browse by:


Believe
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 10.29.2006

 

            Oh! Is there was anything that is permanent! Something I can trust that will last forever! Do you ever feel this way? Most people do so don’t worry. Everyone needs a safe place. Home should be that place where one can shut out troubles and rest, but often it is not so. We all get weary tired. Our body requires rest and sleep. Also our soul must find a resting place.

            A song that you may have sung in church describes this place. “My faith has found a resting place, not is device or creed. I trust the ever living One….” That is the answer – trust the Lord. Faith in Him and trust in His care are bedrock to built our life on.

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all” (Isa. 7:9). The Lord said this to one of the greatest prophets, and we would do well to take it to heart. No one likes a “wishy washy” person who is blown about with every fad that comes along. Stand firm in faith! Trust the Lord in spite of what is going on in your life. He will see you through all you problems.

 

 

Prayer
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 10.30.2006
Father, of the Lord Jesus Christ, help me to come to you with deep reverence because you are holy and beyond the grasp of my understanding. But you are not beyond my love and  neither am I beyond your love.
    Thank you for loving me, even me, and delivering me from the penalty and power of my sins through faith in your Son, my Savior.
     Thank  you, Father, that Jesus became a man and lived here on earth and died for me. He knows and understands what its like. Praise and thanks for giving Him to us to atone for our sins so you could accept us and make us clean in your sight.
    I am never so much mine as when I am completly yours, or so much lost to myself until lost in Jesus, ’then I find my true person hood.
    Let Jesus’ love warm my heart so I can love you , Father, as I ought to love. And give grace that I will love the people who are in my life. Cause Christ’s love to fill me so I can love others with unconditional love.
    Please let Jesus’ love lighten my burden and be my heaven, even while still here on earth. May His love be revealed to me. Influence my love to Him so it will be fervent. Let the tide of His everlasting love cover the rocks of my sin and cares so that my spirit will float above these things which could wreck my life.
    Make me fruitful by living in Jesus’ love so my character will reflect Him and the world will see you.
    O Lord Jesus, fill me with Thyself,
    O Holy Spirit, rest upon me.
    O Holy Father, look on me in mercy for the sake of the Well-Beloved.  
The Paths to Worship
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 10.31.2006
The most miserable people on earth are nearsighted about spiritual truth. The old saying that describes their condition is “they can’t see beyond their own nose. “What I want” drives many people to grab and hold in clinched fists their “rights” and possessions. Any real or imagined threat to “mine” may send them into a panic.


Everyone has a touch of this but most people keep it under control. Who will free us from the self-centered life that binds us in “Me and Mine”?
I believe everyone would like to know someone who could free them from the bondage of self-centeredness. It make a person miserable for they have to fight for their “rights.” That is not fun.
    There is only one Person who can delivered us from the self centered life. He is able to take our fist and gently uncurl each finger until we are free. He alone can give security and peace. He tells us, “It’s all right. I’ll take care of you. You  don’t have to fight and cling to your rights and possessions.”
    Who is this person? Jesus Christ. He can set us free. Being a slave to ourselves is the worst bondage imaginable. But bond slaves of our Creator gives us true freedom to be all we were created to be.
    We get in touch with the Lord Jesus through prayer. Ask Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins and free you from me, myself and I. Give Him control of your life. He will bring you peace. And He will give joy that no one can take away from you.
Finding God
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.01.2006

    The best way to start the day is with Jesus. Read the Bible so you can know Him. (If you don’t know where to start I suggest the New Testament) Ask God to speak the words into your heart so you will know what they mean and how to live. You will find true freedom and also joy.   
    Tell Jesus that you love Him and thank Him for loving you. He proved His love for us for while we were still sinners He died for us. Thank Him and invite Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins. Then respond to His love by doing what pleases Him.
    From the first thought of the morning to the last before sleeping our emphasis is to be on God and not on ourselves. This will give freedom from the self-centered life. Everyone knows someone who is so bound-up in themselves that they make others miserable who have to endure their company.
    Instead of adoring ones self, start adoring the only good One. God. This turns our attention to be God and not on ourselves. Admiring Him and delighting in the Lord blesses Him and us. When we take our eyes off ourselves and give childlike dependence to the Lord we find His peace.  Cinging to the Invisible One who is ultimate Reality. 
    Don’t worship a statue of Jesus or any statue of a “saint.” Worship the Invisible Lord Jesus and He will become more real than what you can touch.
Freedom from Seperation
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.03.2006
Are you a Christian who sometimes doubts your sins are forgiven? Well join the crowd. Seperation from God is a reality before we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The only way to the Father and heaven is faith in what Jesus did for us when He died and rose again.
     When you bellieve Jesus died for your sins and invited Him to come into your heart something wonderful happened. Jesus actually came into your heart, and He will never leave you alone again. Your sins are forgiven and you will go to heaven when you die. This is the new birth, and is known as being “born again.” 
    Also the Holy Spirit came into your heart and you become a new person. You are litterally born agian. An interest in the Bible and desire to learn about the Lord is given, and you begin to think diferently. Your relationship to God is also different. He is your Father and one day He will call you home.
    The Lord will never leave you, but if we allow unconfessed sins to stay in our heart doubt will take over. As long as we live here on earth old habits of sin may creep back in. Remember to confess your sins and rest in the assurance that the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sins.
    When the Lord reveals that you have done wrong it is never to condemn. He is very gentle when He points our “bad habits” are really sin. His kindness gives us courage to ask forgiveness. He does two things: forgives and washes us clean.

