Tag: salvation

Do You Have An Answer?

1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV, “15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 16 But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.”

Photo by:
August de Richelieu

Recently while attending a small Bible study group, the speaker asked the question, “What keeps you committed to Christ?” For me, it was a very timely question because I had been thinking about this just a few days earlier.

These verses in 1 Peter tell us to be prepared to answer this question. We never know when we will be given the opportunity to share with someone the reason we have chosen to put our hope in Jesus Christ.

When it was my turn to answer the question, and share about something that keeps me committed to Christ, I said, “He always sees and He always hears.”

I love that Jesus is the God who always sees me. He is always aware of me and what I am going through. Although I am blessed to have people who care about me, people cannot always see what He can. I am never out of His sight. He understands me and my circumstances completely.

Secondly, I love that Jesus is the God who always hears me. I can pray at anytime and He will hear me. No appointment needed. He is always available. He does not slumber or sleep.

Psalm 121:3-5 NLT, “3 He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. 5 The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.”

Photo by: Mental Health America 🇺🇸

I was glad the Bible study leader asked us this question. I was reminded to always be ready to give others an answer for the hope Jesus gives me and why I choose to stay committed to Him. It could be a non-Christian asking us about our faith in Christ or even another Christian who needs encouragement. Whatever the case, we should be ready.

I could use some encouragement and I am sure others can too, so I am asking you to please share in the comments, “What keeps you committed to Christ?”

God Is Waiting

James 4:8 (NCV), “Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, make your thinking pure.”

Several days ago, I heard the testimony of a woman who had been abused (physically by her mom and ex-boyfriend, and sexually by her brother). As a teenage girl she ended up homeless, was involved in prostitution, sold drugs, struggled with drug addiction, and was in and out of jail for committing various crimes. But on one particular occasion, after relapsing with drug use, she ended up back in jail. Feeling as if all hope was gone, she cried out to God in surrender from her jail cell. It was in that moment she heard God speak to her and tell her that He had been waiting for her to come to Him.

When God told her, He had been waiting for her to come to Him, it reminded me that God is always there, every moment of every day. He wants to be intimately involved with us, not just when we are desperate for His help but even when life is going smoothly.

Sin keeps us from drawing near to God. However, He is patiently waiting for us to choose Him over the lusts and strongholds of the flesh. Even the little sinful habits that we accept as “normal” or “not that bad” can keep us separated from God’s best. Once we are ready to surrender, like the lady did in her jail cell, we can experience greater intimacy with God through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. And greater intimacy with Him leads to more growth, greater joy and abundant blessings.

It’s good to know we are loved by a God who hears our desperate cries for help, but also delights in us each day and rejoices with us in the good times.

Zephaniah 3:17 NLT, “For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Never forget that God is waiting to hear from you each day, in the good times and the bad.

Call on the Name of Jesus

Psalm 116:3-9

3 The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “LORD, save me!”

5 The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.

6 The LORD protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.

7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.

8 For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,

9 that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Photo by: Andrea Piacquadio of Hungary 🇭🇺

The Psalmist was facing death and was in deep distress and sorrow, but when he called out to the Lord, he was delivered. No matter how bad your situation is, the Lord can deliver you when you cry out to Him for help. He is our Protector, the One who knows all and sees all.

I especially love verse 7, when He encourages Himself to return to rest because of the Lord’s goodness. Even in the midst of trials, we can remember God’s faithfulness and goodness and return to rest. We can cast our cares upon Him and know that He sees our tears and will keep our feet from stumbling.

Are you facing tough circumstances today? Call on the name of the Lord Jesus and find the rest and deliverance that you need. Have faith that He is working out what is best for you.

Romans 10:13,“For everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.”

From God’s Heart to Ours

Psalm 89:14 NIV, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.”

On Sunday, my Pastor shared this verse during the sermon. Considering the state of the world we are living in, this verse brings security and peace. Righteousness, justice, love, and faithfulness flow from God’s heart to ours. As His children, we never have to worry or fear. We just have to open our hearts to receive the blessings He wants to give us.

Photo by: Mabel Amber of the Netherlands 🇳🇱

As we pray and seek God, we will see Him working in our lives. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. His timing is perfect, and He will never fail us. We are privileged that we can trust Him to supply our needs. Even when we don’t know how God is working, we do know He’s working. He’s a faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He (Deuteronomy 32:4).

In the midst of life’s upheaval, we can put our full confidence in Him.

Jesus, a donkey, and His Father – Part 1

Last week I had the pleasure of participating with fellow bloggers in a Zoom meeting hosted by Matt @ Jesusluvsall. It was great spending sometime getting to know everyone a little better, while exchanging thoughts and ideas about blogging. (Thanks big brother Matt! 😊) If you haven’t already, check out their blogs when you get a chance.

Deandra @ Imago Dei

Lydia @ In His Service And Loving It

Temi @ Christian Mommas

Kelly @ The Simple Preacher

Kelly @ The Simple Preacher, came up with the topic of “Jesus, a donkey, and His Father.” So over the next several weeks on Tuesdays, us bloggers will take turns sharing our thoughts on this topic.

Photo by: Leroy Huckett

Kelly started off the series this past Tuesday, check out his post here: Jesus, a donkey, and His Father – Part 1

I will post on this topic on 4/28, but will also be sharing posts on this topic from the other bloggers listed above who are participating.

Matt will be hosting another Zoom meeting this Saturday, 4/18 at 10am CST. If you decide to attend, I know you will enjoy the fellowship. Here is the link to the invite if you’re interested in attending: INVITE.

Numbers 6:24-26 NIV, “24 The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” 🕊❤️🕊

For God So Loved the World

John 3:16 NKJV, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

My mom bought me this picture when I was a litttle girl. John 3:16 is not only my favorite verse, it’s also the first verse I ever memorized. When my daughter was born, I passed this picture on to her and put it up in her room. When she left home to go to college, it ended up back with me again.

This picture is special to me, because I’ve had it so long, but even more special are the words on it. God loves us, and so He gave His only Son Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. Now through Jesus, we have the gift of eternal life. The love that God has for us is the root of our faith in Jesus. Everything we do and say for Jesus and for others should be rooted in God’s unchanging love for us.

Because of God’s love, we can face life each day and continue on in His strength. His love will never fail us. I pray you will always find confidence and security in God’s unwavering love for you.

God Is Always Available

Matthew 7:7-8 NIV, “7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

As I read these verses, it reminds me of how available God is. He’s not cold and distant from us. He is very near, and always willing to give to us and make Himself known. We do have a part to play, because Jesus clearly says we must ask in order to receive, we must seek in order to find, and we must knock before any doors can be opened up for us.

Photo by: Pixabay

As a Christian, knowing that the presence of God is always with me and that He lives inside of me through His Holy Spirit, keeps me calm and reminds me just how much He loves us. However, we must ask, seek, and knock. Our Heavenly Father delights in giving good gifts to His children when we ask Him (Matthew 7:11).

We have to examine our hearts daily and ask ourselves if we are asking, seeking, and knocking. Because in doing so, we will learn who God is and come to know Him intimately. We will also see how He is working in our lives, and learn to open our hearts to Him. Our daily goal should be to make ourselves available to God, like He has made Himself available to us. As I write this, Psalm 34:8 comes to mind, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”