Category: #love

A Life with Soul-life

Just as the body needs to live to experience life so the soul must live to know life. The body does not live on its own but must be nourished and fed with what is good for it, or it will die. The soul is the heart of man and is made up of its mind, will and emotions. It is the soul of man that enables a person to enjoy life. Enjoy means to enter into the joy of life. All of mankind longs for soul-life. When the soul is dead then the person merely exists. If the soul is sick then there is a constant struggle within and the struggle manifests itself with various mental and emotional illnesses. When the soul is alive then the person is happy and satisfied with life. The person with soul-life thrives and experiences happiness and peace. Their soul is filled with life and they are fulfilled, which means they are filled to the full and their life is full of meaning and purpose. There is no lack within a person with soul-life.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Soul-life was stolen in the Garden of Eden by the devil when he deceived Eve and she and Adam ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan is a thief and he comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He stole life and brought death and destruction. He still comes to man to steal, kill and destroy. When a person believes the lie that “there is no God” or that “God does not care or love them” then they no longer believe in God but they believe in the devil. To have soul-life then a person must first believe in the Giver and Creator of life and that is God alone. There is no one else who can give life but the One who is life.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

Jesus Christ is God and He is life. Jesus Christ came to restore the life that was stolen by the devil. From the beginning God has given to all of mankind a free choice. A person does not have to believe in God. They can believe in the devil and his lies, for example, that man came from evolution, which goes against the laws of science. The law of entropy which is defined as: lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder. Everything in life goes from order to disorder. Scientists who believe in evolution are not true to themselves. Man was created by God and he was created to know God. All of creation fulfills the purpose for which it was created but man. Man’s soul was made to commune with God in a relationship as a child of God. He was made to live in God’s love and to fill the earth with God’s love. Man was the only creature made in the image of God and he is the only part of creation that rejected God’s plan. Man chose to be his own god and when he chose to be his own god then he also chose guilt and death to his soul. It is man’s soul that is created in the image of God. No other aspect of creation has a soul. No other aspect of creation experiences guilt and death to the soul.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Man earned death through his sin. His sin was wanting to be his own master and to choose his own destiny. However, this choice of destiny set him on a path of pain and guilt with the end being death. Sin leads to more sin and guilt and death brings more guilt and death. Rather than acknowledging his wrong, some of mankind has gotten mad at God or others have tried to deny there is a God. Man hates death and can not live with guilt so he either blames God for death or he denies the existence of God to seek to rid himself of the guilt. Neither solution works and the anger turns into rage and the denial of God becomes foolishness.

The foolishness of man ruins his way, And his heart rages against the Lord. Proverbs 19:3

If a man has any sense within himself then he will acknowledge God and acknowledge his poor choice of wanting to be his own god. He will turn to the one and only God, who is Lord and Savior, and he will repent. Repentance means that he will turn from himself to God to give him life. He will turn to the God who out of love for man, sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ into the world to restore man back to the relationship for which he was created and the purposes and destiny that God designed for each person, who has been made in God’s image. When this happens then life comes into the soul of the person who turns from himself to God. The most wonderful thing happens to the person who is restored to God. It is as if the lights have been turned on. He can see things he never saw before. He enjoys life. He has a new perspective on everything. His soul is filled with life because the One who gives life has entered his soul.

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul-life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul-life? Matthew 16:26

There is nothing that can compare to soul-life. You could gain the whole world and all that is in it but if you do not have soul-life, you will never enjoy it. Yes, there are many things that can give you a moment of pleasure but then the pleasure is gone and the emptiness returns. Man spends the rest of his life seeking that moment of pleasure but there is the law of diminishing returns and that means that he has to do more and more to fill the emptiness that the moment of pleasure brings. He is never satisfied. For this reason, there is not enough money that will ever satisfy and there is not enough alcohol or drugs or sex or whatever other pleasure that a person pursues to fill the emptiness. The only thing that can fill the emptiness in man’s soul is God Himself. What is the outcome of a life with a soul-life. That soul-life will want to give praise to the God who made them and tell of all of the wonderful things that He has done for them.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name. 
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who revere Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who revere Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust. Psalm 103:1-14

There is none to compare with the Lord. He is good and He longs to show His goodness to those who will come to Him. The word blessed means happy. How blessed and happy are those who have come to Him.

Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him. Isaiah 30:18

If you have been disappointed in life or are weary of the emptiness then come to Jesus Christ. If your life is lacking in meaning and purpose then come to Him. If you are struggling within and just trying to “keep your head above water” then come to Him. If you are mad at God or feel that you have wasted or ruined your life then come to Him. If you long to be loved and accepted for who you are then come to Him. If you have been seeking but are not even sure of what you have been seeking then come to Him. If you have been hurt and need healing then come to Him. If you need forgiveness then come to Him. He promises to do all of these things in your life if you will come to Him. He is gentle and full of compassion. He knows how frail we are. He understands you completely for He created you. Jesus Christ loves you.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”    Matthew 11:28-30

We come to Jesus Christ through prayer. Prayer is talking with God and telling Him what is on our heart. If you want to come to Him then ask Him to come into your soul and give you life. He will make you the person that He designed for you to be and the very person that you long to be. He does not change your personality but He fills you with His Spirit and brings life to your soul. He loves you and He has an incredible and wonderful plan for your life.

Please contact me lifeunderhiswings@gmail.com if you would like a Bible. We will send you one as a free gift.

 

 

 

A Life that Abides in God

If you really want to soar in life then you must learn to abide in the Lord and let His Words abide in you. This is the way of the victorious Christian life. There are no shortcuts and once you learn to abide in Him then you will want nothing else than to live in His presence.

John 15:4 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.

We can do nothing apart from Him and when we learn to abide in Him then we realize that He is the One who does the work while we rest in His power, faithfulness and love. Our striving to be fruitful is futile apart from abiding in Him.

John 15:5 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.

This is a very simple truth. Abide means to live in. Your abode is where your home is. When you abide in the Lord then you make your home in His Word and His Words make their home in you. When you talk about His Words it will be as easy as telling someone about the things in your home. Since you see them everyday they are not strange objects to you so, in the same way the Lord’s Word will become as familiar to you as the objects in your home. When you share His Word with others then you will feel right at home and you will forget your fears and shyness. It will become the joy of your heart.

Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found and I ate them,
And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.

You will find that as you abide in the and before the Lord then lovingkindness and truth will preserve you forever.

Psalm 61:7 He will abide before God forever;
Appoint lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.

You will also see that you have an incredible promise of answered prayers when you learn to abide in Him and His Words abide in you.

John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

You may wonder how do you learn to abide in Him and His Words abide in you. Begin by putting His Words in your heart and having them live there. At first it may seem hard but it is as simple as eating food. It is a skill that you learn how to do and then you will find yourself doing it often just as you eat food on a regular basis. Memorize the Words of Scripture so that they stay in your heart and then think about and pray over them. This will become almost second nature to you and will bring you much joy and strength as you learn to rely on His Words rather than your own understanding. Then do what His Word says to do. As you learn to follow His instruction through His Word then you will abide in His love.

John 15:9-11 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. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.

As you learn to abide in Him and His Words abide in you and then you keep His commandments then you will abide in His love and your joy will be made full. Your cup will truly overflow. There is nothing in all this world as sweet as living in His love and it being a reality in your life. Your life will be an abundant life, overflowing and filled with much joy. This is the life that He came to give you.

John 10:10b I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

 

 

A Life that Is Given All Things

Often people have their own conception of God and it is often wrong. How a person sees the Lord is not a revelation of who He is but it is more of a revelation of their own heart.

Psalm 18:25,26 With the kind You show Yourself kind;
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the crooked You show Yourself twisted.

How our hearts are crooked and another word for crooked is twisted. When someone becomes a Christian one of the first things the Lord does is give them a new heart. The new heart is pure, blameless and kind and the new Christian sees that the Lord is pure, kind, and blameless in all His ways.

Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?

Our heart deceives our own selves before we come to know the Lord and in our desperately sick self with our desperately sick heart we don’t trust the Lord because we can’t see Him for who He really is. He is good and no evil dwells with Him.

Psalm 145:9 The Lord is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.

What this means is that His thoughts toward us are only for our good and not for any evil. We have so many fears that if we trust the Lord with our entire life then He will want us to do something that would make us miserable or He will make us into something we don’t really want to be. Quite the contrary, His only thoughts toward us are good.

Psalm 5:4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.

The Lord invites all to taste of Him and see that He is good. The word good means the highest form of love. This is the kind of love that the Lord has for you and the good that He wants to show you.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

The plans that the Lord has for you are for your good. If you will trust Him then you will taste of His goodness and want to trust Him more

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

When you see Him then you will see that He loves you with an everlasting love and underneath you are the everlasting arms.

