live2bless

How do I know if I have “saving faith”, “justifying faith” — the kind of faith by which God restores me to friendship with himself? Only if that faith keeps me busy asking, “ Lord, show me what I can do to be helpful today, to make things better or easier for everyone I’m around. ” And — relying on his power — I act on what he shows me. If that is what increasingly concerns me, I can be assured be...

Matthew 26:36-38 (NIV) 36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” I’m convinced that the...

Here’s what I consider to be one of the most important truths in the Bible to take to heart: Romans 8:32 — “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Think of the most loving, self-giving person you know. When needed, you have benefited at every turn in your life by that person‘s thoughtfulness, patience, and...

Matthew 22:36-40 (NIV) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Galatians 5:14 (NIV) “For the entire la...

The value of something to me personally is determined by the effect I allow it to have upon me. If I use whatever it is, desired or not, to become more responsive to the Lord then it is of infinite worth to me. If I allow it to distract me from such responsiveness then I have rendered it valueless to me. Hence there is no difficulty that I cannot make vital to my life if I will but determine to us...

H ow do I live this day in such a way that when I stand before the Lord for my life review, I will be delighted for him to see how I lived it? What will I want him to see that I did with my thoughts and words, my eyes, hands, and feet? What primary motivation will I want him to bring to the surface that was behind it all? I will want him to see me faithfully fulfilling my life’s greatest responsib...

“Do what is easy and your life will be hard. Do what is hard and your life will become easy.”  —  Les Brown How true is that statement? If we consider it in the context of the Christian life, I’d give it a thumbs up. What is it to “do what is easy”? It is to just go with the flow of the world, the flesh, and the devil. All we have to do to go down stream in a river is pull in the oars in...

Have you ever wondered how it is the satan is still so active in spite of this truth, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” (1 John 3:8) Wasn’t Jesus successful in doing this? Of course he was. So what’s going on? Here’s a true story told by Carolyn Arends that I think answers that question. (Christianity Today - Feb 2011) She writes: As a kid, I loved Mission Sunda...

Colossians 1:16 — “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.” Romans 11:36 — “For from him and through him and for him are all things.” Why were we created by God through Christ “for himself”? Wasn’t it that he might love us, take delight in us,...

In contrast to depending on something we do to be made right with God, the apostle Paul writes in Galatians 6:15 — “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.” The first and most important posture I think we need in life is that of receptivity to be made a new creation. There is no greater way of honoring God’s highest intentions and desires for us tha...

In Ephesians 5:10 we read: “Find out what pleases the Lord.” So what pleases him? Here are some things I found: Jeremiah 9:24 — “I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight .” Hebrews 11:6 — “And without faith it is impossible  to please God , because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnest...

Psalms 37:5-6 (NIV) “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” ********** It is actually your trust in God that increasingly reveals to you, as-it-were, the presence of God’s loving helpfulness in your daily routine. Consider the following: what temptation you are presently most con...

Proverbs 4:23 — “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Here are three ideas for guarding your heart. Relying on the Holy Spirit, first, guard your heart from unworthy impulses or desires that come from within you. Redirect them to the Spirit for him to destroy. Second, guard your heart from questionable suggestions or impressions that come from around you. Rely on...

Matthew 3:1-8 (NIV) 1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” 4 John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt aroun...

What is the greatest, the most important truth in the whole world? I’m persuaded it is the message of Jesus’ life and teaching. The Apostle John concentrated it into one sentence. Here it is: 1 John 1:5 (NIV) — “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” In other words, God is perfectly good. We can completely trust him and be...

Here is a reason why I cannot “judge” anyone in the sense of looking down on them — “condemning” them for any reprehensible attitudes or behaviors: It is because I could have avoided or curtailed almost all of my own rankling character issues, difficulties, and temptations were it not for the numberless self-serving, self-centered thoughts and choices that characterize and shape my life to this da...

Here’s something I wrote not to guilt trip myself but to challenge myself to think with greater perspective on my temptations. I wrote, In resisting temptation and to fulfill God's will for him, Jesus submitted himself to what everything in him reacted to with utter revulsion. He yielded himself to unspeakable mental anguish, agonizing physical pain, and death by asphyxiation, and you won’t say “n...

When you are visiting with someone, have you ever wondered what exactly needs to be going on inside of you? After all, every person who comes to your attention is someone exceedingly precious to God. He does not take kindly to withholding from them something they need from you or, of course, outright mistreating them in some way. We come up against what the Bible calls God's wrath. So we do well t...

Two words stand out to me as being so completely interconnected that we must never allow them to be separated. If we do, we will live walking in darkness, and die full of satan’s biggest lie.  What are those two words? God and worthy .

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NIV) 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it...

What I consider one of the greatest prayers ever prayed is found in Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV) The Apostle Paul reflects on God’s great plan for our salvation and writes, 14 “For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17...

Here’s how I like to think of God’s glory: It is God intensely, passionately desiring, and in every conceivable way tirelessly working, to become each person’s greatest friend. It is his glory that He allows nothing to get in the way of His pursuit while He works and works for each person to say “yes!” to him. The final chapter of a person’s life only closes when God knows that — having thoroughly...

Psalms 84:4 — “Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.” Where does God dwell? Habakkuk 2:20 — “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”  But when Solomon dedicated the temple he said in his prayer, “But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!...

Isn’t it amazing that people the world over see beauty in selfless action? When people bravely and unselfishly help others, the universal response is the same — admiration, affirmation, exaltation. And the more selfless the act is, the more beautiful it is. I’m persuaded that these are intimations of what ultimate glory is all about. When we reach a glory that is so great that there is no glory be...

Looking through my journals I found something I wrote down awhile back that I believe the Lord was saying to me. For whatever it’s worth I’d like to pass it on to you. It reads like this: “Charlie, who you will be around other people is being decided by your routine thoughts during your times alone. If you would be a blessing and bring My loving, healing power to bear on everyone and everything yo...