Tag Archives: life jesus

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – The Joy of Anticipated Reward

1 Comment

John MacArthur

“That the proof of your faith . . . may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7).

The joy you experience after your faith has been tested and proven genuine is largely due to your present blessings and assurance of salvation. But there’s a future aspect as well: the joy of anticipating the reward you’ll receive from Jesus when you see Him face to face and hear “Well done, good and faithful servant! . . . Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:21, NIV). Peter described it as the “praise and glory and honor [you’ll receive] at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7).

“Praise” in that text speaks of verbal commendation. To receive “glory” is to be made like Christ. Jesus is the incarnation of God’s glory (John 1:14) and “we know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2). Paul spoke of those who “by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality” (Rom. 2:7). As a result they will receive what they seek (v. 10).

Peter probably used “honor” as a synonym for rewards, which God will grant to all who faithfully serve Him. I believe those rewards are various capacities for heavenly service and are directly related to the believer’s service in this life. Jesus said, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12, emphasis added). Paul said, “He who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Cor. 3:8, emphasis added).

God alone is worthy of praise, glory, and honor, but He will give you all three because you’ll be in the image of Jesus Christ–sinless and fully glorified (1 John 3:2). Until that time, “watch yourselves, that you might not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward” (2 John 8).

Suggestions for Prayer:

Praise the Lord for the joy of anticipating your future reward.

For Further Study:

Peter spoke of a time when Jesus will reward believers. What do these verses teach about that time: Romans 8:18, 1 Corinthians 1:7-8, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10, and 1 Peter 4:10- 13?

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God’s Adventure

Leave a comment

Max Lucado

What is it about birthdays that causes us to quiver so? Certainly part of the problem is the mirror.  Time may be a great healer, but it’s a lousy beautician. But the real pain is deeper.  Sometimes a dream-come-true-world has come true and it’s less than you’d hoped.  Regret becomes a major pastime.

Luke 17:33 says, “Whoever tries to keep his life safe will lose it, and the one who’s prepared to lose his life will preserve it.” “There are two ways to view life,” Jesus is saying, “those who protect it or those who pursue it.  The wisest are not the ones with the most years in their lives, but the most life in their years.”

You can take the safe route. Or you can hear the voice of adventure—God’s adventure. Adopt the child. Teach the class.  Change careers. Make a difference. Sure it isn’t safe, but what is?

 

Uncategorized

Charles Stanley – The Price of Prayerlessness

1 Comment

 

Matthew 11:28-30

Prayer was a priority in the Savior’s life—Jesus continually communed with His Father. Likewise, praying is essential for anyone today who wants to be used mightily by God. In other words, if you desire to walk in the Spirit and live a holy life, time spent with the Lord must be a regular part of your routine.

If we allow our time alone with the Lord to stop being a priority, we open ourselves up to discouragement, doubt, disillusionment, and eventually disaster. Then, if we pull away and cease to fellowship with our Father, we will begin to feel the spiritual, emotional, and physical weight of our earthly circumstances.

Prayer lifts up our burdens so that we do not have to bear their weight. Whether they are given to us by the Lord in order to teach us or are self-imposed as a result of the decisions we make, God tells us to cast our burdens upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Bearing a load we were not intended to carry takes a spiritual toll on us. What’s more, it can leave us physically and emotionally beaten as well.

Weary believers are prime targets for the Enemy’s attacks. First, he strikes us with discouragement. Then, when we lose hope, we’re primed for his next weapon: doubt. The Devil knows that a doubting Christian can easily be pushed into disillusionment. So he whispers things like, “Where is God?” and “The Christian life doesn’t work!” Listening to him can breed disaster.

Remember, prayer isn’t just a comfort in times of need; it is essential for our survival. Like Jesus, we should depend upon prayer for guidance.

Uncategorized

Presidential Prayer Team; P.G. – Just One Door

Leave a comment

 

Perhaps you’ve seen posters of the doorways of Tuscany or Provence showing many styles of entryways…heavy carved wooden doors with iron hinges, painted doors within graceful arches or under heavy stone beams. There are so many means of access.

