those who want to stand in this place of power where few have ever been?

To climb a daunting hill requires persistence.  Step by step, sometimes just plodding along, you get to the top.  This “hill” of the Lord’s presence requires the same kind of consistency.

It is good to know that the access we need has already been granted through the blood of Jesus Christ.  That is all the permission we need to enter His holy presence.  The daily walk, however, is up to us.  We can choose to spend time in His presence – a choice that will reap eternal benefits – or we can ignore it and live for ourselves.

Make that choice today.  Spend the extra time that is necessary in the presence of the Lord.  Ascend His holy hill in the power of His Spirit.  Allow His holiness to draw you further upward than you have ever gone before.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 2, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My Testimony – A Godly Heritage

24 Mar

2 Timothy 1:5
I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

Sometimes it’s good to look back over your life to see where God has brought you from.  I love to hear a testimony of a changed life.  I have known drug addicts, gang members and people from the “underworld” who have given their lives to Christ and were changed by His power.  I have met people who have been bound by addictions, hurt by abuse and oppressed under the weight of depression all set free by the blood of Jesus.

It is an encouragement to see the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit at work in the world.  I, for one was insulated from most of these issues.  I tend to relate more with Timothy.  My grandparents were saved soon after they came over to America from Italy.  My parents were raised in church, and followed Christ throughout their lives.  When I came along, I had no choice – church was where our family went, whenever the doors were open.

Then, one day, at a children’s camp (Camp Woodhaven in West Boylston, MA) I personally received the salvation offered by Jesus Christ.  I have tried to follow His leading ever since.

Sometimes I used to feel that I missed out on something, when I would hear the testimonies of how God saved people from an evil life.  But when I grew older I realized the blessing of being born into a Christian home.  God kept me from some of the things that could have destroyed me.  I have a testimony of the Lord’s power to keep and protect a life from the darkness of the world.

So, whether you came to Christ from a life of great sin, or you were raised in church, be grateful to the Lord for His presence in your life.  The fact is, we all need a Savior.  No one is too far away from His love.  Equally, no one is good enough to deserve His love.  We all need the power of the cross to set us free.  Praise God for His grace that He freely gives to all who seek Him.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 24, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Waiting for Christ’s Return

07 Mar

Acts 1:9-11
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
(NIV)

Yesterday I shared about the reason we need to know about the return of the Lord.  We saw that Jesus taught His disciples that the important thing was being a witness.  After explaining all this to the disciples, He rose from the earth and was taken out of their sight.  The tragedy is that there are too many Christians around who are just like those disciples.  You know them.  It’s almost as if their life can be summed up with those words, “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING UP INTO HEAVEN?”

That seems to be their whole outlook on life.  Their only goal is to find out when Jesus is coming back.  “Lord, is it today?  Can somebody tell me?  Is it going to be this week?”  Their whole Christian life is looking to see when Jesus is coming back.  In doing that they miss the main emphasis given to us by Christ, which is “BE A WITNESS.”

What we usually find when we read through the Scripture is that when Jesus or the Apostles talk about the Second Coming of the Lord, the main theme of the teaching is usually about something else.  The Return of Christ itself is not their main focus.  When we think about it, the main emphasis should be the change that is needed in our lives to prepare us for the return of the Lord.  The apostles only seem to use the return of Christ as a side illustration to emphasize the urgency that is needed to spur us on to change our ways.

There are so many people worried about what’s going to happen next.  They are always asking, “Am I going to make it?”  If that’s you – SNAP OUT OF IT!  God is going to see us through.  I’ll tell you now how it all ends – we win.  All the rest is about how we get there.  The end has already been written even though we haven’t reached it yet.

Christ is returning.  That is a Scriptural fact.  The real issue is what I am doing with this knowledge.  Am I sitting back, doing nothing until He comes to get me?  Or is it propelling me forward to share God’s love with others?  The choice is yours.

 
1 Comment

Posted by on March 7, 2012 in Return of Christ

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why We Know About the Return of Christ

06 Mar

The Bible talks a lot about the return of Christ.  Why is that so important to us?

