Tag Archive | Bible

No Fear, Only Hope

Nov9

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.             John 14:27 NASB

Truly, truly, I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will be turned into joy.  Therefore you too have grief now; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.      John 16:20‭, ‬22 NASB

Even though this word was written at a time when Jesus was talking to His disciples about His leaving to return to the Father, it is still pertinent today. God’s word transcends time to speak to all generations.

We may be facing a time in our lives of personal weeping and lamenting. We also may  be facing a time in history when we will be weeping and lamenting the times we have had freedom from ridicule and persecution as a Christian.

But GOD!!! Hallelujah, but God. . .

He has given us peace that the world cannot comprehend. We have the promise that Jesus “will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.”

So as the world rejoices while we weep and lament over the depravity in the world, let us hold fast to the promises of God and be at peace.

🌹 No fear, no troubled heart. Only hope.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Read And Listen

Nov5

“These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.                   John 14:25‭-‬26 NASB

Here is Jesus speaking to His disciples while abiding with them, teaching, assuring, leading. But Jesus was about to be crucified so He would no longer be abiding with them. But out of His great love and purpose the Father would not desert them. He sent the Holy Spirit to abide in them.

Jesus spoke the word to the disciples. Disciples today have those words in the Bible. As the disciples had to walk and listen to Jesus, we have to walk with God and listen when we read the Bible. Ever wonder why you don’t hear God? Are you reading His word?

And the greatest part of reading and listening to God’s word is that when we need discernment, or to share the gospel the Holy Spirit will bring it to mind what to say because He abides in us. Hallelujah!!!

🌹 Read and listen. Trust and obey. God will use you.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Fruitful or Dried Up

Nov4

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.            John 15:1‭-‬2 NASB

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4‭-‬5 NASB

If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.            John 15:6 NASB

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. John 15:8 NASB

🌹 Are you abiding in Christ, the vine, being nourished by the vinedresser, the Father’s word, being transformed by His pruning, producing fruit in the power of the Holy Spirit

OR

Are you a dried up branch, void of the movement of God because you do not abide in Jesus, the vine, only to be gathered and used for the fire?

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.           John 15:11 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Keep His Commandments

Nov3

He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21 NASB

Do you want to know God, to have Him reveal Himself to you, to know His abounding love for you? Keep His commandments.

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

John 14:23 NASB

Do you want to God to abide in you? Keep His commandments.

He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

John 14:24 NASB

Do you want to discern the word, the voice of God? Keep His commandments.

Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

John 15:9‭-‬10 NASB

🌹Do you love the Lord God?

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.          John 15:11 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Greater Works

Nov2

Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. John 14:10 NASB

Jesus abides in the Father and the Father in Him. The Father abiding in the Son worked for the fulfillment of His plan through Jesus. Do you believe in Jesus? Then . . .

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.        John 14:12 NASB

Greater works you will do if you believe and abide in Christ who abides in the Father. How?

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.       John 14:16‭-‬17 NASB

The Holy Spirit, abiding in you because of your belief in Jesus Christ, will enable you to fulfill God’s plan. The continuation of what Jesus started – sharing the truth, the good news.

Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”    John 18:37 NASB

This greater work that Jesus spoke of is the spreading of the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit in you. How many people in the world have the Holy Spirit residing within them? That is the greater work. The Holy Spirit in the believer spreading the gospel worldwide, everyday.

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.         John 15:11 NASB

🌹 Are you surrendering to the abiding Holy Spirit within you? Are you trusting Him to use you to further the work Jesus started? Are you listening, ready to respond at any moment? Someone’s life could be dependent upon you.

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

What is Your Sacrifice?

Oct31

A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:42‭-‬44 NASB/Luke 21:3-4 NASB

This woman parted with all she had. Her livelihood was placed on the altar. She gave all she had for the glory of God.

How could she do that? She trusted in God to be her Jehovah-jireh – the Lord will provide.

🌹 What are you willing to lay on the altar for the glory of God? This woman gave her all.

And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” Luke 18:29‭-‬30 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Denial

Oct30

Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.      John 13:38 NASB1995

Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the disciples said the same thing too. Matthew 26:35 NASB

Haven’t we all been there? We are gung-ho in His presence or when amongst other brothers and sisters. But what happens when we are alone, confronted with the truth? Whether through the conviction of the Holy Spirit through the word of God or out in the world amongst aggressive unbelievers.

Christian brothers and sisters, we have been silent too long. We have been passive when confronted with our faith. It is time to stand for Truth. Jesus is the Truth.

Will you deny Him when confronted with your faith? Now is the time to ask yourself and to prepare for persecution of your belief.

🌹 Is God deeply abiding in you? Are you experiencing Him daily? Without the Holy Spirit abiding in you there will be no standing strong. Surrender now to His will. No more denying.

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32‭-‬33 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

Love One Another

Oct29

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35 NASB

but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.   John 14:31 NASB

This I command you, that you love one another.   John 15:17 NASB

Jesus kept the commandments of the Father to show the world His love for the Father. He has commanded His disciples to love one another. By this love for one another all mankind will know we are God’s disciples.

🌹 Are you demonstrating God’s love to the world by obeying His command to love your fellow brothers and sisters?

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.              John 15:11 NASB

Did It or Not To Me

Oct27

The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
Matthew 25:40 NASB

Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ Matthew 25:45 NASB

These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25:46 NASB

God is all about people. He created them. He pursues a relationship with them. He pours out blessings on those who are His.

Since God is all about people, should we not also be?

During this time of Covid, many people are isolated in their homes with little to no human contact. Have we checked on our brothers and sisters who are not gathering with us for church? Do we take the time to “do for one of these”?

🌹Who has God placed on your heart, in your mind to reach out to? “to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon

In the Know

Oct26

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. Mark 13:31, Matthew 24:35, Luke 21:33 NASB

But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. Mark 13:5 NASB

The Word of God: preparation and awareness of what is to come.

And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Mark 13:23, Matthew 24:4 NASB

The Word of God: truth that keeps you from being misled.

Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.  This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:12‭-‬14 NASB

The Word of God: encouragement to endure to the end. Knowledge and motivation to share the gospel. Opportunity .  .  .

It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. Luke 21:13‭ NASB

But understanding of the Word of God can only come by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. John 14:26 NASB

🌹Have you received the Holy Spirit? If so, what priority is the Word of God in your life? “behold, I have told you everything in advance.“

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. John 14:27 NASB

Continually Seeking Him,

Sharon