We are already three months into the new year – how are you progressing in your journey of becoming like Jesus Christ? This is a lifelong endeavor of spiritual growth and transformation, but it’s essential to start taking steps today – after all, no one is promised tomorrow.

Are you engaging in a daily Bible reading routine? Are you reflecting on what you’ve learned and allowing it to shape your character for the better? What life lesson of Jesus are you focusing on today?

Jesus was always loving and serving others, putting their needs before his own. Who can you put first today?

Jesus showed us the power of forgiveness, even when he was facing anger and bitterness as he was crucified. He said to the guilty adulteress, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more” (Jn 8:11). Who can you forgive today?

Jesus demonstrated that greatness is not found in status or wealth, but in humility. Will you choose arrogance or humility today?

Jesus had an unwavering faith and trust in God, even in the face of adversity. What areas of your life do you need to trust Jesus more?

Jesus had compassion for all people. Who needs your compassion today?

Friend, becoming like Jesus is a lifelong journey that requires dedication and commitment. Keep your focus on Jesus and strive to grow closer to Him every day.

Jesus performed many miracles that met the need of the recipient and filled a void in their life.  Miracles serve many purposes.  The primary purpose was “THAT MEN MIGHT KNOW THE POWER OF GOD AND SEE HIS GLORY”.  Every miracle that Jesus performed was beyond the power of man.  Although each had an immediate effect on the recipient, there is a secondary effect, which applies to us.  It is as if the miracles are still reaching out so that we might know God’s power and witness the glory of Jesus as the Messiah. 

The gospels record 28 of the miracles performed by Jesus.  There are hints that many more were done.  I imagine that some of his miracles were not even realized until He had returned back to the Father.  Think of the joy that was experienced by those who received His help.  Jesus healed the crippled man who was let down thru the roof.  Now he could walk.  This certainly changed his life.  It was a new way to live.  He was elated and joyful.  Luke recorded the miracle of the ten lepers (chapter 17).  Only one returned to throw himself at Jesus’ feet and thank him. 

We should be that grateful for what Jesus has done for us.  For we too are foreigners brought in out of the cold by Jesus.  We were unclean and detestable, filthy, dressed in rags, our soul falling apart.  We were wanderers, lost without a compass and map.  HIS miracle is still working on us.  We should have the exuberant joy that the crippled man and the leper felt.

Think of the feeding of the 5,000 men (not counting women and children) with “five loaves of bread and two fish”.  There are many lessons from this event including a demonstration of Jesus’ compassion and a boy providing what was needed.  When the task seems impossible – rely on Jesus and see what can be done.  John recorded in chapter 6: “¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.” Luke wrote in chapter 9 “¹⁷ They all ate and were satisfied…”

Jesus is still providing for us. HE does what we can never do. The Death, Burial and Resurrection.  We are healed!  Fed!  Given a new life!  Sing HALLELUJAH!

Yes, I am referring to the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-9). In the best sermon ever preached, Christ lays out eight attitudes that answer the question, “What Would Jesus Do?”

First, He would have us be POOR IN SPIRIT. Like Christ, we must empty ourselves, taking on the form of a servant (Phil.2:5-11). Although He could have claimed equal status with God the Father, He chose not to. We can clearly see this in His prayer life, which is an act of removing self-will so that we can accept leadership, protection, and guidance from God.

Second, He would have us MOURN. We do this by being empathetic with all who are hurting and happy with those who are celebrating (Rom.12:15).

Third, He would have us be MEEK. We show this “power under control” by loving our enemies; doing good to those who hurt us; blessing those who curse us; not retaliating to “cheek slappers”; and giving to those who are taking from us (Lk.6:27-29).

Fourth, He would have us HUNGER AND THIRST FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. We do this by being daily Bible readers.

Fifth, He would have us be MERCIFUL. We do this through forgiving.

Sixth, He would have us be PURE. We do this through refusing worldly filth (affairs, gossip, drunkenness, etc. 1 Cor.6:9ff) and instead allowing ourselves to be sanctified by His Word (Jn.17:17).

Seventh, He would have us be PEACEMAKERS. We do this by being agreeable instead of argumentative. We should not provoke children and never cause trouble between brothers (Eph.6:4; Prov.6:19).

And finally, endure PERSECUTION. We do this by being faithful till Jesus returns. Friend, be faithful till the trumpet sounds (1 Cor.15:52).

Since the new year began, all stores have had displays of heart-shaped items to buy. The apparent reason is Valentine’s Day. This past Tuesday, the world celebrated the loved ones in their lives. All those heart-shaped items in the store show us how much we care about that important person. However, they don’t come nearly as close to Jesus’ love for us. While it is essential to show love toward those we care about, how do we show God our love?

