A Life Of Conviction

John 14:9-11

 9 Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. 11 Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen me do.

John 14:1-14, is a great reminder of who we are in Christ. Jesus was telling his disciples that his Father lived in him and he was in the Father. Jesus also said that we can ask anything in his name and he will do it! He just simply wants us to believe that he can do what he says he can do.  

People that doubt all the time are being foolish. The Bible is clear to not doubt. Doubting your beliefs and convictions can not help you grow as a mature follower of Jesus Christ. You have to stand firm on your beliefs and convictions no matter what. People want to water down the gospel so they can make people feel good, but Jesus definitely didn’t make people feel good all the time with his sermons.

Jesus offended many with his teachings and many of his disciples left in droves. Only the eleven disciples stayed faithful to him through the rest of their lives. Judas Iscariot, the twelfth disciple, obviously didn’t stay faithful to him because he was the one that betrayed Jesus. So the question we should ask ourselves is this; are we going to be faithful to Jesus to the end of our lives or are we going to betray him?


Even the demons believe in Jesus and tremble at his name. They were in heaven at a time and worshiped him, but many of them betrayed Jesus and were cast down out of heaven. If you want to live for Jesus, you have to live a lifestyle of constant dying to yourself and living out God’s will for your life. If not, pride can set in and can destroy your relationship with Christ.  

Dear Jesus, help me to stay firm with my beliefs and convictions no matter what. Help me to live out your will for my life without fear. Give me the boldness and the strength to live out a life of faith to the end of my life here on earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Light Of the World

John 8:12

12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Jesus was again, speaking to the Pharisees about who he was, “the light of the world.” He told them that they didn’t know him because they didn’t know the Father. If they knew the Father they would know him.

Jesus came to be a light in a dark time of the world. The Romans, who had control of the known world at the time, were one of the most feared societies ever on the planet. Their ways of abuse and death involved flogging, torturing, and hanging people on crosses for the crimes they committed. One thing that made Jesus special was, he was put on that cross not because he committed any crimes or sinned, but because our sins and crimes put him there.

Whatever we perceive about Jesus Christ, one thing is certain, he didn’t deserve to die for our sins. The amazing mystery about God is, he let his Son Jesus die for us even knowing we were in the wrong for doing so. We should get on our hands and knees and thank our all-powerful, loving God for loving us so much that he would allow such a horrible thing to happen to his only begotten Son, Jesus.

Dear Father, thank you so much for sending Jesus, your one and only Son to die in my place. Thank you so much for loving and forgiving us when we didn’t know what we were doing to you. Help me to stay focused on the things that matter most today and that’s telling people about what you did for us 2000 years ago. In Jesus’ name, Amen!  

His Glory

John 7:38-39

38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

When we read about Jesus, we see him as a humble and compassionate man. Obviously, no one was like Jesus before or after him. Jesus was simply being God in human form, but he also withheld his glory from us while he was here on the earth.

Only a few times did God reveal his glory through his son Jesus here on the earth. One time was when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. The other was when Jesus went on top of a mountain and a few of his disciples were there and saw Moses, Elijah, and Jesus transfigured in all of Jesus’ glory and brightness. Paul also had a run in with Jesus’ glory on his way to Damascus about to persecute more Christians.

Jesus didn’t have to withhold his glory from us, but because he loved us so much, he withheld it from us so he could pay the penalty for our sins. The disciples and the few that were there and saw Jesus’ baptism had to be in complete amazement when they saw heaven opening. Seeing God’s glory is actually a very awesome and terrifying thing for the few that have seen it here on earth. One thing’s for sure, everyone will see Jesus in all of his glory someday. The question is what did you do with him while you were here on the earth? Did you accept him or reject him?

Dear Jesus, thank you for coming as a man to take away my sins. I look forward to the day to see all of your glory. Thank you for choosing me to be a part of your plan here on earth. I pray that you will fill me with your awesome presence today! In Jesus’ name, Amen!

The Word= Jesus

John 1:1-5

1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.

Many people have wondered how we got here. Did a massive explosion happen? Did we come from monkeys? The answer to those questions can be easily solved. In the beginning the Word already existed. Let’s put it this way, in this scripture, replace “the Word” with Jesus.

When Jesus said, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me” in Matthew 28, he wasn’t joking. Jesus was always there from the beginning of creation. He was the master artist if you will for all of his creation. He’s the one that gave us life, knowledge, and dominion over the earth.

