Tag: Jesus

Remain in the Light

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/42932/day/2

There are many in today’s world who choose to live in darkness. Some don’t even realize that the place where they abide is filled with the darkness of the world because the enemy of our souls has blinded them to the truth. Those of us, however, who know the truth are called to stay in the light that Jesus has provided, not to join our fellow men in their darkness, but rather to invite them to come into the light with us. There should never be a time when we join others in the darkness because Jesus called us out of that place of ignorance and sin. Why would we go back in only to stumble around again and perhaps fall? The obvious answer is that we who are pressing into God and listening to the leading of His Spirit would not choose darkness over light. We are the light that Jesus left on the earth to shine into darkness, not to become a part of it. So when we condone sin and say it’s not a big deal, let’s be clear that it is a big deal to God and we are taking a dangerous step into darkness. We should always remain in the light, never wavering or flickering, but shining brightly in spite of those who are offended by the light.

Between Joshua and John’s Revelation

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www.bible.com/reading-plans/13696/day/23

What a great privilege we have to be able to read the entire Word of God and be encouraged by the fact that we know for a fact that God is working out His plan and He will ultimately triumph. Like Joshua, I face many battles of Jericho in my life, sometimes it seems more than others. With me, it has been a battle to continue to have faith for healing when the healing does not come. Nevertheless, God’s Word is true, regardless of my circumstances and one day I will have total victory over this rebellious body of mine. I am thankful to know that Jesus is the Commander of God’s Armies and is returning to lead a victorious people to conquer the enemy of our souls once and for all! I am looking forward to that day and rejoicing that God’s plan is still in place, He hasn’t changed His mind about what He is doing in the world, and we can rest assured that just as Joshua was victorious at Jericho, we will be victorious if we just hold on to the Lord. The victory here on earth may not be what we expect or when we expect or how we expect, but it is coming. We just have to let God be God.

Salvation Is A Gift

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App5 Comments

Have you ever been given a nicely wrapped and beautiful gift and immediately handed it back to the giver, saying that you are not interested and don’t want it? My guess is that hasn’t happened. Everyone likes to receive gifts, whether they are for a special occasion of a “just because” gift. My husband frequently surprises me with small tokens of his love, a gift that he got when he was out doing errands and thought of me. Did you know that you are on God’s mind all the time and that He has offered a free gift, the gift of salvation and eternal life, and yet some of you have turned away from the gift, rejecting it just as you reject God? The gift God offers cost you nothing; it is totally free. Yet to our Lord and Savior, it cost everything. We can only be right with God by accepting His gift. I can only imagine how much it must hurt God when so many people every day reject His gift, choosing instead the shiny things in this world that distract from the gift of the eternal life to come. We are only on this earth for a short while and what we do with our time here shows clearly what our priorities are and if we have accepted God’s gift of salvation. The era of technology that we live in today offers all kinds of glittery distractions to take our attention away from God and all that He offers us. Don’t be deceived. Your inheritance with the Lord is already there for you, but you have to accept it.

Justified by Faith

The letter to the Romans is packed with deep theological truths that are meant to shape the way Christians live. Paul, the writer of the letter to the church in Rome, covers the details of what is known as “the Gospel message”—a message that was handed down to them.

One of the central components to the Gospel is that salvation comes through faith alone. That means that we are saved by the power of God through believing and trusting in Jesus. Every Christian comes to God through faith—not through good deeds or by trying to earn salvation.

Paul says that we have peace with God by our faith in Jesus. Prior to that, we were considered ungodly and unrighteous, because we would live our lives in our own power, doing our own things. This led to separation from God.

However, by faith in Jesus, we are justified before Him. This means that through Jesus’ own right-living, we are made right before Him. Even though we still make mistakes, we stand innocent before God because of Jesus. 

It’s through being justified that we become children of God. We can have a relationship with God because of our status in Christ. We have access to God Himself, knowing that He is transforming us through our relationship with Him.

This means none of us can brag or boast about being a child of God. We all receive grace freely through faith. So right now, take a few moments to thank God for the incredible gift of salvation that He offers you. Then, reflect on what it means to be included in His family.

The Paint Isn’t Dry

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App4 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/16

I love the analogy of being a work of art, a masterpiece as it were. But the addition to that is that the paint isn’t dry because God continues to work on us daily to make us more like Jesus. I don’t know about you, but when I start a project, I am anxious to finish it, to see the completed work and to be able to use it for what I made it for. I can just imagine God starting the project on me over fifty years ago and still patiently working to complete it, knowing what His ultimate purpose is for me. When I get frustrated because I keep making the same mistakes, God lovingly corrects and brings me back around to try again. He just wants me to be more like Jesus, like the person He created me to be. It boggles my mind that God pays attention to me and my growth in Christ. My paint may not be dry, but I am so thankful that God still sees a canvas worth working on!