Abiding
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.05.2006
The way we thought and acted before we became a Christian is like “grave clothes” that we must put off. Our attitude toward our old way of life will change as we learn about God by reading and studying the Bible. In it we get to know Him and recognize sin in our life. That is a good thing because we confess our sins to Him and are made clean.
“Blessed is the one whose transgressions is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is not deceit.” ( The rest of Psalm 32 describes more of sweet relief when we confess our sins. Read it and be blessed)
The old feelings of separation from God may creep back into our life. We know our weakness and failure to be a “good” Christian. The harder we try to change ourself the more we fail. We are changed by faith in the Lord. Believing what God has said in the Bible makes us different. Therefore the need for serious time in the Bible. It is “soul food” that nourishes us and makes us strong Christians.
The closest physical picture of our union with the Lord is Siamese twins. Maybe that is why He allows their unusual birth! We need familliar examples to help us understand invisible reality. Doctors now have the knowledge to sparate most of these twins. Those joined to the Lord will never be separated form Him! We are two persons in one body. We don’t become Him and He doesn’t become us.
The Lord Jesus lives in your body with you if you have believed He died for your sin and have asked Him to forgive you and come into your heart. We never become sinless so we must confess to our Lord when we are aware we have done wrong . Then we will experience the abiding presence of the Lord.



Mysteries
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.05.2006
Do you ever wonder why the Lord allowed His temple in Jerusalem to be destoryed? And why it was never rebuilt? In the New Testament Jesus gives the reason. In fact He predicted that the temple would be destroyed.
     The first permenant temple where the presence of the Lord dwelt was build by King Solomon in Jerusalem. People went there to worship God. That temple was destroyed and rebuilt only to be destroyed again in Israel’s wars. It was permenantly destroyed by the Romans, 70 years after Jesus died. This was done so men would never again seek God in a physical place.
    During His life on earth Jesus indentified His body as the Temple. Also He taught that when a person becomes a Christian He would come and live in them thus making our body His temple.
    We should be careful what we allow to enter our body wheather it comes in through our eyes or our mouth. Mental images that are not pure can corrupt our thoughts just bad food or drink can make our bodies sick.
    The Holy Spirit is given to all who truely trust Jesus as their Savior. When He comes into our heart through faith in the death of Jesus Christ we become a brand new person. We are born again and the Lord lives with us in our body. God living in our bodies makes us His temple. “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the house of God, and that the Spirit of God lives among you in His house.... For God’s home is holy and clean, and you are that home” (I Cor. 3:16 TLB). And again Paul writes, “Haven’t you yet learned that your body is the home of the Holy Spirit God gave you, and that He lives within you? “
    Our body does not belong exclusive to us because God has bought us with a great price, the death of His Son. Therefore we should use every part of our body to give glory back to God. He owns us. (I Cor. 6:19,20)

Trust
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.13.2006
“Have faith in God” was a command of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t allow doubt to rob you of the reality of Jesus living in your heart. The greatest hinderance to realizing His presence is unconfessed sin. We all sin and I mean Christians too. There is still enough of our old life living in us that we want what we should not want and do what we regreat. The good news is the Lord will forgive us if we quite making excuses and admit we sinned.
    After confession we need to ask the Lord to fill us with the Holy Spirit. We can’t “be good” unless we allow Him to control our life. Don’t be afraid to turn your life over to Him. God is good and He is only good. Trust Him to guide and direct your life.