Acts 1:6-8
So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NIV)

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is probably the most talked about subject in all of Christianity.  Unfortunately, many believers miss the point of why God put this teaching in the Scripture.  Too many people want to know about Christ’s return for the wrong reasons.  Some want to know simply to satisfy their curiosity.  Others like sensationalism.  These are not good reasons to study the Word of God.

As Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure into Heaven, He tells the them to go to Jerusalem and wait there for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  When that happens, they will be given all the power that they need to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

As they share this time with the Lord, they ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  This was a burning question that they had on their minds.  Think of it.  Jesus rose from the dead!  When Jesus was ministering on earth He was able to feed 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes.  Just imagine Him leading the army of Israel.  The Romans can’t kill him.  He can supply all the food they need.  He can get money out of a fish’s mouth.  How could they lose with a commander like that?  The disciples must have decided that now is the time to restore the Kingdom of Israel.

Surprisingly, Jesus tells them that they don’t need to know the Father’s timetable.  The most important thing to know is how to be a witness.  We know about the Return of Christ in order to be a WITNESS.  Why?  By knowing the times and seasons, we can better understand the hour in which we are living.  We can better understand the closeness of Christ’s return.  It is this information that will give us the incentive we need to bring others into the kingdom before it’s too late.  That’s why Jesus shares with them the exhortation that they don’t have to worry about the “when”.

You don’t have to be anxious about the day or the hour of His return either.  These things are all in the Father’s hands.  That’s His job.  What you and I need to know is how to be the best witness we can be.  We must major on how to bring God’s glory to the earth while we still have that chance.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 6, 2012 in Return of Christ

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Light – Part 3

29 Feb

Proverbs 31:18
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.
(NIV)

This verse really emphasizes the true purpose of a lamp.  If the sun is shining brightly, and your house has a lot of windows, there is no need for a lamp.  Turning a lamp on at that point is a waste of energy, and you probably wouldn’t even notice that it was on.

The time that a lamp is needed is after the sun goes down.  When you light a lamp in a dark room, there is no hiding it.  As a matter of fact, even a small light can have that effect.  I have been in a hotel room where the tiny red light on the smoke detector has kept me awake for hours!

The darker it gets, the more the light is needed.  That is true in the spirit as well.  We live in a dark society – spiritually speaking.  And it seems to be getting darker and darker with each passing day.  That tells me that there is a reason God has us here in this place, at this time in history.

So many people spend their lifetimes trying to find purpose.  That should be no problem at all for the Christian.  We are to shine the light of Christ wherever we are.  That is our destiny.  To light up the darkness of this world.

Therefore, I need to spend quality time in the presence of the Source of that light.  If I am to adequately reflect Christ, then I need to abide in Him.  Spend time with the Lord today.  Let His joy, strength, and purpose flood your soul.  Then allow His light to spill out to all those around you who need to come into His light.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 29, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jesus the Traveler

25 Feb

Luke 9:57-58
As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

He had no corporate office.  He had no house in the big city.  He traveled almost the whole time during His ministry.

In some ways it is very difficult to live your life “on the road.”  Jesus did it for three years.  He understood the stress of always having to be on the move.

Spiritually speaking, if we serve the Lord, we can expect to be just like Him – to be constantly on the go.  He does not want us to stagnate, but to press on toward the prize.  To do that we must be always willing to change and to try new things as the Lord continues to call us forward.

This kind of life is forever bringing new challenges across our path.  Each step of the way we are being drawn to deeper commitment, greater devotion, and higher callings.  With each new opportunity for obedience comes a choice – to be satisfied with the old or to move on in Christ to the new.  It is exciting following Jesus – but you have to keep moving.

Take the time today in your prayers to let the Lord know your willingness to move on with Him.  If there is an area of your life where you have been resisting His change, then repent and commit to move on in obedience.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on February 25, 2012 in Daily Thoughts

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Newer posts →