Tag Archives: God

April 18, 2024 · 9:00 pm

Ministry

Serving Jesus should be a burning desire within the life of a Christian. We are called, commissioned, and sent to serve Christ through serving others. This post will deal with concrete reasons we can and should serve Jesus every day. Why should we serve?

*He loves us. Christ loves us, therefore, we ought to serve Him. His love was manifested to us when were at our worst. Shouldn’t we be willing to give Him our best?

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.  Romans 5:8-11

*We should also minister to others because it is worth the cost. Service is never easy. We would much rather be served than serve our fellow humans. In the end, attending to the needs of others will cost us. However, it also gives us blessing, strength, and joy knowing that when we love others we are following in Christ’s footsteps. Serving Jesus is always worth the effort.

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.  Philippians 1:6

*Finally, let us serve out of our growing love for Christ. Giving ourselves to others is an expression of our love for God. Let us serve Him because we love Him.

Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.  Psalm 103:21

And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.  1 John 4:21

Dear Believer, commit to serving Jesus this week. After all, it’s the least that we can do!

Tony French

5 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

February 26, 2024 · 9:00 am

Promise Keeper

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1:9

God is faithful. Even when we are not faithful to Him He is always faithful to us. He is faithful in so many ways.

**God is faithful to provide for us.

And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

**God is faithful to be with us.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

John 14:18

**He is faithful to give us eternal life.

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “I and the Father are one.”

John 10:27-30

God is indeed faithful. He never leaves us, He provides for us, and we will be with Him forever. If God is faithful, what else do we need?

Blessings be upon you all!

Tony French

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,

February 5, 2024 · 9:00 am

Faithful God

God’s faithfulness to His people is a constant theme of Scripture. His faithfulness is demonstrated to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God’s faithfulness is revealed in His dealings with the nation of Israel. He was faithful to the kings, the priests, and the prophets. Even when His people were not faithful, God always was.

The theme of God’s faithfulness continues into the New Testament. We are told that God is still faithful to Christians today as we peruse the pages of Scripture. Let us examine three ways that God is faithful to Believers in our day.

**God is faithful to forgive us and reconcile us through the work of Christ upon the cross.

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.  1 Corinthians 1:9

**God is faithful to help us fight temptation and overcome it.

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

**God is faithful to forgive us and cleanse when we confess our sins to Him.

If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.  1 John 1:8-10

God is faithful to us. May we live in this reality day by day. And may we give thanks for His faithfulness and declare to all generations!

Tony French

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , ,

December 4, 2023 · 9:00 am

Savior

Who is Jesus? The opinions are varied and mixed. While almost everyone believes there was a historical Jesus, there is much division about who He truly is and what it all means.

What does the Bible say about this topic? How would Scripture answer that question? It would be impossible to tell of everything the Bible says about Jesus nature and work in one blog post. So let’s examine three truth claims about Jesus from the Word of God as we seek to elucidate this quandary.

**The Scriptures declare that Jesus is the Son of God. Peter declared Him to be the “Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:14) in his declaration. Also, Jesus has the power to forgive the sinner (Matthew 9:1-6) and He pronounced Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath.” (Luke 6:1-5) John expressed Jesus’ deity by saying “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) in his Gospel.

These statements make a compelling case for the deity of Jesus. The Holy Word of God thunders the truth of Jesus’ divinity from the lips of Savior and the pen of the apostles. When one examines the Bible, we must realize that the Scriptures declare that Jesus is indeed the Son of God!

**Jesus is the Savior of the world. Everyone who believes in Him and trusts Him for salvation shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16-17)  He lived for our justification, died to pay our sin debt, and rose again to prove that everything He said was true. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) 

He is the Savior, and He is the ONLY savior. We find this truth expressed in John 14:6, Acts 4:32, and 1 Timothy 2:5. One can choose to accept this precept or reject it. However, this truth is objective and eternal and cannot be changed.

**Jesus is the judge.  He is the long promised Messiah (Matthew 16:14) and He is the one who will judge the nations. (John 5:22)  All Believers will answer to Christ for the way they have lived one day. (2 Corinthians 5:10) People may choose to reject His salvation and His mercy. But, no one will escape His judgment.

Are you ready to stand before Christ? Have you trusted Him for your salvation believing He died, was buried, and rose again for you? Trust in Him today. He is the Son of God, He is the Savior of the world, and He will judge everyone at the appointed time. Trust Him today while you still can!

Tony French

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,

November 30, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Careful Speech

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; or the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

James 1:19-21

The Word of God gives us a command in this passage; deal with your anger. While we will get angry from time to time, we must also learn to deal with anger in a healthy way. Our goal is this-we should control our anger instead of our anger controlling us. 

