God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:5 (NLT) Does the thought of serving God energize you? If you’re serving God and helping out in your church because you’re frantically trying to be a good Christian to earn brownie points with God and other people, you’re going to burn out. On the other hand, if you do so because you’ve grown to love with Jesus and now you just want to serve to give back, your serving will energize you. As you increase your understanding of Jesus’ love and what He accomplished for you, you’re going to get more …
EVERYTHING IN HIM
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV) Many people have come to believe that God is an angry God. They believe God brings consequences on your life if you don’t live up to a certain moral standard. They say that God is judging countries and cities and is punishing them with tsunamis, earthquakes and wars. These people mean well. Their intention is to please God, but they don’t fully understand what Jesus accomplished for us, and it’s sad to see. Did Jesus take the curse or not? If He didn’t, then we need to ignore Galatians 3:13. But if He did, then let’s believe it. Jesus did take the curse and, …
JESUS IS ABOUT TRUE LOVE
No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NLT) What Jesus accomplished for us is about true love. You see, God’s love is unconditional. He loves you regardless of how you treat Him, and you and I have the ability to love that way because we have His nature in Christ. If you love with conditional love, there are consequences. If you’re a parent, you could give a child who keeps their room neat more love than one you have to remind every day. But if you show more love to the one who has a …
EXCELLENCE ATTRACTS
For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14 (NKJV) Understanding grace is a much better motivator against sin than fear or guilt. Some think that grace is so freeing that it can cause people to run to sin. Actually, the opposite is true. Think about it. What motivates a husband not to abuse his spouse? Is it because he fears the punishment or because the Bible says not to? Maybe…but in a healthy relationship, he treats his wife with kindness and respect because he loves her and wants the best for her! His decision is based on integrity and on the relationship he has with her, not on fear and guilt. The same is …
JESUS DEFEATED THE ENEMY
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 (NKJV) Satan’s greatest deception is to make you think that he still has power. By taking our sin nature and the curse that went with it, Jesus defeated the enemy. He stripped the devil of power by taking away the only thing he had on us: our sin nature. This is also why Jesus said that the devil had nothing on him (John 14:30). Jesus was God’s Son and had the nature of His Father. When you gave yourself to Jesus Christ, you gained His nature. As He is, so are …