Knowing God
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.13.2006

    We can understand what our Lord Jesus Christ thinks because we read His Word, the Bible. All we need to know about heaven and hell and how to live is record in the Bible. 
    When we read the Bible the Holy Spirit helps us understand if we ask. We know the truth about God and our self because “for Bible tells me so.”
    We know the life of Christ is always flowing in and through us because Jesus gave us the illustration of the vine and branches to show how close our connection is to Him. Just like the sap of a vine flows through the branches and produce fruit, Jesus life filling ours gives up the abilaty to “produce fruit.” (that is behave ourself in the way that pleases the Lord)
    We don’t need to keep asking for what we already have! Instead of singing “I need Thee every hour,” sing “I have Thee every hour.”  Never waste time asking the Lord to be near you. If you are a born again Christian He is already within you, joined to you in such a union that He described us as “one spirit” with Him.
    “Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Heb. 11:6b). 
Pray for others
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.15.2006

All of us have friends or family who have great problems and need our prayers. Paul wrote these instructions: “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, ‘The reproach of those who reproached you fell on me.’” (Romans 15:1-3)

In another of Paul’s letters he said, “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Most everyone gets discouraged and “down” at times. The clouds of gloom can sap our energy and cause depression. “In this world you will have trouble” so don’t be embarrassed to ask your Christian friends to pray for you.

If a friend comes to mind let it be a reminder to pray our Father will help them solve their problems and know what to do. Remember to pray for one another asking the Father to help them live a life that pleases Him.

 

Problems
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.16.2006

    Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your situation? At one time or another we all have big questions and problems that we need His help and advice. Everything from ‘how do I get out of this mess?’ or ‘I need help,’ or ‘What’s the right thing to do.”  So, I am giving you Paul’s advice that is still the last word on handling our problems. It is another set of “threes” in Scripture. These three outline how to do God’s will no matter what we are facing.
    “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (I Thess. 5:17).
    What if you really aren’t thankful for  your troubles? Give thanks anyway trusting the Lord to work out the problems. And if you feel more like complaining than rejoicing do it anyway. It  is not a suggestion. It is a command.
    The key, or “peanut butter,” that makes rejoicing and giving thanks is praying all the time. You can pray anywhere and anytime for God knows our thoughts. You don’t have to get on your knees and fold your  hands or close your eyes. If you are driving in bad traffic please don’t shut your eyes to ask  the Lord for help and safety!
    You can “cast your cares upon the Lord for He cares for you.” Isn’t that wonderful? We don’t have to be under the pile of problems. Our Father loves us and will hear and answer our prayers. But there is one big hindrance to His doing so. We must admit and confess our sins to Him. The blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from ALL sin. 
Give Thanks
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.20.2006
Give thanks is a command in the Bible. The Lord God of all the earth is the one we thank. If you are breathing and reading this then obey. What should you thank God for? “Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20). This verse covers our responsibility to thank the Lord for everything.
What about the bad things that happen? We can give thanks even then for He has said, “all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.” They may not look good to us while we are in the midst of troubles but the promise is they will work together for our good. So trust the Lord. After all He is Almighty and can turn things around so they ultimately work for our good.
Be obedient. Give thanks with a grateful heart. and trust our Father to make things turn out right in the long run.
Thanksgiving
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.20.2006
Consider the word thanksgiving. It is made up of two words: thanks and giving. For what are we thankful? And to whom do we give thanks? There are many people in our life we should thank. Today I thanked the repair man who came to fix a broken appliance. He seemed surprised. So many people are paid to serve us but they still need kind words of appreciation.

The most important person who should be thanked is the Lord God. “This is my Father’s world.” He created the earth and everything in it including you and me and even the aggravating people who bug us. They need our prayers too, but the most important Person who should be thanked is the Great Creator who became our Savior.

Therefore, “in everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.“ You will always be doing the right thing if you remember and practice this verse of Scripture.
Give Thanks
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 11.24.2006

Thanksgiving Day is a day set apart to thank God for our blessings. Most of us just stuff ourselves like we were the turkey, and forget our Lord. We are so busy preparing for the day and so tired when we sit down to eat that we forget our ultimate Provider.

Thanksgiving Day was started as a day “a public celebration of divine goodness; also a day set apart for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God” (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary.) I’m afraid we have strayed far from this original purpose. It has become a day of feasting and shopping!

Will you join me in giving thanks to the Lord because it is written that He “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (I Tim. 6:17b). All things are from Him and to Him. He is the Almighty and those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ to save them from the consequences of their sin can give thanks for everything because the Lord makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him. Now that is something to celebrate and give continually thanks for.

A Resolutionn to Keep
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 01.04.2007
You are not your own. “Oh, yeah? Who said so? I am my own boss. No one is going to tell me what to do.” This attitude is basic human nature and the source of “I Did It My Way.”

God created us with the freedom to choose. To their own hurt most people choose their “own way.” If thoughts of the coming judgment comes to mind they are dismissed as far in the future. They don’t affect the way you live. Recently two young Beauty Queens found out they couldn’t do as they pleased. One lost her crown and the other was given a second chance.

