4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:4-6
Paul speaks here of the “ones” of the Christian faith. They are…
**One Body
**One Spirit
**One Hope
**One Lord
**One Faith
**One Baptism
**One Father
There are not many ways to heaven. Only one way leads to paradise. Jesus is the way. Christ is the one way. Christ is the only way.
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.
James 5:13
Praise and prayer occupy the Apostle’s teaching in Chapter 5, Verse 13. These two spiritual disciplines are vital for Christian growth. Without them, maturity will come slowly if at all to the Believer.
When trouble comes, pray. Pray also when times are good. No matter the circumstance and no matter the situation, pray. God works through the prayers of His people. The Lord will not answer every prayer as we would hope. He will hear us and do what it is best.
Praise the Lord, Child of God. He has blessed you, protected you, and kept you in Christ Jesus. Praise Him when you feel like it and even when you don’t. Honor the King of kings and Lord of lords through praise each and every day.
7 Therefore be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. 8You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
James 5:7-8
Be patient, Child of God. The Lord’s arrival is nearer and nearer each day.
The farmer exercises patience as he plows the field and sows the seed. The harvest will not come right away. The good agriculturist must wait and fertilize the crop so that a bounty will be produced from it. And as the farmer prepares for the harvest, so we must wait joyfully prepare for the coming of the Lord.
James also tells us to strengthen our hearts. Now is not the time for weakness. Let us strengthen our relationship with the Lord through prayer, the Word, the Church and the working of the Holy Spirit.
Be patient, Child of God. The coming of the Lord is near.
1 Bless the LORD, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.2 Bless the LORD, my soul, And do not forget any of His benefits;3 Who pardons all your guilt, Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with favor and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
Psalm 103:1-5
Bless the Lord, Child of God. Do not forget His blessings and benefits to you. The Lord is good, holy, and worthy of our praise.
The Lord does many acts on our behalf………
**He Forgives
**He Heals
**He Redeems
**He Blesses
**He Satisfies
**He Renews
Bless the LORD, my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
1 My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.2 For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, 3 and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,”
James 2:1-3
The Apostle moves to the subject of favoritism in chapter 2. James condemns favoritism in all its forms in these verses. The particular emphasis seems to be on class and financial status in verses 2-3.
This Scripture teaches us to treat others justly and equally. Everyone is to be treated with dignity and grace no matter the differences in societal class, money, or position. In the church, everyone is a part of the body and no one is more important or less important.
Christ is the head of the church and all who make up that body are saved and sanctified forevermore. Even our guests who are not a part of the church should be treated with dignity and love. No one is favored above the others. The ground is level at the foot of the cross.
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!
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
This promise from the Word of God is powerful and all-encompassing. The precept that the Christian learns here is key to achieving the peace of God. Let us examine this one verse in detail this week.
Who is the author of this promise? God Himself is the guarantor of this awesome principle. Our Lord is able to keep every pledge He makes. We can trust Him with everything and with every need in our lives. Our Lord is able to do exactly what His Word declares.
What does the promise entail? God will supply all of our needs. He will bring us through and grant us all that we need to live for Christ. This verse does not guarantee that the Almighty will give us all that we want. The Father has vowed to meet our needs whenever they arise. God’s timing can be very different than ours. He will provide and you and I can trust Him in our times of difficulty.
How is this promise enacted? The Father will enact this principle through His riches in Christ Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead and His resurrection teaches the Christian that God’s power can and does perform miracles. Our Lord can do all that He has declared. If He raised Jesus from the dead, the Almighty can take care of us.
What an incredible promise one sees in this passage of Scripture. Thanks be to God who takes care of His own. You can trust in the Lord, child of God.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.
Psalm 33:18-22
Thoughts about Psalm 33……………………………
God is our help. He is our sustainer, provider, and shield. Even when things go wrong, he guards, guides, and protects. We need “God our help” each day. Cling to Him and serve Him dear Christian.
God is holy. We can trust in His holy name always. I don’t know what battles you are facing this week. I do know that you can trust in God’s holy name. We should trust and rejoice because we know who is in control.
God is loving. His lovingkindness endures to His people. Paul tells that even when we are faithless, God is faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13) We can rest in Christ, put our hope in Christ, and serve all of our days because of His faithful lovingkindness.
It is so true. When Christ is all you have, you truly understand He is all you need!
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in You.
Psalm 33:18-22
Thoughts about Psalm 33……………………………
God is our help. He is our sustainer, provider, and shield. Even when things go wrong, he guards, guides, and protects. We need “God our help” each day. Cling to Him and serve Him dear Christian.
God is holy. We can trust in His holy name always. I don’t know what battles you are facing this week. I do know that you can trust in God’s holy name. We should trust and rejoice because we know who is in control.
God is loving. His lovingkindness endures to His people. Paul tells that even when we are faithless, God is faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13) We can rest in Christ, put our hope in Christ, and serve all of our days because of His faithful lovingkindness.
It is so true. When Christ is all you have, you truly understand He is all you need!
Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; For it is pleasant and praise is becoming. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. The Lord supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground. Psalm 146:1-6
As Christians, we are commanded to praise the Lord. We should delight in worship and praise for all that God has done and all that He is. He is worthy.
We should praise God for building us up. When we are down, He is there. He strengthens us and helps us to persevere in ways that are seen and unseen. He carries us through and enables us to keep going when we would rather cease.
We should praise God for His healing power. He heals us and binds up our wounds through Christ. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross provides the healing power we need that forgives us, cleanses us, and justifies us for all of eternity. We will still suffer in this life and we may not receive physical healing at all times. However, we acquire ultimate healing when we see Jesus in heaven.
We should praise God for His strength, His sovereignty, and His abundance. He is in control of all things even when it doesn’t seem to be the case. Our goal should be to praise Him, serve Him, and enjoy Him forever. He is worthy. He is worthy!
mrtonyfrench 