HOPELESS

Have you ever been to a funeral where there seemed to be many people who didn’t have any relationship with Jesus Christ, people who did not know the hope of salvation?

There is a look of grief in all those present but in those eyes without the hope of Christ, there seems to be fear, emptiness and even terror.

For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,

When God requires his life? Job 27:8 (NASB)

I think that should be a sober reminder to those of us who do know Christ that we too were once like that, having no hope.

Remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12 (NASB)

That should cause us, not to look down on those frightened, hopeless people but instead to look on them with compassion and a desire to introduce them to the One that we call Lord, the One in Whom we have placed all of our hope and trust.

He saved us—

not by works of righteousness that we had done,

but according to His mercy,

through the washing of regeneration

and renewal by the Holy Spirit.

⁶ This Spirit He poured out on us abundantly

through Jesus Christ our Savior,

⁷ so that having been justified by His grace,

we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:5-7 (HCSB)

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HUMILITY

In Chris Tomlin’s book, The Way I Was Made, © 2005, Multnomah Publishers, Inc., he talks about leading a life of humility and uses the term “an unnoticed life.” He describes the unnoticed life with stories of people he has known and uses some rather interesting phrases that I would like to share with you.

Here’s the first one:

“The power of dying to my own importance and reputation and taking the way of Jesus.” (p. 76)

I like that, dying to my own importance! It reminds me of Galatians 2:20 (NASB) where Paul says,

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

The second phrase about the unnoticed life that really struck me is this:

“It’s death—death to every molecule of you that rises for attention and notice. But it’s also birth into God’s amazing upside-down kingdom.” (p. 84)

Jesus said in John 18:36, “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Elsewhere the Bible tells us that Gods ways are higher than our ways. The world says grab all you can for yourself and God says give yourselves to the service of others. We’re even warned in 1 John 2:15 not to love the things in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life. That section finishes with the reason:

The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:17 (NASB)

Jesus summed it up best for us in Luke 9:23 - 24 (NLT),

²³Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. ²⁴If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.

So, don’t worry about making a “name” for yourself and being famous. Make your life about showing others how famous God is!

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CHILDREN

Working with children can be very rewarding in many ways. We can learn from the smallest of them what it is like to trust, have faith in others or look to their elders for guidance.

Jesus used the humility and simple faith of children as an illustration of how we are to be with our Heavenly Father.

WE CAN LEARN FROM CHILDREN

¹About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” ²Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. ³Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. ⁴So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:1 - 4 (NLT)

We all know that there are times on earth when things are not as God planned. While we can see the simple trust and humility in a small child, we can also see the disappointments in their eyes and ultimately in their lives when they are let down by those in whom they placed their trust.

WE HAVE RESPONSIBILITIES TOWARD CHILDREN

⁵“And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf (lit. in my name) is welcoming me. ⁶But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea. ⁷“What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. Matthew 18:5 - 7 (NLT)

We know that our Heavenly Father cannot let us down. He does not tempt us or cause us to fall into sin. He delivers us from its deadly consequences. He has promised us life eternal when we believe in and follow His Son, Jesus. He has promised us an abundant life (not necessarily materially!) when we adopt His ways rather than the ways of the world.

While salvation for ourselves is a wonderful gift, we also must remember the responsibility that we have toward the children. As Jesus said in Matthew 19:14,
“Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Pray for the children and youth of your city, state, country and all over the world. They are the future of the Body of Christ on this earth. Don’t stop them by insisting they sing the same songs that you’ve always sung. Don’t hinder them with the legalism of the Pharisees that Jesus condemned. Love them with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

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SCHEMES

It doesn’t matter who our friends are, what we read, what we argue about, or what we watch on TV (or internet). After all, it’s our business. It’s our life.

Does the above statement hold true if you are a child of God, saved by His Son Jesus Christ?

God addresses those issues in His Word (2 Corinthians 6:14-15; 1 Timothy 6:20; 1 John 2:15; Ephesians 5:4).

When you think of the Christian life as spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6), there are forces that would have us ignore God’s direction for our lives. It is up to us to plead the blood of Jesus and know what He wants of us…

so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. 2 Corinthians 2:11 (NASB)

Now comes the question, are you ignorant of Satan’s schemes? What tactics does he use to stifle our walk with the Lord?

Perhaps by convincing us, as he did with Eve in the Garden of Eden, that God would not keep us from reading those other philosophies. In fact, God would want us to be well informed. The problem comes when we consider these things that we read to be on the same level of importance as the Bible, God’s Word.

And of course, God wouldn’t mind if our best friend, or our boyfriend/girlfriend wasn’t a Christian. After all, we might be able to save them!