We should always remember that Jesus is the cornerstone for all of life. He is the only thing that matters. Job said, “The Lord gives and takes away.” Everything will go through Jesus. The only way we will have eternal life is by believing and trusting in God’s Son, Jesus. Everything else we do on earth will disappear and vanish in an instant. Today, just focus on Jesus and thank him for creating you and for being your Lord and Savior.

Dear Jesus, thank you for being my Lord and Savior. Thank you for creating me. Help me to live my life for you and you alone. Give me the wisdom and knowledge to stay in your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Joy Of Our Salvation

Luke 22:19-20

19 He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” 20 After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.

Jesus was preparing to have the Last Supper with his disciples before he would be crucified. This is one of the ordinances that Christ gave the church to do in remembrance of him. Every time we take the Lord’s Supper, we should examine our hearts and make sure we have made things right with our Savior.

I remember at a young age when I couldn’t take of the Lord’s Supper. I was only 6 or 7 at the time, but it made me wonder why. When I was 8, I can remember sitting down in my father’s bedroom and I can remember praying Jesus into my heart. At that moment, I realized I was going to heaven and spend eternity with Jesus. I hope everyone who gave their life to Christ can remember where they were saved.

The next time our church had the Lord’s Supper, I was able to participate. It brought great joy to my life knowing that I was now saved and was able to take the elements and honor my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the Lord’s Supper. I hope that whenever you take of the Lord’s Supper again that you will feel that same joy that came into your heart the very first time you gave your life to Christ.

Dear Jesus, thank you for dying in place for my sins. Thank you for allowing me to remember what you did for me by honoring you through The Lord’s Supper. Help me to remember what you did for me daily and continue to give me the joy of my salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

To Seek and Save the Lost

Luke 19:9-10
9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Have you ever looked at someone's sin and felt like they don't deserve repentance? Have you ever wanted that person to not receive salvation because of the things they did to you or someone else? If Sadam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden gave their life to Jesus before they died, how would that make you feel?

The truth is, Jesus Christ came to save them too. Even though their beliefs and actions were evil, God would have still forgiven them if they turned from their wicked ways and asked for forgiveness. We can be upset and feel like that would be unfair that God would forgive people like this, but if he didn't, the purpose of why he came would all be in vain.

Jesus was always hanging out with sinners. He was around prostitues, tax collectors, lepers, and so many more. If Christians today associated with these types of people, they would be looked down upon and even forced to leave the church. The reason why Jesus hung out with these people was not because he wanted to sin, but he wanted to forgive their sin. He would always tell them after they repented to go and sin no more. That's the reason why Jesus came. We should try to develop the same attitude of Christ if we are going to save the lost. There are things we will all struggle with, some more than others. After all, we are only human, but our purpose is no different than that of Christ; "To seek and save the lost!"

Dear Jesus, help me to be more forgiving and accepting of others. I pray that you would forgive me if I've ever been judgmental towards someone. Help me to develop an attitude that reflects who you are why you came, to seek and save the lost! In Jesus' name, Amen!  

Leaving A Legacy

Luke 17:1-3a

1 One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. 3 So watch yourselves!

                           

Our society has become more concerned about self than about godliness. We strive to find the next greatest thing. We strive to find the perfect person to be with or to look like. We strive to make money and be cool. All God wants from us is our hearts. Someone once said the reason we don’t go to God with our problems a lot of times is not because of time, but because of a lack of love for him.

God wants us to desire his ways and learn and grow from his Word. He wants us to love him more and give him our undivided attention. Many times we fall into the trap of temptation and even cause others around us to stumble. As adults, we have a responsibly to train and equip the generation under us. We should be asking ourselves, what kind of legacy are we leaving behind for our children and for their children?

This scripture is something we should examine seriously if we want our families to get back on track and serve God the way he wants us too. We have to be more like him and love like him everyday. If not, our families, friends, colleagues, and our country will continue down this downward spiral of despair if we don’t wake up and do something about it.

Dear Jesus, help me to be more like you everyday. Help me to love and forgive more like you did here on earth. I’m sorry if I’ve wronged you in any way today and I want to do better and live out my life to be a legacy for the next generation to see. Help me to live out my faith and set the right example for our children everyday so they will live for you and your glory! In Jesus’ name, Amen!