Salvation is coming

"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." - Psalm 27:13-14 (NIV)

Remember, no matter what is going on in your life, no matter how bleak it is, God can and will come through. All we have to do is wait.

The Lord is with us...

Source: Kingdomservants.org

A psalm of comfort on a Monday...

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

-- Psalm 23 (NIV)

Leaning on Jesus

"'I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.'" - John 15:5 (NIV)

There has been many a time where Christians have been accused of using God as a "crutch," where they are unable to stand or do anything without God.

Somehow, that has been portrayed as a bad thing.

Throughout the Bible, it is proclaimed that we should rely on God, for he provides the strength that is necessary to live in a fallen world. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us,

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (NIV)

The prophet Isaiah said for his fellow Israelites to "trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock (Isaiah 26:4 (ESV))" even after they had been conquered and oppressed. In the beginning shortly after he created the world, God provided for his newly formed man and all of the animals (see Genesis 1:29-30). Later, as people were abandoning Jesus after a particular difficult teaching on his being the "bread of life" (see John 6:25-59), one of his apostles, Peter, told him,

"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." - John 6:68-69 (NIV)

In his comparison of himself and his people described in John 15, Jesus said he is the vine and we are the branches. A tree's branches cannot survive apart from the tree - anyone who has picked up dead branches following a storm can attest to this. We are the same way in that we cannot survive and do much of anything apart from God and by extension, Jesus Christ.

That includes being saved from our sins. In John 14:6, Jesus is quoted as saying,

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (NIV)

That is because Jesus was the final sacrifice for our sins (and remember every last one of us have sinned) when he went to the cross. And we need to accept that gift is repent of our sins (see Mark 1:15) and confess that Jesus is Lord (see Romans 10:9-10), then we will be saved.

Questions? Concerns? Do you want to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior today? Please feel free to contact me today and we can talk.

Nothing but the best

Source: Orthodoxfaith.info

"'Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.'" - John 2:10 (NIV)

Back in Jesus' day, wedding banquets were the norm for those getting married, especially if either the husband or wife came from a rich family. While the wedded (most likely from an arrangement set by their parents) were honored initially during the ceremony and early in the banquet, it soon became a drunken party in which the guests drank wine to their hearts' content. And as anyone who has either drunk too much or has seen it at parties, typically at some point the quality of the drink, whether it is beer, wine or some other alcoholic beverage, was not as much a concern.

Oftentimes, the story told in John 2:1-11 is analyzed as among Jesus' first miracles, when he turned water into wine. It did provide a glimpse into who he is, and a glimpse into how he often would get the attention of those around him (through miracles).

This story also can be viewed as the difference between this world and heaven. Yes, there are some good things in this world, whether it be family, works of art, marvel engineering feats, etc. These can and should be celebrated.

However, heaven, as described in the Bible, and what we as followers of Christ get to look forward to, is so much more.

"I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.'" - Revelation 21:2-4 (NIV)

Our physical bodies, some in better shape than others, also will be the best they can be.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." - Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

To get to God's best, though, we have to come to faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16 (NIV)

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'" - John 14:6 (NIV)

To those who have trusted in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, this is what they get to look forward to. For those who have yet to take that step, all you have to do is ask (Romans 10:9-10). If you would like to talk more about that or ask questions, please feel free to contact us today. It will be the biggest decision you will ever make.