Deuteronomy 33:26,27a “There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
“The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;

The Lord loves you so much that He came and died on a cross to restore you to a love relationship with Himself. He took your sick heart on the cross and bore your penalty so that you might have a new heart and be free from the punishment and guilt of your sin.

I Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;

God sent His Son to die for you that He might bring you to Himself. However, what is amazing is that this was not all that He did. He said that since He did not spare His only begotten Son but that with Him, He would freely give you all things.

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

This is who He is. He is good and He is love. When you experience His love then you will see that He is kind and pure and all of the characteristics of only a Good God can be.

Romans 11:33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

There is none to compare with Him.

Psalm 40:5 Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

 

A Life that Has Comfort

We all need comfort and yet we often feel without comfort.

Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort, O comfort My people,” says your God.

In the world we will not have comfort but the Lord said He would not leave us comfortless.

John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but ye know him; for he dwells with you, and shall be in you.I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

The Lord knows that we need comfort and another name for the Holy Spirit is that He is a Comforter. Are you lonely? Do you need comfort? Come to the Lord and let Him wrap His arms around you and comfort you.

Matthew 11:28,29 Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

The Lord is gentle with His children and He will come to them and comfort them. He is a Good Shepherd.

Isaiah 40:11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,
In His arm He will gather the lambs
And carry them in His bosom;
He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

He comforts us in our affliction and suffering so that we may be able to comfort others when they share in the same suffering.

II Corinthians 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

The Lord is near to you and will come to you as you call on Him. He saves those who are crushed in spirit and He does not leave you alone.

psalm 34:18,19 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

The Lord will never leave you or forsake you. He loves you. Come to Him and give Him your broken heart and your pain. He will comfort you and heal you. He will bind up your heart and He will carry you through your time of suffering.

Hebrews 13:5b,6a …for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

 

A Life that Is Kind

It is often easy to be kind to those who are kind to us but what separates Christians from others is that they are to be like their Lord who was kind to evil and ungrateful people.

Luke 6:35b …for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

The Lord says that difficult times will come and people will be ungrateful except the Lord wants us to love them and to be kind to them anyway.

II Timothy 3:1,2 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful…

It is hard to be kind to ungrateful and evil people and the only way that we can do it is through Him and by His Holy Spirit. He showed us His way when He loved us.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

The light shines the brightest when it is the darkest and the Lord has told us that we are the light of the world. Even though we may not want to and it is not in us to be kind to evil and ungrateful people the Lord still wants us to be kind and loving. It is when we are the most like Jesus that the world will see in us something that they do not have. If we love those who are like us or who are loving and kind then we are not any different than the rest of the world.

Luke 6:32,33 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

Our Heavenly Father wants us to be like Him and wants the world to see Jesus in us. The only way that they can see Jesus in us is if we respond to people the way Jesus would have if He were here on earth. He wants others to see Jesus just as if He were in the flesh, in other words, He wants us to live out in the flesh the life of Christ.

Luke 6:35,36 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

He has adopted us into His family and told us what it means to be His child. The Lord has called us to be different and when we are then the world will see Christ in us.

Matthew 5:44-48 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

 

A Life that Is Loved

The Lord wants to bless us. He longs to be gracious to us and to show us His great love.

Isaiah 30:18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.

He is a God of love and if we will only allow Him to love us with His perfect love then we will truly ride on the heights of the earth. That is, we will live above circumstances and soar in life because we will be secure in the arms of the only One who can love with a perfect love.

Deuteronomy 33:12 May the beloved of the Lord dwell in security by Him,
Who shields him all the day,
And he dwells between His shoulders.

Underneath you will be the everlasting arms and He will hold you up. He will drive out your enemies before you.

Deuteronomy 33:26,27 There is none like the God of Jeshurun,
Who rides the heavens to your help,
And through the skies in His majesty.
The eternal God is a dwelling place,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
And He drove out the enemy from before you,
And said, ‘Destroy!’

He has enclosed you behind and before and laid His hand on you.

Psalm 139:5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

There is nothing too difficult for Him. There is nothing that you have done that makes it too difficult for Him to love you. He loves you and wants you to belong to Him.

Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,

As high as the heavens are above the earth so great will His love be for those who fear Him.