There is no second chance when this life is over. God has assigned a place for people who ignore Him. It is not a pleasant place to spend a second, much less eternity. If we ignore the Lord we will “Pay the Piper.”

Saint Paul wrote, “I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1). God does not command us to do this. He asks us. It is our only reasonable act of worship.

What would happen if you surrendered your life to God? Before I did it I thought it would be bondage. The amazing truth is that it brought freedom from the down drag of trying to exercise “self control.” We are domed to failure if we depend upon our self to live pleasing to God. All our New Years resolutions are soon forgotten and we live as we always have.

Have you made your New Years resolutions to do better and be better? I was not a writer when I was young, so one of my resolutions was to write a letter my mother every week. She told me later that she and Dad laughed for they knew I wouldn’t follow-up on that resolution.

“I urge you, in view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” (Romans 12:1) This resolution has benefits here and now and for eternity!
Christ in you
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 01.18.2007
Years ago a dear old missionary came to visit us. This gave me a chance to ask him questions about my Christian life. “Is it really true that Jesus lives in me since I asked Him to come into my heart?”

“Absolutely! And He will never leave you. That is His promise to all who receive Him as Savior and Lord,” he said.

This was great news. I began to recognize the presence of the Lord and rejoice that He was not just with me but in my heart. Ever since I learned this glorious truth I renew my relationship with Him every day. “Good morning, Lord Jesus. I’m glad to greet you this morning as I awake in the new day that you have made. I yield my life to your control and depend upon your guidance. Warn me of the pot-holds that may trip me up and give grace to not succumbed to temptation...”

In the Old Testament there is a warning: “He has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord“ (Numbers 19:20). Since Christ came and died for our sin, we Christians are the Lord’s temple. We keep His temple, our body, clean daily (and sometimes every hour) by confessing our sin and turning from them. Our character may become polluted by un-confessed sin. Don’t allow the little sins of others against us to stay in our heart.

Many temptations to moral impurity assails us from every angle and source. Therefore we must keep a guard on our eyes. That is, be careful what we watch on TV, movies or print media. Temporary satisfaction has consequences: “that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal” (Hebrews 12:15).

Verse to Memorize: “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer: Lord, I need help. All around me there are temptations that lure me into sinful practices. Help me recognize what is happening before I fail.

And give grace that I will turn to you for help for you are always with me. In fact you and I live in the same body, so you are always ready to help me.
Feelings and faith
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 01.29.2008
If we live by our feelings we will be like a yoyo - up when life is going well and down when any little thing upsets us. Jesus told us "Do worry---," and listed the basic necessities of life: food and drink, clothes to wear, because our "heavenly Father knows that you need al these things." And He added that the unbelievers seek all these things, and we should "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matt. 6:31-33).

The question we all need answered is how do I live by faith and not my feelings. Paul gave that answer: "Be anxious for nothing , but in everything let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." So pray about anything and everything. Then leave "it" in our Lord's hands. He will accomplish whatever you are concerned about.

When our children were teens, we like most parents, had a lot to worry about. That was when we really learned to trust the Lord. Our kids grew up into wonderful adults and we learned through them to put the lesson of worry where it belongs. In God Almighty who is our Father hands.
Five Characteristics of Faith
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 05.06.2008
(1) A sense of our helplessness and nothingness as we come to our Father with our request is the right approach to Him. Sometimes we act like a two year old who tells his mother, "I can do it myself!" Often we don't ask God's help until we are completely frustrated with our attempts to "Do it myself."

(2) We must have assurance that we are in God's will and plan for our life. "If you want to know what God wants you to do just ask Him" (Living Bible).

(3) We must consecrated our self completely to the Lord for His will and plan. We take our place in Him for whatever life throws at us. "Your will, O God, not mine for I am Thine, and you are my protector."

(4) Daily we must feed ourself on the promises of God for faith comes by hearing the Word of God. He guides us through the written Word, the Bible, and by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

(5) Then according to His leading we dare to act apart from all feelings, recognizing the faithfulness of our Father.

Living faith is an action of my will in harmony with the Word of God. I act on the faithfulness of God for wisdom to know and do His will. And I count on the faithfulness of God who said, "I will never leave you or forsake you."
Hear God Speak
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 01.27.2009
“Why is it so hard to discern God’s will when we are willing to do it and even asking for the knowledge of what He wants us to do?”

Sometimes it takes awhile for us to settle down and be quiet so we can “hear” Him. If we are worried and anxious it is hard to get much out of our Bible reading or prayer. Paul wrote "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:6,7).

