Category: Spiritual

Philippians 4:7 GNT

Most people long for peace in their everyday lives. Many believe that peace can be achieved through man’s reasoning power of negotiations; they don’t trust one another and often break their word. However, because God gives peace, believers can trust He will do as He promised. The reality is unless we allow God to change our moral and spiritual conditions, we will not know peace. Recall that we live in a fallen world, spiritually separated from God because our first parents disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, we must accept Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross to reconcile us to Christ. “And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7 GNT).

 Being in union with Jesus, believers have peace that gives them protection those outside of Christ do not have. Even in the midst of all the confusion in this world, the beauty of the spiritual benefit of peace is trusting God to keep our hearts and minds. ^“… but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6b).   

Many song writers wrote hymns of hope. Thomas Dorsey, Father of Gospel Music, penned There’ll Be Peace in the Valley for Me. The chorus says: “There’ll be peace in the valley for me some day, There’ll be peace in the valley for me. I pray no more sorrow and sadness or trouble will be, There’ll be peace in the valley for me.” The words express what believers look forward to in both the afterlife and rest for the soul from the toils of this old world. 

Lift your voice and shout, “Glory!”

1 John 3:1-3 NKJV

Just a week ago, many around the world celebrated the death and resurrection of Jesus the Son of God, Who fulfilled the universal need  for man’s salvation. Because of man’s disobedience, sin entered the world, leading to man’s fall from God that resulted in man’s need to be redeemed and reconciled to God. Therefore, belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus is essential for believers. He sacrificed His life to redeem mankind from sin, and His victorious resurrection from the grave gave us hope and eternal life. Apostle John said, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! And we are. Therefore, the world does not know us because it did not know Him” (v.1). 

In our selfishness we wrongly tend to love only those who love us, yet God manifested His love for us while we were still His enemies. So much so that believers are set apart from the world that does not know Him and privileged to be called children of God. In verse 2 John said that even though we are children of God, it is not yet made known what we will be. However, we do know that when God comes, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is in all His glory. “And everyone who has this hope confidently placed in Him purifies himself just as He is undefiled” (v.3).

Lift your voice and give God glory!

Luke 23:34-38 MEV

When Jesus left His home in glory, He came to fulfill the will of His Father. His mission was to restore disobedient, sinner man’s relationship with God by providing us eternal life. So, He came and lived a righteous life before humans in this evil world. Now as He is hanging on the old rugged cross dying for the sins of the world, He made seven statements. The first of them is “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (v.34a). What a powerful example to us –  Jesus did not manifest anger for those who treated Him wrongly!

As the Roman soldiers divided His clothes by casting lots, (v.34b) fulfilling prophecy, “The people stood by watching. But the rulers with them scoffed, saying, “He saved others. Let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the Chosen One of God” (v.35). “And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him and offering Him sour wine” (v.36), saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself” (v.37). “An inscription was written over Him in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (v.38).

Despite His pain, He Who was sinless showed the world the necessity of humanity’s forgiveness of one another. He showed that forgiveness is for our relief, giving us the benefit of a healthier relationship with our neighbor and God. He knew that they who mocked and crucified Him were ignorant of what they had done. He made an intercessory prayer on their behalf. They didn’t understand “He is the Christ, the Chosen One of God,” and His love for sinners, nor His ultimate display of mercy and willingness to die for our sins.

Today, lift your voice and give God glory for His Son’s obedience!

Luke 23:32-34 NKJV  

In the Old Testament are several scriptures that are key prophecies of   Jesus’ death by hanging on the cross. One of them is Psalm 22:7-8 which prophesies of the Messiah being mocked and humiliated and fulfilled this when passersby and soldiers mocked Jesus during His crucifixion (Matt. 27:39-43). 

Today’s scripture from The Gospel According to Saint Luke gives the account of Jesus’ crucifixion. Along with Jesus there were two criminals who were also led out to be put to death (v.32). Jesus and the criminals, one on His right hand and the other on His left, were crucified at the place called Calvary (v.33). Calvary is the place of a skull, called in Heb., Golgotha, a hill that looked like a skull. Then Jesus said, “Father,  forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots (v.34). 

As Jesus hung on the cross, suffering unimaginable pain, fulfilling His plan of redemption for the sins of all mankind, instead of focusing on His painful suffering, He modeled the act of forgiveness. He prayed, “Father, forgive them,” shows how great God’s love is for mankind and how believers are to live righteously. We are expected to show mercy for those who in ignorance mistreat us because Jesus said, “they do not know what they do.” It may hurt, but believers are to trust God in all things, asking Him for strength to not respond with an attitude of revenge but with love.

During Jesus’ crucifixion, Luke closed this verse stating that they divided His garments and cast lots” (v.34b), which fulfilled prophecy of Ps. 22:18.

Lift your voice and shout, “Glory!”

1 John 4:9-10 NKJV

There is no question as to how great God’s love is for mankind. In verse 9 Apostle John declares that God displayed His love for us by sending His only begotten Son into the world that we might be redeemed from the bondage of sin and Satan. This great love for the world was the motivator for God’s plan of salvation. Therefore, it is important for believers to have faith in God. It is through faith we have the blessed assurance of eternal life. 

According to John in verse 10, here’s what love is. It is not that we loved God, but it’s that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation, or the means by which our sins are forgiven. Not only did He send His only begotten Son for our sins, but Christ died for us while we were yet sinners. There should be no doubt about how great God’s love is for us; Romans 5:10 says: “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Rom. 5:10). What an awesome demonstration of love! Even though we were hostile to Him due to sin, He acted on our behalf. Because of His love and grace, He sought to bring us back in relationship with Him through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Today, let us give thanks that we no longer identity as His enemies but as children of God.  

Lift your voice and give God glory!