Satan wants us to be tied up in the sensory experiences that we have (if we can touch it and feel it, it must be real). We tend to trust those experiences more than those things we cannot touch and see. But wait! What about God? We can’t see Him or touch Him. See! Doubt can begin to creep in. The attacks of the enemy, Satan, are real.

Guard your heart and your mind. Read God’s Word and trust the One that created this world and you! Trust that He knows what is best for you and for me. His ways are higher than our ways. His thoughts are above, superior, to ours.

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WEAPONS

Every day we battle things we cannot see: ideas, feelings & emotions, words & hurts. These are some of the things that affect our spirits. The greatest battle we are engaged in is a spiritual one.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NASB) ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, ⁴ for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

God, our Creator, has given us weapons to use in this daily battle.

Defensive weapons:

In addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:16 (NASB)

Faith that God is Who He says He is. Faith that He will protect us and guide us as we look to Him for help and leadership. Faith that Jesus Christ died so that our sins would be forgiven and we could have fellowship for eternity with our Creator. You can’t see faith, but you can live it!

Offensive weapons:

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17 (NASB)

Our faith and God’s word are our greatest offensive weapons. He makes promises to us in His word. We believe Him by faith. He tells us how to live in His word to keep on the right track. We believe Him by faith. The ‘trick’ is, you have to read His word (the Bible) in order for it to be useful in your life.

For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. 1 John 5:4-5 (NIV)

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AUTHORITY

Can you explain everything you see or experience? Do you believe there may be different dimensions of existence?

The Bible tells us that other dimensions do exist…

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 (NASB)

In 2 Corinthians 10:3, Paul tells us “though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh”. How does one “war” according to the flesh?

First, one must have the authority to do so. Our authority comes from Jesus Christ and this we accept by faith. Jesus tells us in the Gospel of Mark,

“These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; Mark 16:17 (NASB)

Now, what good is authority if it is not exercised? So, trust in God, in the power of His might and go forward in battle. The Lord is on your side, you cannot fail.

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7 (NASB)

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INVITE

Nothing can take the place of a one-on-one relationship. There’s just something special about having a friend that you can talk with about anything. Maybe you have several of those types of relationships. That’s great. You know what I’m talking about!

Sometimes, God leads people into our path that we know we are special, that the Lord wants us to have a special relationship with, and we simply need to take that first step…

As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him. Matthew 9:9 (NLT)

At The SPRING Student Center, I have felt that way with several kids. Yesterday I sat down with one and the Lord just started talking to that person through me. Wow. That was cool.

Take a chance; listen to God speaking and go with the flow. Invite someone into relationship with you. And remember, you are an ambassador of Christ. That’s where the focus of the relationship is to be.

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READY

If you have knowledge of something, know how to do something that will benefit every single one of your friends, do you tell them or do you simply write it in a journal and leave it to them in your will?

There once was a teacher who was instructing his students. He explained to them that their knowledge was like light…it illuminated the darkness of ignorance. He told them that they had a duty, an obligation, to share that with others. That teacher’s name was Jesus. Here’s what he said…

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 (NIV)

His example is clearly meant for us as well. We are to gather knowledge from the Word of God and show forth the light of that knowledge by following it’s instruction, by living the way it outlines for us and sharing that knowledge with others around us.

Of course, the way we share that knowledge verbally is also outlined in God’s Word. He tells us

but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 1 Peter 3:15 (NASB)

Emphasis on the gentleness and reverence. “In your face”, “holier-than-thou” type thinking and acting will not cause someone to want to follow Christ.

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BEYOND

If we live a life beyond reproach, one that nobody can find fault with, do you think that could cause someone to ask us, “Why” or possibly, “How”?

Think about someone that you know who seems to be a really good person. Do you respect them? Would you possibly ask their advice? That is the type of life we should be living in order to attract others to our Lord Jesus Christ. Everything we do should point to Him, the sinless sacrifice who died in our place, for our sins.

Look at this example from the life of Abraham. His wife, Sarah, had just died and he was in a foreign land. He wanted to bury her and so inquired of the leaders of the place where he was. He offered to buy a piece of land from one of the local citizens. Here is the response to his offer and Abraham’s counter offer…

¹¹“No, my lord,” he said to Abraham, “please listen to me. I will give you the field and the cave. Here in the presence of my people, I give it to you. Go and bury your dead.”

¹²Abraham again bowed low before the citizens of the land, ¹³and he replied to Ephron as everyone listened. “No, listen to me. I will buy it from you. Let me pay the full price for the field so I can bury my dead there.” Genesis 23:11-13 (NLT)

Now that seems a little crazy to us in this day and age. It’s usually the other way around. The seller says, I’ll take a certain price for the land and we offer less. Here Abraham, not wanting people to think he was trying to get something for nothing, offers to pay the full price. He wanted to be above reproach.