Psalm 103:11-14 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

Does He love those who do not fear Him? Yes, but they will not experience His love until they come to know Him. When you know Him then you fear Him, which means you stand in awe of Him and want to fall at His feet and worship Him, because you see that He is God. He invites all to come into a relationship with Him.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Put your name in the place of the word world. For God so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son so that you might be called by His name and belong to Him for all eternity. He invites you into His family, to become His child.

John 1:12 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,

If you have not yet received Him then do so today so that you might begin the incredible journey of experiencing His love and walking with Him. You will realize that there is none to compare with it.

 

 

 

A Life that Pleases the Lord

It is an amazing aspect of the Lord that He allows us to please Him. We are His creation and fallen creation at that but still He loves us and tells us how to please Him. It should be the single minded desire of every Christian to want to please Him. Before we were Christians we wanted to please ourselves or maybe someone else but the highest aim in our life should be to please the Lord.

Ephesians 5:7-10 Therefore do not be partakers with them; 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.

The Lord offers a great reward when we are living life in a way that pleases Him. He will make even our enemies to be at peace with us.

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord,
He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

When we live by faith then we please the Lord or rather if we don’t live by faith then there is not anything that we can do that would please Him.

Hebrews 11:6 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.

First thing we must do if we want to please Him is to believe in Him and believe in His Words. He wants us to seek Him, believe His Words and live as if we believe His Words. If there was someone who loved you and you trusted and that person told you that they would be at such and such a place to meet you, you would be there. The Lord also wants us to act in faith in believing what He has said to us.

Hebrews 4:2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

The only part of God’s Word that benefits you is what you believe and act in faith on. You must believe Him and what He said. You must believe Him and do what He says. Be careful to not have an unbelieving heart.

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

Where does an unbelief come from? It comes from the hardness of our heart.

Mark 16:14 Afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen.

Every child believes in God because the Lord has put it in their heart to believe Him.

Romans 1:18,19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.

The Lord tells us in His Word to be careful  to not have an unbelieving heart. An unbelieving heart precedes falling away from the Lord.

Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.

Faith must be nurtured and it must grow. You can not live on yesterday’s faith. Your faith needs to be stronger today than it was yesterday. The way you feed your faith is through the Word of God. When you believe His Word by faith then you will see His faithfulness and will want to believe Him more. You will give glory to God and will praise Him.

Romans 4:20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,

Come, let us worship Him and bow down before Him. He is God and He is true to His Words. Trust Him and grow strong in your faith and please the One who loves you more than you will ever fully comprehend.

Psalm 95:6-8a Come, let us worship and bow down,
Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Today, if you would hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts,

 

 

 

 

 

A Life with a Destiny

Your life has a destiny and that destiny was planned for you from the very beginning of creation. Before you were born, the Lord pre-destined you to be loved by Him. God’s plan from the very beginning was only for your good and is designed for what is best for you. Yet, the Lord is love and He does not force His plans on your life. You must choose His destiny for you because love is a choice and His destiny for you is that you would be loved with a perfect love. He chose to love you but you must respond to that love and choose to love Him.

just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world… In love He predestined us to adoption as sons Ephesians 1:4a,5a

The Lord created man to be in a love relationship with Himself. Man is the only aspect of creation that was made in God’s image and to fellowship with God in a love relationship. God created all of mankind to be His children. It was the destiny of all of the offspring of Adam and Eve to belong to Him and to live in His love.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. I John 3:1

It is the greatest honor and gift that has ever been offered to anyone, and that is, to be called a child of God. And such we become, if we receive the gift of being adopted into His family.

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

To receive Him means to believe in Jesus Christ, that He is Lord and Savior and that He was crucified, buried and raised on the third day. He lives today and gives salvation to all who will call on Him. It was this great love that sent Jesus Christ to the cross to die for our sins, that we might be holy and blameless before God.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16

It was the kindness of God that He freely bestowed on us in Christ that we should be forgiven of all of our sins. Salvation is a gift that is given to us when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. There is not anything we can do to earn it or work for it. We must receive it as a gift.

  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8,9

Even when we were filled with our sin, God loved us and Christ died for us. He loved us when we least deserved it and when there was nothing good within us. When He saves a person, not only does He forgive them of all of their sin but He cleanses them on the inside and gives them a new heart that wants to love Him in return.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Ephesians 2:4,5

Not only did we not love the Lord when Christ died for us but we were actually at enmity with God. We didn’t want to love Him.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

Jesus Christ died for us in order that He might bring us to God. We could not even come to God on our own. He died for us and He brings us to Himself when we call on Him. He restores us to a right relationship with God and we become His child.