We usually don’t hear with our ears when the Lord speaks but sometimes we do. We “hear” in our spirit, the inner part of our mind.

The Lord communicates through the Bible or sometimes with a through that we know is His answer. If our mental attitude is that we are walking in in the Spirit we can move confidently on through our day. And we can rest in the fact that He is guiding our thinking and doing.

I lived for sixteen years before I understood the gospel and received Jesus into my life. Now He and I live together in my body. I am not Him and He is not me. But I am joined “with the Lord (and) one with Him in spirit” (I Cor. 6:17b).
Uncertain times
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 04.08.2009
My adequacy is from God! He is sufficient. Father, fill me with the Holy Spirit. I yield myself to you afresh this morning. Because You supply all my needs, I transfer myself into your loving care, and by the power of the Holy Spirit I will live pleasing to you because you richly supply me with all things to enjoy. Grant that I will do good and be rich in good works and be generous and ready to share so I will store up for myself the treasure of a good foundation for the future. And grant that I will take hold of that which is life indeed. (1 Tim. 6:17-19)

I will not let my heart be troubled! I will trust in God because every good thing comes from Him. He will deliver me from evil. I fix my eyes on Jesus for heaven is my home and He has stored up all I have invested in His kingdom there. And nothing can destroy it or me.

The Lord has commanded me not to love wealth or be devoted to riches because everything belongs to Him. I am only a temporary custodian to manage what He has given me. This adjusts my attitude to the depression/recession our country is in now.

Forgive me for being anxious and cleanse me in the Precious Blood. Redirect my thoughts to wholly trust and depend upon you, my Father. I praise that You own everything and You are in charge.

"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, or his descendants begging bread" (Psalm 37:25-26). So I find peace and security in the One God and only Savior Jesus Christ.
Who Is Christ Jesus?
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 04.14.2009
Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation! For by Him all things were created, both in the heavans and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorties - all things have been made by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Jesus is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. (Col. 1:15-20)

And blessed fact that all true believers are in Him. And He will never leave us or forsake us, for He said, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).

Celebrate who Christ Jesus is and the blessed prominse that He is with us and will never leave us!
Abiding in Christ
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 08.10.2010
"Just as the Father has loved Me, I have loved you; abide in My love" (John 10:9). This is our invitation to experience fellowship with Jesus throughout the day! God desires to reveal Himself as a Person to each one of us as an individual, knowing ourself as distinct from others. God will reveal Himself to us as a Person, and it is our holy calling to enter into fellowship with Him, God desires this fellowship with us. But sin has come between us and the Lord God. Even the Christian who thinks he know God there is often ignorance and indifference to this personal relationship of love to God.

We believe that our sins are forgiven and that God accepts us so that we may go to heaven. And we know we should try to do God's will but we must each day have this blessed fellowship with God.

God gave His Son to bring us to Himself! Experiencing His presence is only possible when we live in close fellowship with Jesus Christ. Our relationship to Christ rests on His deep and tender love to us. We are not able of ourselves to give Him this love. But the Holy Spirit will do the work in us. For this to be real in our life we need to daily separate ourself from the world and turn in faith to the Lord Jesus so that He may shed His love abroad in our hearts. Then we can be filled with a great love to Him.

Jesus said, "He that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will disclose Myself to him. (John 14:21)

Prayer: "Lord, You have loved me dearly; most earnestly do I desire to love You above everything else on earth."
The Sermon on the Mount 1
by Janie Buck
Topic: Faith
Date: 08.24.2010
"Blessed are those who don't think highly of themselves." Jesus gave us a "divinely-bestowed" sense of well being that is the opposite of the normal human way followed in the pursuit of happiness. The way most folks who don't know the Lord is "if only I had more money, fame, etc., I would be happy. But "poor in spirit" is the opposite of self-sufficiency. Apart from God and is grace we are spiritually bankrupt. There are no "self-made" people in God's kingdom. Without Him we can do nothing, But with Christ we can do all things because the kingdom of heaven is ours here and now!



"Blessed are those who don't think highly of themselves and morn over their sin." It is blessed because godly sorrow produces repentance and salvation. The Kingdom of Heaven is a gracious gift to those who sense their poverty of spirit and trust in the Lord to deliver them from sin and eternal shame.



"Blessed are those who morn, for they shall be comforted." This is a godly sorrow that produced repentance leading to salvation without regret" (2 Cor 7:10). The comfort God our Father gives is the assurance that our sins are forgiven, and we will see Him face-to-face when we die.



"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."


Home | About | Insights | Journal | Bookstore | Contact | Links

© 2004-2024 www.insightstofaith.com