Through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18

God has provided a portal into Heaven – but only one. In the treatise of the Good Shepherd, Jesus proclaims He is that door. (John 10:9) In today’s passage, Paul reminds the Christians of Ephesus that, whether Jew or Gentile, there is still but one way…and it runs directly through the cross of Christ.

In Revelation 3:20, the Bible speaks of another door: the entry into the human heart. Written to Christians, it is a reminder that Jesus desires active communion with His own, but will not force His way in. A much-loved painting by Warner Stillman reminds you there is no knob, no latch on this door’s exterior. It must be opened from within.

Keep your heart’s door wide open. As you do, you can readily show others the One Way, Truth and Life…Jesus…the portal into Heaven. Intercede for those who have not yet found God’s loving provision and pray that the truth of His only way will invade this nation’s halls of government.

Recommended Reading: Ephesians 2:12-22

Uncategorized

John MacArthur – Thinking Biblically

1 Comment

 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8).

God is concerned about the way you think. That’s why Paul said, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). In Philippians 4:8 he instructs us to think about that which is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and praiseworthy.

When Jesus spoke of a pure heart in Matthew 5:8, He was talking about sanctified thinking. The Greek word translated “heart” is kardia, from which we get the word cardiac. While we often relate heart to the emotions (e.g., “He has a broken heart”), the Bible relates it primarily to the intellect (e.g., “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders”; Matt. 15:19). That’s why you must “watch over your heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23).

In a secondary way, however, heart relates to the will and emotions because they are influenced by the intellect. If you are committed to something, it will affect your will, which in turn will affect your emotions.

The Greek word translated “pure” in Matthew 5:8 means “to cleanse.” In the moral sense it speaks of being free from the filth of sin. It also refers to something that is unmixed, unalloyed, or unadulterated. Spiritual integrity and sincere motives are appropriate applications of its meaning to the Christian life.

Jesus was saying the kingdom citizen is blessed because he or she has pure thoughts and pure motives that together produce holy living. Someone might say he’s religious and has pure motives, but if his behavior isn’t righteous, his heart isn’t fixed on God. Similarly, you can go to church, carry a Bible, and recite verses, but if your heart isn’t clean, you haven’t met God’s standard.

You must do the will of God from a pure heart (Eph. 6:6). Toward that end, make David’s prayer yours as well: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).

Suggestions for Prayer:

Memorize Psalm 19:14 and make it a part of your daily prayers.

For Further Study:

Read the following verses, noting the characteristics of a pure heart: Psalm 9:1, 26:2, 27:8, 28:7, and 57:7.

Uncategorized

Understanding Your Call – Charles Stanley

1 Comment

 

Luke 9:57-62

Our Father has specific plans for each of His children. Toward that end, He has placed a three-fold call on the life of every believer:

l. We are called to salvation in Jesus. Trusting Christ as our Savior initiates a personal relationship with Him through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. He wants us to lay down the burden of trying to work out salvation ourselves. Instead, He invites us to trust Him to do the transforming work in us. (Matt. 11:28-29)

2. We are called to abide in Jesus. Abiding in the Lord means: listening to Him speak through Scripture; living in growing dependence on Him; learning to know Him more intimately; and drawing upon His power to live a godly life. Jesus calls us to make our relationship with Him primary above all other relationships and to remain with Him without interruption all of our days.

3. We are called to follow Jesus. To follow someone requires knowing his character, his plans, and how he desires to carry them out. The Bible clearly tells us everything we need to know in order to live under Jesus’ leadership. The evidence that we are following Him will show in our attitudes, conduct, character, conversation, and relationships.

Without the Holy Spirit’s presence—which we received at salvation—we can’t abide in Jesus. (John 15:4, 26). Without abiding in Christ, we won’t know Him well enough to follow. If we choose not to follow, we’ll miss out on the joy God has planned for us. Are you living out His three-fold call?