To this end, James give three commands to help us. First, be quick to listen and here all sides. Second, be slow to speak. Resist to the urge to speak and learn to listen. Finally, be slow to become angry. Evidently, we have a choice in this matter. We can, by the power of God, learn to control our anger.

Uncontrolled anger does not bring about a righteous life. And uncontrolled anger makes it more difficult for us to access and apply God’s Word to our life. Do you have an anger problem? Deal with it!

Tony French

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

November 20, 2023 · 9:00 am

Incarnation

One of the great tenets of the Christian faith surrounds the person of Jesus Christ. We proclaim that He is all God and all man. Somehow, through the miraculous power of God, Jesus received humanity in the incarnation.

Today, let us think about the one who came to identify with us. He felt the emotions we feel and Christ experienced life as we experience it. Let us look as some examples.

**He became hungry.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry.  Matthew 4:1-2

**He became tired and rested.

So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.  John 4:5-6

**He was thirsty at times.

There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

John 4:7

**Jesus cried.

“Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

The mystery of the incarnation is deep and profound. Jesus experienced the entirety of humanity and yet remained without sin for us. He loves us today. And He understands because, He’s been there.

Tony French

2 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

November 9, 2023 · 9:00 am

Temptation

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

James 1:13-14

A warning is issued as James begins to define how to overcome temptation. The Apostle tells us that God never tempts us to sin. God cannot be tempted and He doesn’t tempt us to sin.

God will test us and try us in order to grow us in Christ. He will allow difficulties into our lives from time to time. But, He will never tempt us to sin. Our flesh tempts us and the Devil will tempt us. God never will.

When tempted, Child of God, know that the Lord will never tempt us to sin and disobey His Word. The Spirit of God will always lead us to be obedient to the Bible. Thanks be to Lord!

Tony French

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , ,

October 16, 2023 · 9:00 am

The Presence of God

In Exodus 25, God commanded the people of Israel to build what would be known as the ark of covenant. It was an ornate chest that symbolized the greatness and might of God. This “ark of the covenant” is featured prominently in Israel’s history at different points in the Old Testament.

The ark still teaches us much today even though we are no longer under the law. It still has meaning and teaches us principles for our time. An examination of these principles will follow.

First, the ark symbolized the purity of God.  The ark was to be overlaid with pure gold inside and out. (Exodus 25:11) The purity of God would be memorialized through the purity of the gold. God is pure and holy and the ark would serve as a reminder of that fact.

Second, the ark symbolized the presence of God. The ark would dwell in the most holy place of the tabernacle and later in the same place in the temple. (Exodus 40:20-21)  It would remain as a perpetual illustration to remind the people that God was with them. They would be His people and He would be there God. 

Also, the ark symbolized the purposes of God. The ark would serve as an illustration of the covenant of God with His people. The mercy seat or “atonement cover” was placed on the top of the ark and there the High Priest would place the blood of the sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. (Leviticus 16:14) The mercy of God would be found through the sacrifices remunerated each year on the Day of Atonement.

What does this mean for Believers today? We need to be in awe of the purity of God. In a world that is filled with impurity, God’s purity shines forth like the sun.

We should realize that God dwells with us as well. He indwells us through the power of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16) We no longer look to an object because He is with us at all times.

Finally, the ark instructs us about Jesus. It is through the blood of Jesus that our sins are ultimately removed and we are forgiven. (Hebrews 10) His sacrifice was accepted and fulfilled the entirety of the law for us.

As Paul says “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  (1 Corinthians 15:57) Be blessed today!

Tony French

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

June 19, 2023 · 9:00 am

Revive

Do you need revival this week? If so, let’s look at three ways the Psalmist sought the Lord for revival.

**He sought revival through God’s Word.

My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your word.

Psalm 119:25

**He pursued revival through God’s Ways.

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.

Psalm 119:37

**He desired revival through God’s righteousness.

Behold, I long for Your precepts; Revive me in Your righteousness.

Psalm 119:40

Go, and do likewise!

Tony French

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

May 4, 2023 · 9:00 pm

Seek First

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:33-34

The end of this teaching forms one of the more famous passages in all of Scripture. Seek first God’s kingdom. When we do that, all that we need will be added to us.

Let us cease our worrying about the future. We cannot change the past and we don’t know the future. We have enough to worry about for today.

What does it practically mean to seek the Kingdom of God? How can we follow Jesus’ commands? The following list may help. This list is not exhaustive but can be a guide to help us.

Seek God’s Kingdom through prayer

  • Seek to be obedient to God’s Word
  • Be a part of a local church
  • Seek God’s Kingdom through prayer
  • Learn to serve others through the church and in your daily life
  • Be aware of God’s work in your life through the day as He guides, provides, and protects

Worry saps our spiritual strength and keeps us from having power with God. May we choose the alternative and live by trusting that God will meet our needs by His power.

Tony French

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,