Jesus in you

Do everything without complaining or arguing, show that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. Philippians 14-16 Why are complaining and arguing so harmful? If all the people know about a church is that its members constantly argue, complain, and gossip, they get a false impression of Christ and the gospel. Belief in Christ should unite those who trust Him. If your church is always complaining and arguing, it lacks the unifying power of Jesus Christ. Stop arguing with other Christians or complaining about people and conditions within the church and let the world see Christ. Our lives should be characterized by moral purity, patience, and peacefulness, so that we will "shine like stars" in a dark and depraved world. A transformed life is an effective witness to the power of God's Word. Indeed, there is no greater evidence of God in this world than a transformed life. It defies explanation. Are you shining brightly, or are you clouded by complaining and arguing? Our greatest job is not to explain the Word of God, but to extend it. We are given that duty and the power with which to do it. And we do it not so much with our words, but with our actions and our attitudes. Rest assured, people are watching how you react in certain situations, especially if you have already put it out there that you are a Christian. People who deperately need it are looking for patience and peacefulness in their lives. Once they see that you have it, they are going to want to know how to get it. And that is the power of your witness for Jesus. They are not seeing you, they are seeing the Jesus in you. God Bless you, J.H.

The power to live

"Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature . . . " II Peter 1:2-4a The power to grow doesn't come from within us, but from God. Because we don't have the resources to be truly godly, God allows us to "participate in the divine nature" in order to keep us from sin and help us live for Him. When we are born again, God by His Spirit empowers us with His own moral goodness. God has touched every base of human need to give us a full and beautiful life all the way home. How strange that we find it so hard to believe and receive. Believe what He says. Take what He offers. It is yours. God Bless you, J.H

Give it All

May God Himself, the God of Peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. I Thessalonians 5:23-24 The spirit, soul and body refer not so much to the distinct parts of a person as to the entire being of a person. This expression is Paul's way of saying that God must be involved in every aspect of our lives. It is wrong to think that we can separate our spiritual lives from everything else, obeying God only in some ethereal sense or living for Him only one day each week, as some of us are wont to do. Christ must control all of us, not just a "religious" part. God does not come in as a military general and take control. We must give Him control. At our moment of salvation, it was we who asked Him into our hearts. With that one decision, we totally surrendered and asked Him to save us because we finally figured it out that life was really not all about us after all. That is our decision and that is our part. God gave us this strong power of choice because He wants our faith and love to be genuine and not drawn out of compulsion. God's grace is sufficient. Give it all over to Him . . . "who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." God Bless you, J.H.

Nothing can seperate us

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all - how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:32-33,38-39 These verses contain one of the most comforting promises in all Scripture. Believers have always had to face hardships in many forms: persecution, illness, imprisonment, even death. These could cause them to fear that they have been abandoned by Christ. But Paul exclaims that it is impossible to be separated from Christ. His death for us is proof of His unconquerable love. Nothing can stop Christ's constant presence with us. God tells us how great His love is so that we will feel totally secure in Him. If we would only believe these overwhelming assurances, we will never be afraid. Go forth in boldness today, and proclaim the Good News. Let everyone know what you know. Jesus is the answer. God Bless you, J.H.

A message of hope

"At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes." says the Lord. Zephaniah 3:20 The message of doom in the beginning of the book of Zephaniah becomes a message of hope by the end. There will be a new day when God will bless His people. If the leaders in the church today were to hear a prophet of God, the message would probably resemble the book of Zephaniah. Under Josiah's religious reforms, the people did return to God outwardly, but their hearts were far from Him. Zephaniah encouraged the nation to gather together and pray for salvation. We must also ask ourselves: are the changes in our lives merely an outward show, or are they changing our hearts and lives? We need to gather together as believers and pray, to walk humbly with God, to do what is right, and to hear the message of hope regarding the new world to come. God Bless you, J.H.

Light and Darkness

And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.

Isaiah 45:3,7

God is ruler over light and darkness, over prosperity and disaster. Our lives are sprinkled with both types of experiences, and both are needed for us to grow spiritually. When good times come, thank God and use your prosperity for Him. When bad times come, don't resent them, but ask what you can learn from this refining experience to make you a better servant of God. "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." Father, guide Your children into all prosperity that You planned for us spiritually and physically and give us a generous spirit to go with it. In Jesus name, Amen.

God Bless you,

J.H.

Our eternal Hope

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Malachi 4:2 These last verses of the Old Testament are filled with hope. Regardless of how life looks now, God controls the future, and everything will be made right. We who have loved and served God look forward to a joyful celebration. This hope for the future becomes ours when we trust God with our lives. God Bless you, J.H.