Keep Your Eyes On Him

     "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:1-12)."      In these verses, Jesus is speaking of blessing. He never once talks about material blessing. Oh, it is true, He does love giving good gifts to His childre...

     "All men will hate you because of Me, but he who stands firm(unyielding and unwaivering) to the end will be saved (Matthew 10:22)."      Standing firm is being secure in your position in Christ. It is living with determination, knowing that no matter what happens to you in this life, you will not be moved.       There are many people who say they are saved, yet when hard times come upon them, they fall away. Jesus spoke about this when he told the parable of the sower. "The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away (Matthew 13:20-21)." Notice Jesus says, that since he had no "root," that man's joy only lasted a short time. What is Jesus referring to? In nature, a root supports the plant and causes it to be erect (or stand up). T...

     "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10)."      I don't know what is going on in your life right now or what kind of trial you may be facing. A loved one may have abandoned you, a spouse may have turned his back on you or a friend may have betrayed you. Your heart may be broken. I am here to tell you there is One who can heal your heart and put the broken pieces of your life back together. His name is Jesus~the One true God, the faithful One, the One who will never, no never leave you!       When we have been hurt, we tend to look within and ask what is wrong with me? What have I done to make this person treat me the way he does? Now, granted there are times that we cause the hurt in others, but what about the times when someone hurts or betrays us for no apparent reason? I ...

     "But I trust in Your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for He has been good to me (Psalm 13:5-6)."      Jesus~that name says it all. He is my hope, my life and my everything! He is beautiful and compassionate and His mercies never fail. He is the One I adore. He is the One who took all my sin and shame. He is the One I give my life to. No other name but the name of Jesus.       If you are saved by the blood, think back for a moment to what your life was like before you met Jesus. I don't know about you, but I am so thankful that my Lord did not give up on me~He did not turn His back on me. No, He was long-suffering with me, patiently waiting for me. I was walking in darkness. My heart was so far from God. Oh, I went to church, and talked about the Lord and I did believe in Him, however, this was only head knowledge. It wasn't until March of 2008, my Lord reached down through my darkness...

     "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free  from sin and have become slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18)."       What does it mean to be a slave to sin? It is a habitual lifestyle that keeps you in bondage. Whether you realize it or not,being a slave to sin means that sin is your master, or in other words, it has complete control over you. Day after day, you live life thinking only of yourself and anything your flesh desires. It is living in darkness....in your sin and more importantly, living apart from the One who gave you life. There is a veil over the hearts of everyone until they come to the Lord. In Christ, this veil is taken away so that we have understanding.       As a follower of Christ, we are now slaves to righteousness. We no longer live the way we once did nor do we think the way we once...

     "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4)."      I found the use of joy in this verse very curious. God doesn't say to endure the trials or go through them without complaining. Sure, we are to do those things as well, but He tells us to consider it pure joy as we go through trials. The word joy is defined as "a feeling of great pleasure and happiness." Other words used to define joy are: jubilation, triumph, rejoicing, euphoria and bliss. Why then, do we consider trials pure joy? It is in the trial my friend, that your faith is tested. As your faith is tested, you grow and mature in Christ. God uses trials for that very purpose. He is molding us and making us more like Christ.       Trials are not easy, to say the lea...

     "Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them  to their desired haven." Psalm 107:28-30      In this life, we will go through many trials, disappointments and heartache. Sometimes we do not understand, and we may never understand "why" we struggle or endure pain. Many people suffer injustice and innocent people are wronged every single day. The pain may at times seem too difficult to bear. You may have even wondered at times how you can go on.       But we have the One on our side who promises to never leave nor forsake us. The One who can calm the raging storm around us or simply calm His child. He so lovingly covers us in His grace and at times carries us. "Find rest O my soul in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and may salvation; He ...

     "To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father-to Him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5-6     The blood, the precious blood of Jesus that washes white as snow. He did for us what we could never have done on our own.       Sin came into the world through Adam in the Garden of Eden. "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-for before the law was given, sin was in the world. (Romans 5:12-13)." All of us have a sin nature; we are born with this nature. There is no one that has not sinned and no one is "good." Sure, people can do "good" deeds, but that does not make them righteous before God. You cannot do enough good deeds to stand blameless in the sight of God. It is your sin that separates you from a perfect, holy God. In fa...