Living By The Word

“ Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. ” (Ephesians 4:29) One blessing that is absolutely necessary in order to live a Christian lifestyle in an ungodly world is encouragement. Let’s face it—life is tough! The road sometimes gets rocky! We all face trials and hardships along the way! Without the support and inspiration of other people, we can quickly become discouraged as we seek to live in a manner that pleases God. The encouragement of our families, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and other people makes facing life’s difficulties and challenges much easier. A great source of encouragement for Christians is a loving church family whose members offer uplifting support that is crucial in the pursuit of our mission to share the love and shine the light of Jesus Christ into a world that grows darker by the day. “But exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,”   lest ...

  “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) We live in a world of growing unfaithfulness in human relationships. This relative lack of loyalty and commitment is seen in broken marriages, shady business dealings, unresponsiveness of elected officials to the best interests of their constituents, and other avenues of daily life. In a culture where reliability, steadfastness, and accountability are often lacking, it is refreshing that Christians can count on a God who is faithful to keep His promises. We serve a God of goodness who is faithful by His divine nature. Here are just a few of the ways in which God is faithful to His children, according to Scripture. God the Father is faithful: • To forgive our confessed sins. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) • To deliver us from evil. “But the Lord is faithful, who will est...

  “ Let   nothing   be done   through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.   Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. ” (Philippians 2:3-4) We sometimes fall far short, but living the Christian life should be all about moving toward selfless humility in our relationships and dealings with others. Selfish pride is part of the innate sinful nature that we have inherited as human beings. We all know how selfish young children can be. Throughout their infancy, they claim material things and the affections of their parents as their own and don’t want to share them with their siblings or other toddlers. They express that selfishness with outbursts of weeping, wailing, and whimpering or other annoying expressions of distress. Parents are charged with the enormous responsibility of properly nurturing their youngsters, teaching them to care, share and con...

  “Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it.” (Song of Solomon 8:7) On this day dedicated to love and affection, we celebrate the greatest of all virtues. As we honor our sweethearts on this Valentine’s Day, let’s remember that God is the source of love for it is the essence of who He is. As we express our love for those that we hold dear with gifts of flowers, candy, romantic dinners, and other expressions of our affection, we must remember to give God His rightly-deserved place of highest priority in our hearts and lives as our first love! Let’s seek to love our risen L ORD Jesus Christ with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength for He first loved us and died sacrificially for mankind’s sins so that believers can receive God’s grace and His most precious gifts of salvation and everlasting life. The epitome of love, Christ set the supreme example for us to follow in our earthly relationships. He gave His life for us, His friends, that, Scripture says,...

  As Christians, we have been promised by our L ORD Jesus Christ that we will encounter trials and tribulations because of our faith in Him. However, no matter what we have to face in our earthly lives, we can greet each new day with joyful hearts and peace of mind, knowing with surety that we are destined to spend eternity with Jesus in a heavenly home that our risen L ORD is now preparing for us. By the grace of God, our salvation has been given as a priceless gift of God the Father through our profession of faith in His beloved Son. As a result, we should praise and thank God that nothing can ever separate us from the incomprehensible love that prompted Jesus to suffer and shed His blood on the cross to secure for us the confident hope and blessed assurance of abundant and everlasting life. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for...

  “ In my distress I cried to the  Lord , and He heard me. ” (Psalm 120:1) When the battle lines are drawn and the storm clouds of life threaten to shatter the peace and serenity of your world, what plan of action do you follow? Do you forge ahead in an effort to resolve the problems facing you in your own limited human strength and wisdom, or do you first seek the divine counsel and all-powerful intervention of the sovereign God and Creator of the universe? Scripture tells us that the wise response to life’s trials is to trust in the L ORD and prayerfully invoke His power to see you through the conflict or crisis at hand. The Bible is full of examples of frail, but trusting individuals who depended upon God to help fight their battles and deliver them from their enemies. For example, when Asa, the godly king of the ancient Jewish kingdom of Judah, was attacked by an Ethiopian army of a million men, we’re told in 2 Chronicles 14:11 that “Asa cried out to the Lord hi...