Doesn’t that remind you of Jesus? He WAS beyond reproach as He lived a sinless life and He paid the full price, His life, for our sins.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 to,

Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And in Acts 24:16 he tells us to do our best to

“maintain a blameless conscience both before God and before men.”

Living a life beyond reproach for the glory of God the Father and your Savior Jesus Christ is one of the best ways you can be a ‘witness.’

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EMULATE

When we see someone that is highly respected, we want to emulate that person. It seems like a natural desire especially when that person is devoted to a life of helping others. Take for instance Mother Teresa; she was highly respected by many for her life and devotion to others.

There was a prophet named Ezra who learned that the people of Israel had intermarried with people that God warned them was forbidden. Instead of ranting and raving at the people to change their behavior, Ezra got on his knees and prayed...

“O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. Ezra 9:6 (NLT)

Ezra prayed for the people that were doing wrong and included himself as a wrongdoer even though he had not committed the specific sin of intermarriage. As a result of his prayer the people were humbled…

While Ezra prayed and made this confession, weeping and lying face down on the ground in front of the Temple of God, a very large crowd of people from Israel—men, women, and children—gathered and wept bitterly with him. Ezra 10:1 (NLT)

They asked Ezra what they should do to make up for the sins they had committed. This is his response:

¹¹So now confess your sin to the LORD, the God of your ancestors, and do what he demands. Separate yourselves from the people of the land and from these pagan women.”

¹²Then the whole assembly raised their voices and answered, “Yes, you are right; we must do as you say!” Ezra 10:11-12 (NLT)

Ezra won them over to the Lord’s side by example. He prayed earnestly for them and the people responded by following his humble example.

Is there someone that you want to come to the Lord or turn from their ways of sin? Live a holy life so they can see it and humbly and earnestly pray for them.

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EXAMPLE

A lot of times people in the church think that leading someone to find Jesus as their Savior is all about going through the Four Spiritual Laws, The Roman Road or some other method that they have been taught.

I’m not saying those things are bad, but I do believe that the most powerful thing we can do is to live a life modeled after Jesus Christ and worship God in heaven with all of our hearts.

Worship through song is one way we can show others how we feel about God. It is a very powerful form of worship.

Do you think that music can defeat our enemies?

Look at 2 Chronicles 20:21

After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang:

“Give thanks to the LORD;

his faithful love endures forever!”

²²At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves.

When the armies of Israel arrived at the scene, “Not a single one of the enemy had escaped.” (v. 25)

Music that has the aim of glorifying God in heaven can and will defeat the Enemy.

Can music lead others to belief in Jesus Christ?

Turn to Acts 16:25

²⁵Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.

The result of that singing was the jailer and his entire family being saved and baptized (v. 33)

Our focus on praising God, even when in adverse circumstances, can cause others to wonder and inquire about our joy. That opens up the door for us to share about our relationship with Jesus giving the other person the opportunity to know Him as their Lord and Savior.

Worship the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

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SELFLESS

We tend to think a lot of ourselves. We naturally take care of our wants and needs first. The motto of this world is “Me first.” Yet there are some who dare to be different and have been acknowledged as selfless individuals, revered for the help they have given to the poor. Take Mother Teresa for example. Most would acknowledge here selfless giving of her time and resources while living a life of moderation.

Our prime example is to be taken from God and His Son, Jesus Christ. God could have made man entirely different from Himself, but He chose to make us in His image. He could have told us to sit there, be quiet and work while He ran things, but He put us in charge of His creation…

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ²⁸God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NASB)

Jesus, the Son of God, was selfless in His short life on this earth…

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. ⁸Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 (NASB)

As you start out this new year, think about how you can help others. Think about how you can live the life that Paul speaks of in Philippians 2:3…

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; (NASB)

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PLAN

It seems like almost every day someone says to me, “I’m bored.” I ask some what their dreams are or what they want to “be” when they get older and the usual response is a shoulder shrug with “I don’t know.”

Have we forgotten how to dream? Have we forgotten to teach the young ones how to imagine the different possibilities that God has laid out before them? Might we also have neglected to tell them (or teach them) that reaching your dreams takes a plan and a lot of hard work.

Remember the old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”? The first book of the Bible shows us that God had a plan and went about creating the world and all it contains. He didn’t start creating man until He had formed the environment in which man would live. The environment provides our shelter and food to name just a couple of things.

God created light and separated it from the darkness (Genesis 1:4). He created water and separated the water from the sky (Genesis 1:7). He created dry land and separated it from the seas (Genesis 1:9). It wasn’t until he had done all of this, after a couple of days of work, that God “saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:10).

Only after the environment was ready did He start to create life: vegetation, fruit trees, fish, birds, wild life and finally man. Then He looked at everything He created and saw it was “very good.”

