Monthly Archives: July 2023

⁷ In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ⁸ which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, ⁹ having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, ¹⁰ that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. ¹¹ In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, ¹² that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. ¹³ In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ whois the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:7-14

Dear Christian,

In Christ, we are redeemed.

In Christ, we are saved, set free from our sin, and secure.

In Christ, we have received grace—God’s unmerited favor.

In Christ, we receive power for daily living.

In Christ, we are sealed unto the day of redemption.

In Christ, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.

In Christ, we are secure in our relationship with God.

In Christ, our souls are safe forevermore.

May the Lord bless you all!

Tony French

So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

1 Samuel 15:22

Dear Christian, obey the Lord. Obedience to the commands of God are always far better for us. Following Christ is the best way to live.

Fulfilling every precept of Scripture is not always easy. As a matter of fact, obedience can be costly at times. Nevertheless, the cost we might pay will always be worth it.

I have many regrets in life and I’ve failed the Lord numerous times. However, I have never regretted being obedient to my Savior. And you won’t regret living for Jesus either.

I will end with the words of the great, old hymn, “Trust and Obey”:

Trust and obey,

For there’s no other way,

To be happy in Jesus,

Than to trust and obey.

Tony French

I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. ¹⁶ They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. ¹⁷ Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.¹⁸ As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. ¹⁹ And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. ²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

John 17:15-23

In this passage, Jesus prays for His disciples. Christ prays for His immediate disciples and for those who will believe through their preaching and writing. Three requests are offered by our Lord in this prayer.

First, the Lord prays for our protection. He doesn’t pray that we will be taken away from all evil and difficulty. Rather, Christ intercedes for our protection in the midst of the trials and tribulations.

Also, the Savior prays for our sanctification. Jesus truly desires that we grow in maturity and increased faith in the Lord day by day. We are sanctified by the truth of God’s Word as we live in the Bible’s promises throughout our lives.

Finally, Messiah prays for the unity of His people. Christ desired that our unity as Christians would be modeled on the unity between the Father and the Son.  May we ever seek that level of oneness among the children of God!

Tony French