Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Door












“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”
 John 10:9 (KJV)
Jesus tells His hearers some very special facts about following Him. He calls Himself the door-the entry way through which they can gain access to God. 
He continues. When the people would enter His presence, they are saved—delivered from their sin.
“To describe something of what entrance to God means, Jesus uses a well-known Jewish phrase. He says that through him we can go in and come out. To be able to and go unmolested was the Jewish way of describing a life that is absolutely safe and secure.”1 I found this thought interesting.
“When a man can go in and out without fear, it means that his country is at peace . . . and that he enjoys perfect security. “2 Wow!
Does this mean that we can experience spiritual peace by focusing on faith instead of fear? Can we live our lives and enjoy the security of having Jesus guide us as we venture into areas of life that we have not entered?
The answer to the above questions is; yes, we can. When we give our hearts to the Lord, we can rely on Him for our needs.
1.            The Daily Study Bible by Wm. Barclay John, Vol. 2 page 29
2.            Op. Cit.


Graphic from ichilly.com 

Monday, September 16, 2013

Author of Faith




Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, 


                                          who for the joy set before him endured the cross,
                                                                 scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne         of God.”  Hebrews 12:2


Let us fix our eyes on Jesus. . .” We have times when we need to be reminded that we have to look to the Lord and not to our fellow man. A former pastor cautioned us about this. Man will let you down. That pastor told us that he would let people down.

“. . . the author and perfecter of our faith. . . .” Our faith originates with Jesus. He nurtures it through Bible study, prayer and Bible reading. As we study and read our Bibles, we glean nuggets of truth that help us as we go through each day. When we have answers to prayer, we grow in our reliance on Him.  

. . . who for the joy set before him endured the cross. . .” Jesus Christ looked past the torture of the cross and freely submitted to the tribulation of crucifixion. When He prayed at Gethsemane, he yielded control of his body to the Father.

“. . . scorning its shame. . .” Jesus willingly allowed himself to go through the mocking and the scourging, and the crucifixion because 1.) He loves us. 2.) He knew He would go to the Father.

“. . . sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus did go to the Father. His place in heaven is very important. He sits at the right hand of God, interceding for us. 

Graphic from pinterest.com


God Alone

  Jesus and the children at our church's prayer walk.          I will both lie down in peace and sleep;  For You alone, O LORD make ...