Tag Archive | faith

Worthy To Suffer

Nov20

They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. 41 So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. — Acts 5:40-41

Wow. . . Rejoice? . . Really? After a whip beating? Here are apostles rejoicing over being beaten because they suffered shame for the name above all names, the name of Jesus. They rejoiced over being considered worthy to suffer? How real was their faith? So real they were willing to suffer for it.

I wonder. . . How real is my faith? Am I willing to suffer shame for the sake of my families salvation, my neighbors, my co-workers, etc.? Am I willing to suffer for the glory of the Lord? He was willing to suffer for me.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Existence

Oct19

yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. — 1 Corinthians 8:6

One God. All things exist because of One God. We exist FOR the Father. We live, do, have, are blessed, provided for, loved FOR the Father. But . . .

We exist through Jesus in whom are all things. We are unable to live for the Father without existing in the Son, Jesus. For it is impossible to please the Father without faith in the Son.

Do you know Jesus personally? Do you live through Jesus for the Father? You can’t have one without the other because they are One God.

You also can abide with them by believing that Jesus is the Son of God; that He came in the form of a man to die on a cross to pay the price for the sin of all mankind; that He was buried (placed in a tomb) and was gloriously raised by the Father from death to life.

But it doesn’t end there. You must seek Him continually and love Him with all your heart. In doing that you should be desiring to know Jesus better by reading His Word, the Bible, and praying continuously (as if He is with you always, which He is).

This is really living (participating) through Jesus for the Father.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Children of Light

Oct17

for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord — Ephesians 5:8-10

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. — Hebrews 11:6

If you are one who walks in the Light of the Lord then you understand that you once walked in darkness. You understand the blessing of being rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of Jesus in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sin. (Colossians 1:13-14).

As children of Light we walk in goodness, righteousness, and truth. As children of the Light we seek to know what pleases the Lord. One thing that pleases the Lord is our faith in Jesus. Are you seeking and searching the Scriptures to know how to please your Lord?

How bright is your light shining? Bright enough to see the truth and the way to please your God? I hope so. He is deserving and worthy.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Dry Bones

Oct10

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy over these bones and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the Lord.’” — Ezekiel 37:1-6

Have you been there? The dry bone state? It’s as if there is no life left in you. No purpose, no hope, no future plans. I admire the prophets faith when he answered God’s question, “can these bones live?” He simply stated, “O Lord God, You know.”

‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.’ Let the Word of God revive you. Let His breathe of life give you new life, new focus, new hope. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Just like these dry bones you can be revived and enjoy new life in Christ Jesus. Continue to seek Him so you may know Him. He is the Lord.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Accepted!!!

Sep30

‘Now when you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord, you shall offer it so that you may be accepted. — Leviticus 19:5

Results of Justification
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, — Romans 5:1

Thank you God for sending Jesus, the ultimate peace offering, that I may be accepted. What love to send Your Son as justification that through Him I may be acceptable in Your sight. What peace is mine.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Prayer

Sep11

For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God. — Psalms 38:15

YOU WILL ANSWER,
O Lord my God. (period, end)

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Like Newborn Babies

Sep10

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, — 1 Peter 2:2

“like newborn babies”. As I watch my new granddaughter long for the milk, sometimes not very quietly, every two to three hours it brings to mind that she needs this to grow big and strong. Most newborn babies lose weight their first week of life but my granddaughter has gained a quarter pound already. She longs to feed. She needs it, longs for it, cries for it and is not satisfied until she is full.

I thought, how do I long for the Word of God? If I am going to grow in my salvation I need to feed on the Word of God. I need to long for it as a baby longs for milk. Is my desire so strong that I cry out for it if I am not fed regularly?

Are you losing weight or gaining weight? The Word is necessary for growth in your Christian faith. How many meals do you miss in a day? How many opportunities pass by you to be in the Word in a day? Are you suffering from malnutrition? Why not try some Word today and nourish your spiritual life. Give it a try, it may be as honey to your lips.

How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth! — Psalm 119:103

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Childlike Trust

Sep7

Childlike Trust in the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of David.

O Lord, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
2 Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord
From this time forth and forever. — Psalm 131

Childlike faith leaves no room for worry, no room for stress from responsibility or “too much on my plate”, or insecurity. My Father has it all under control. I can trust that He wants the best for me and will supply all my needs. And . . . if I would just get out of His way and let Him lead, I would be so much more secure in my life. As David pleads with Israel to hope in the Lord, I believe the Lord wants us to hope in Him from this time forth and forever. It is so worth it.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon

Promise: You are His Child

Aug26

which God, who cannot lie — Titus 1:2
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:26
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, — John 1:12

God cannot lie so we are children of God, if through faith in Christ Jesus, we believe in His name. God cannot lie which means we can trust these Words of His. We are His children and this being so we receive every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

The blessing of being holy and blameless before Him. Having His grace bestowed upon us through Jesus Christ and redemption through His blood. The forgiveness of our trespasses and having made known to us the mystery of His will. Because we are children we receive an inheritance and are sealed in Him (Jesus Christ) with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Those are promises to hang on to, rely on, trust in. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for you so that you can be holy and blameless before God, then you have all these promises bestowed on you. You need not be discouraged. You have hope in these promises. Hang on to them and trust in the One who promises them to you. You can do great and mighty things through Christ when you hang on to His promises.

Go in peace and trust in the everlasting God Almighty and His perfect promises.

Continually seeking Him,

Sharon
Bold text found in Ephesians 1:3-14