Seek Ways to Serve God

On By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App4 Comments

www.bible.com/reading-plans/11667/day/10

Serve while you grow and you end up growing more. I found in my life as a teacher in various states teaching various subjects that nowhere did I grow more in my knowledge and dependence on God than when I was told I would be teaching Latin I in high school. I am trained to teach Spanish and history, but the administrators needed a Latin teacher and said that since I had a background in Spanish (a Romance language) I would do fine. Let me tell you, I studied that subject every night, barely staying ahead of the students. The Latin teacher who was there to help me for about a month left to get knee surgery, had complications and was out for most of the year. So, there was me and a substitute who knew no Latin or any language at all. I did have one human resource, a teacher named David from another school who would answer all of my questions. (I kept a running list.) I also called on God over and over again to help me to understand and to remember the conjugations, declensions and vocabulary that were all totally new to me. My six week class of introductory Latin in high school that I took to help with my SAT scores was not terribly helpful, but David was and God calmed my spirit. I learned by doing. I taught and I learned.

Sometimes, we are called to step outside of our comfort zone and just do what God is calling us to do. This week I have been at my sister’s house in NC. I would much rather be in my warm home in VA, preparing for a visit from my son and his family. She is not especially pleasant to be around since she is not a Christian, wants little or nothing to do with God and seems to have developed a bitter spirit about Him since she is going blind. I have helped all that I can. I have prepared meals, cleaned, ministered to her needs so she doesn’t have to struggle to get up. I have tried to show her that Christians are not sanctimonious and judgmental but loving and kind. Has this been a great visit for me? Not according to earthly standards, but I have been doing what God sent me here to do. I have served. I am not trying to toot my horn or get pats on the back. I am just saying that someone, somewhere can use your gifts, talents and ministry of serving. You just have to find where and how to do it. You will never know true fulfillment here on earth until you are following Jesus’s example and serving, even when the people you serve don’t seem to see or appreciate what you do. God sees and He is smiling at you because you are looking more like His beloved Son every day that you serve others.

Good News

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When you get a raise or a promotion or a new baby arrives, you cannot wait to share the good news with everyone you know and even some strangers you may meet. The really good news that we should be sharing is the new life made possible because of the arrival of Jesus. On this Christmas Eve, take time to share the reason you are joyous and celebrating. Take time to tell others about your hope, your peace and your Savior!

A Path through the Wilderness

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Fulfillment of God’s Promises

In the Old Testament, while the nation of Israel was scattered across the land in exile for their disobedience, God was still actively working through the prophets to speak to His people. And in Isaiah 40, God tells Isaiah to comfort the people because God will return to save them.

The people of God were called to prepare themselves for the return of the Lord. It was foretold that there would be a prophet who would lead the way for God in the midst of the wilderness.

This wilderness imagery is important because God had previously led His people out of Egypt through the wilderness. This was the place of God’s great deliverance of Israel and also the place of God’s next great deliverance.

In Matthew 3:3, we find Isaiah 40:3 quoted as John the Baptist is in the wilderness preparing the people of God for the coming of Jesus. John is the voice calling out, asking the people to turn from their ways and prepare for the coming King.

The long-awaited promises of God from Isaiah and the other prophets are fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus.

When we read Isaiah and the Gospels together, we learn how God continues to be faithful to His people. He follows through on His promises. He doesn’t leave His people; instead, He makes a path through the wilderness to bring them new life.

Take some time to think about your own life. Consider during this season of Advent and time of reflection: How has God been faithful to you?

A Mother’s Thoughts

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song1 Comment

Since we moved so frequently as a military family, I have memories of each of my children in different places. I used to be upset that I didn’t have one home with all of my memories safely stored there with me. Nowadays, after suffering a stroke and losing part of my memories, I am thankful for all of the moves because I can see an image of a child in a place and know where we were and what was happening then. Tokens of their childhood are stored safely away in various places in our current home…the first haircut, the first tooth lost, the first report card. And each token carries a memory of being a young mother with a lot of love and not much knowledge about what I was doing.

That brings me to the Bible verse and a song for today.

The angels sang, the shepherds came to worship and Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, treasured these memories in her heart. It boggles my mind that a simple girl was chosen by God to give birth to the Savior of the world. It mystifies me that Mary was a mother, just like me, with hopes and dreams for her child but also knowing that He had a destiny to fulfill and she was only a small part of it.

“Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix

This is my absolutely favorite Christmas song because it incorporates the love of a mother for her newborn child and the love of the child for the entire world.

Cherish your memories and hold fast to to your faith that God has a plan for your life, just as He did for Mary, and that He will bring it to pass.