Many times, in the Bible, we can see the love we should display for God and others:

Mark 12:30-31“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Matthew 22:37-38And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first
commandment.

Luke 10:27-28 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live. 

Christians should always show love for God. It is commanded and allows us a stronger connection to him. In contrast, we display our love for God, but it doesn’t match the love he has shown us. There is no more excellent display of love in the Bible than in the book of John. In chapter three, verse 16, it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

God loved us so much that he sacrificed his only Son. Through this love, we have a path to eternal life in heaven. As we go throughout the year, always remember to love God and others, and remember the love God showed for us and still has to this day.

Asking God for wisdom is huge. Imagine God appearing to you in the night and saying: “Ask what I shall give you.” This actually happened to King Solomon (2 Chron.1:7). Solomon’s BIG ASK was: “Give me now wisdom and knowledge to go out and come in before this people, for who can govern this people of yours, which is so great?”

This wisdom would allow Solomon to know God’s will and do it. Solomon would have insight to the practical application of God’s truth to any given situation. He would automatically be able to perceive the true nature of a situation and implement God’s will into that situation.

Friend, are you ready for the BIG ASK? James, the brother of Christ, tells us to ask God for this wisdom, “who gives generously to all without reproach” (Js.1:5). But he says, “let him ask in faith, with no doubting” (Js.1:6).

Your BIG ASK will result in nine great changes to your life: “¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (Js.3:17–18 ESV).

Join us (In-Person or via Zoom) every Sunday 6-7PM for a Small Group Study on Wisdom.

Outside in the car was the girlfriend. While in the house the despicable husband was pathetically attempting to explain. Such sad events are all too common.

It might surprise you to know just how many souls are in a life and death struggle with sin. Just like the cheating husband, when a spouse is consumed with a habitual sin, he/she is choosing that transgression over the sacred marriage vows. That addiction could be fornication (all sexual sins), gambling, alcohol, or drugs.

Friend, do you present your body as a living sacrifice, or do you present yourself to a worldly passion?

Romans 6:12 (ESV) — ¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.

Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) — ¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Most Christians are familiar with the similitude from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matt 5:13–14; ESV). I have heard many explanations for what “salt” does in these verses, including preserving or flavoring foods.

What most Christians are unfamiliar with—including myself until recently—is a similar passage in Mark 9:49­–50. Jesus has just finished discussing the dangers of Gehenna (hell) and the unquenchable fires therein when he says, “For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” The transition is strange, going from imagery of fire to salt in v. 49 is not intuitive for the modern reader.

However, when reading my Greek New Testament, I saw that there is a textual variant for v. 49,“everyone will be salted with fire and every sacrifice will be salted with salt.” The variant was most likely introduced accidentally by a scribe, who, seeing Lev 2:13 in a marginal note in his Bible (put there by an earlier scribe) about the salt of the grain offering and inserted it into the main text of the Bible.

This variant helps us understand, at the very least, how earlier Christians understood Jesus’ salt similitude. However, it also may give a correct Levitical, sacrificial background to Jesus’ words. In contrast with the fire of Gehenna, the disciples will also undergo a fiery trial, that also serves as a sacrificial offering. Whenever we are “salted with fire” we are also to function as the sign of God’s covenant. If we lose our flavor, our essence, what characterizes us as Christians, our sacrifice will be invalidated. Therefore, Jesus commands his disciples to “have salt” among themselves and be a peace with each other (v. 50). We must always remember who we are—God’s covenant people—especially in times of hardship and fire.

In his recent Sunday sermon, Brother Ben talked about “fear” and having “the courage of Christ”. The topics of “fear” and “courage” reminded me of a
previous colleague of mine that was a former Marine.

One slow day at work he was telling “war stories” of going out on patrol during the middle of the night. He was telling me of one such patrol where he could hear gun fire and other munitions going off in the distance and they were walking straight towards it! I curiously asked him if he was scared. I will never forget his response and it is something I think about often. He said, “I wasn’t scared of the dark, but I did have a fear I would never see the light of morning again.”

Psalms 27: 1 (NIV) “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?”

Fear is a natural part of life. Whether its fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of the dark, or even the fear of death. Fear can be a dark shadow that consumes us, causes anxiety and depression, and it can even imprison us within ourselves if we let it.

Lamentations 3: 22-23 (NIV) “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. ²³They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail! We can conquer fear by trusting in the Lord who brings us deliverance. Remember that the Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continues today! They are as fresh as the morning and as sure as the sunrise!

John 8:12 (NIV) “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

When we follow Jesus, the true Light and our one ray of hope, we can avoid walking blindly in darkness. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our lives and provides us with salvation. Let Christ guide your life and you will no longer have the fear of never seeing the Light of the morning again!