What “plan” does God have for your life? Do you know? Have you asked Him?

‘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. ¹²‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:11 - 12 (NASB)

Plan the work, and then work the plan. Many today view “work” as a bad word but without it, nothing would be done.

God has set each one of us on this earth to do “work” for Him. Are you in tune with His plan?

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LIGHT

Many people are depressed about their lives especially during the holidays. You may be one of those people. Perhaps you wish things were different, a different boyfriend or girlfriend, a different job or a clearer purpose in your life.

Whatever it is that is getting you down, you need to know that there is One who cares about you and can make a real difference in your life. Look at this verse about an incredible change that illuminated things:

The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. ³Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:2 - 3 (NLT)

If God can provide light for us to see by and light to fill the whole earth and sky, He can definitely provide “light” in your life.

• Light to see the “real” you (made in His image) and how important you are to Him
• Light to provide purpose and direction to your life

Jesus Christ is the light of the World (John 8:12). He was there in the beginning of the world (John 1:2-4) and He will be with us in eternity. The Lamb of God, our Savior, wants us to love Him and follow Him. We will not be sorry, nor will we want for anything…

2

We will dwell with Christ, our light, forever:

And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. ⁵And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever. Revelation 21:23, 22:5 (NASB)

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BEGINNINGS

The New Year has begun! Today many of you will be going back to work for the first time in 2008, a new beginning. I would like to encourage you to remember the beginning of beginnings and the One who originated all beginnings:

Genesis 1:1 (NASB) ¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God created everything that exists including the material that things are made of. He created you, me and all other human beings that have ever existed or that ever will exist. He alone is worthy of our praise and our worship.

Begin this new year by acknowledging the One who loves you and gave you life.

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HOPE

¹ Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD, O my soul!

² I will praise the LORD while I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

³ Do not trust in princes,

In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

⁴ His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;

In that very day his thoughts perish.

⁵ How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

Psalms 146:1 - 5 (NASB)

The dictionary (Encarta online) breaks down the definition of hope into several things. The first is “confident desire: a feeling that something desirable is likely to happen.” The last definition it gives is, “trust: a feeling of trust.”

Those of us that call Jesus, Lord and Savior have placed our hope in Him. Jesus himself said, ¹³“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13, NASB) We not only have a feeling that something desirable is going to happen, we trust the God of the Universe to make it happen. He has promised us new life and we trust Him to make that happen.

Blessed, or happy, is the man and woman whose hope is in the Lord…

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:5 (NASB)

Trusting in our fellow man often results in disappointment. So, in this New Year, place your hope in God. You will not be disappointed.

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FAITHFUL

The LORD protects all those who love him,

but he destroys the wicked. Psalms 145:20 (NLT)

The Lord is totally right in everything He does (righteous) and overflows with kindness toward those who regard Him as Lord and Master.

He is so close to us (omnipresent) that when we call on Him sincerely, He is right there with us.

When we recognize the awesome nature of His power (Creator, Savior, Redeemer, etc.), He grants our every wish…because our every wish will be lined up with His will.

He hears our prayers for help (before we even think them) and comes to our aid to rescue us from our problems.

When we love Him sincerely (you can’t fool God!), He returns that genuine affection with protection from our enemies whether physical or spiritual

Look back over this past year and see where God has worked in your life. Can you find His protection in any specific event? Can you remember a time when you prayed for help and He was there with the solution? Can you recall something that you desired that only God could have brought about? Or perhaps you remember a time when He comforted you in a moment of hurt…it felt like He was holding you in His ever loving arms.

Take the time to record your findings. Perhaps it will come in handy in the coming year when you need a little reminder of God’s incredible faithfulness to those who love Him.

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FEAR

He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;

He will also hear their cry and will save them.

Psalms 145:19 (NASB)

Fear doesn’t have to mean “scary.” The dictionary says one of the meanings of fear is reverence: respect or awe for something or somebody. This is the meaning of fear when applied toward God. We are to respect Him. If you stop and think about God as having created the planets, the stars, the mountains that surround us and everything else that exists, we should fear Him. After all, couldn’t He simply wipe out the very things that He created?

Why then do we sometimes act as though what He says doesn’t matter? Why do we ignore His wishes for our lives? Are we not fearful enough of God’s awesome power?

I’m not implying that the only reason we should obey God is out of fear for Him, but merely that it would behoove us (and perhaps modify our behavior) if we considered His true greatness.

Even though God is to be feared, He would prefer our obedience out of love for Him. Jesus said, if you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15) and God loved every single one of us in this world so much that he sent Jesus, His only begotten Son to die for our sins (John 3:16).

Don’t underestimate His power for one day EVERY knee WILL bow and EVERY tongue WILL confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11 - emphasis mine).

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