A Life in Christ: John 15:1-17

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

What does it mean to live a life in Christ? Our scripture text tells us to abide in Christ and He will abide in us as He is the true vine and we are the branches from that vine. It is noteworthy to say, as we abide in the true vine, we will bear fruit, which is manifesting the righteousness of Christ.

Another reason to live a life in Christ is that we are new creatures in Christ upon accepting Him as our Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 5:17). Being a new creature in Christ we have been transformed by the renewing of our minds and no longer conforms to this world which is in contradiction to the will and ways of God (Romans 12:2). Believers cannot live godly conforming to the immoral values of this world.

Matthew 6:24 states that we cannot serve two masters. We will love one and hate the other or vice versa. We are either in Christ or out of Christ, there is no middle ground. Christ is the perfect example of doing the will of His Father. He was focused and committed. This is our model for living a Christian life.

Lastly, living a life in Christ, we show the world who we are and to whom we belong. We as believers are lit candles dispelling the darkness that exists in our world today. Living a life in Christ we die daily to self and the will of the flesh and present our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1).

A life in Christ is one of righteousness with never-ending blessings.

  

Be Encouraged: Psalm 27:1-14

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

In light of all the stresses that are occurring in our world today we can become overwhelmed and feel down and out; let me say trust in the Lord with all thine heart and fear nothing and no one because God is with you and I. God is true to His word. God asks us to cast all your cares upon Him and He will take care of them (1 Peter 5:7 paraphrased). God makes this request of us because He cares and loves us so much until He wants us joyful and worry-free.

Isaiah 41:10 asks us Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. In John 16:33 tells us why we are to fear nothing and no one because our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has overcome this world.

Let me close with these encouraging words, when we worry talk to God; when we need comfort call on God the indwelling Holy Spirit; when we cry let some of our tears be tears of joy because there is joy in Jesus Christ. God knows our thoughts, our needs and our tears. God is true to His word will supply all our needs.

Trust God and never doubt for He will see us through; He will replace sadness, worry with comfort and joy.

We welcome your comments.

Author’s contacts:

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www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

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Love One Another: 1 John 4:7, John 13:34

…Let us love one another: for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God. A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

I have written on the topic of loving one another several time before; however, I feel the need to remind us every once in a while, that we are commanded to love one another because this was a commandment given by Christ Himself. Another reason for my reminder is because of the hate, and vitriol that is being spewed out against one another makes me sad. I am sad because this is not who we are. We are a loving people and nation who try to live the Christian creed that God is love, and He loves us all; therefore, we are to love one another.

Lastly, I am deeply concerned about our nation. There are times I feel like the prophet Jeremiah who wept for the sins and conditions of Israel. Just as Jeremiah prophesied that God would give Israel a new heart so will He do the same for America. We will get back to loving and caring for one another. I am convinced that there is more love for one another than there is hate, but hate and evil are being highlighted to give that appearance that hate is the norm, but be assured it is not.

Let me close by saying, I love you with the love of God and there is nothing you can do about my love.

Comments are welcomed.

Author’s contacts:                                                                                                            

White3285@sbcglobal.net

https://willie-writing.blotspot.com

http://theshepherdministries.org

www.goodshepherdwritingandpublishing.com

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God's Judgment: Amos 5:24

https://gem.godaddy.com/s/b86f101

 But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

In light of the events occurring in our nation’s capital today, my prayer is for justice to be served with justice prevailing and right come forth like a mighty stream as stated in our scripture text.

If the question was raised, why this prayer? It is because this is a nation of believers who believe in doing what is right. When a wrong is committed then punishment should and must follow. Throughout Biblical history and in this country, we see that wrong was punished and right was rewarded with blessings. This principle applies today and must apply in this situation.

Allow me to encourage all to stay strong, prayed up and believe that righteous/justice is going to prevail because God is in control and He punishes sin and wrongdoings.

Comments are welcome.

Solomon's Speech

https://youtu.be/0aLdmwyRKc8

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Mustard seed size Faith: Matthew 17:20

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”

As we are struggling with anxieties for one reason or another, I am here to encourage all to have faith the size of a mustard seed, and we will find relief.  Jesus asks us to cast all of our cares, concerns, and problems upon Him and He will take care of them (1 Peter 5:7 KJV).

We serve a God who loves us very much and it is His desire for us to be at peace in this fallen world. Christ would have never asked us to cast our cares upon Him if He wasn’t going to take care of the problem and give us His peace. There is no peace like the peace of God. The world can give neither does it understands God’s peace because Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace; He is our Comforter; He is our Mighty Warrior; He is our lawyer in the courtroom who is and will continue fighting our battles. More importantly, He has never lost a case.

Given all that we know about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; we are encouraged to have just a little faith and He will see us through these turbulent times. We will be at peace as we navigate these troubled waters from living in a sin-fallen world. Lastly, as we conquer each anxiety we grow in our faith and establish a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV).

Author’s contacts:

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Faith by Doing: James 2:26

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as is the ^[a]substance of things hoped for, the ^[b]evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. It is our faith that causes all believers to believe that God created and sustains both the seen and unseen of this world. It is our faith that we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior who died on the cross at Calvary atoning the sins of the world and through this faith we are saved.

Therefore, the evidence of faith is in our works such as witnessing Christ the world over. It is our faith that we provide a need to our fellow man; it is our faith that we love all just as God loved us when we didn’t love Him in return.

We show the world our faith through our works.

Comments are welcomed.

Author’s contacts:

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Who is our True Protector? Psalm 91

He that dwelleth in the the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely, he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

This being a new year and witnessing the chaos that we are bombarded with daily; I felt the need to encourage all to remember that God is our true protector. Throughout this Psalm, the Lord gives the assurances that He will protect us from the many dangers we may encounter. What we must do is to trust God in any and all situations, because God is true to His word. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. God is a God who changes not. God has kept every promise made; He promised to provide all our needs, and He does so with grace, love, and mercy. God asks us to cast all of our cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7 KJV) because He is going to take care of the situation.

God has a proven record of providing for all of our (humanity’s) needs. Reflect with me on the young nation of Israel during their travels out of the land of Egypt. He was their guiding light by night and their covering from the heat during the day by providing a cloud covering. He fed them with manna from heaven and water from a rock, and even after the manna stopped God after the Israelites had eaten corn from the land of Canaan. There was fruit from the land of Canaan (Joshua 5:21). The Bible records other instances where God provided for and protected His people. He is doing so today regardless of the media proclaiming gloom and doom; remember who God is. Satan has no power over us; we are in the protective unseen hands of God.

God is all we need.

Comments are welcomed.

Author’s contacts:

White3285@sbcglobal.net

http://theshepherdministries.org

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