For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, I Peter 3:18a

See how great a love that God has offered to you. Come to Him if you long to be forgiven. Come to Him if you are tired of the burden of your guilt. Come to Him if you are weary and heavy laden. He will take your guilt, your sins, your burdens and He will give you forgiveness, rest, peace and love.

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

He will wipe that slate clean and give you a new start in life. He came that you might have life and not just life but an abundant life.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10b

When you come to Him then He gives you a new destiny and the old things pass away. You become a new person and He gives you a new life.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. II Corinthians 5:17

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus Christ then today is the day of salvation the Bible says. Come to Him. His invitation is for you.

A Life of Faith and Love

The most exciting life is a life of your faith and His love. You will be amazed at His faithfulness and so in love with the Lord when you see Him be true to His Word. A life of faith is a prerequisite to seeing His faithfulness. When you declare, by faith, His lovingkindness in the morning then you will see His faithfulness at night.

Psalm 92:2 To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning And Your faithfulness by night,

A life of faith is taking Him at His Word. There is no limit to experiencing His love for you other than your unbelief. Fearing Him is respecting Him in an all consuming way where you believe His Word so much that you know that it is true and will do what His Word says to do. Fearing Him is obedience. You can fear Him now voluntarily by faith or you can wait until you see Him and how true His Word is to what He says will take place and then you will really fear Him but that kind of fear is one of a terrifying fear.

Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.

When you live by faith then His lovingkindness is what will describe your life. It will be the explanation for who you are and everything in your life because He loves you so very much but you must take Him at His Word to see that love.

Psalm 25:10 All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.

The Lord will be your boast and in Him you will glory. You will not be able to stop talking about Him and all of the incredible things that He has done for you.

Psalm 89:24 “My faithfulness and My lovingkindness will be with him, And in My name his horn will be exalted.

You will anticipate each new day and what His great lovingkindness holds for you. No matter how much you mess up the day before His lovingkindnesses and compassions are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-25 The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

Everything that the Lord does for you is done in His faithfulness. Trust Him and let Him direct your steps. He is good.

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.

Underneath are the everlasting arms and He has destroyed the enemy from before you.

Deuteronomy 33:27 “The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, ‘Destroy!’

Will you trust Him again as you did when you first became a Christian? Of if you have not yet trusted Him with your life then today is the day to begin. You can begin with the prayer that the person prayed, “Lord, I want to believe, help me in my unbelief.” He is more than willing to help you. He wants to give you this incredible life that is overflowing but first you must trust Him.

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

There are only two choices in life…one of a life that is ultimately destroyed or a life that is saved. These two choices go into eternity but are made by you here on earth. Do you choose the destroyer or the Savior?

A Life that Is Fruitful

The promise of a fruitful life is made to the person who abides in the Lord and God’s Word abides in Him. The word abide means to live in, therefore you are to live in God’s Word and He lives in you.

John 15:4 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.

The Lord wants you to be fruitful and He knows that you must abide in Him if this is to happen. He, the vine produces the fruit and you, as the branch, bear the fruit.

John 15:5 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.

The sooner you realize the truth that you can do nothing apart from Him the happier you will be and the sooner you will quit striving on your own to bear fruit. The branches bear the fruit, they do not produce the fruit.

Galatians 5:22,23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

The fruit is produced through vine. You can not make yourself love someone. He will love through you if you abide in Him. In the same way, you can not produce joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness or self-control. He must do it.

John 15:7 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.

You will not have to prove that you are a Christian. Your fruit will bear witness that you are a Christian.

Matthew 7:16-18 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.

The Lord loves us and wants us to abide in his love. When we abide in His love and in His Word then our spirit will be nourished and His Spirit in us will produce the fruit that the world will see.

John 15:9 Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.

The way that we abide in his love is to keep his commandments. Is there anything that you know that He has commanded you to do and you have not done? There is nothing that is worth keeping us from his love.

John 15:10 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.

Jesus kept His Father’s commandments and abided in His Father’s love. He went before us and showed us how it was to be done.

John 15:12,13 This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus Himself chose us to bear fruit and instructed us on how it was to be accomplished.

John 15:16,17 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.

Jesus spoke these words to His disciples and to us so that our joy may be made full just as His joy was made full.

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