In the Battle Be True

“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives.

Revelation 2:12-13 NIV

We don't really know the strength we have in Christ until we need it. Like Peter, who felt like he had the strength, found out he didn't, then discovered in the end he did, we need to look to Christ and remain true to his name. That's where our strength is! 

I'm pretty sure that most of us feel like Satan lives in our city. And our TV's. Christians have become the scapegoats for society. According to the world if you recognize sin you are actually demonstrating prejudice and hate. That's America. In many parts of the world Christians have been and are being martyred.  It's obvious that the enemy is turning up the heat and attacking with increasing animosity. 

We don't know what each day will bring. We do know that even though there will be trials and tribulations that Christ has promised to never leave us or forsake us. I believe that the perfecting of our faith is about being Christlike, not comfortable. Being true to his name means never backing down in our faith. Don't worry about if you'll have strength. Trust Christ for the strength you need today. 

Love Is Not a Warm Fuzzy

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:12 (NIV)

"Love one another". What an iconic phrase, something we hear all the time. You see it on mugs, Facebook, Twitter and hear it in sermons and worship songs all the time. It has become what I call a warm-fuzzy phrase. It feels good to say but it's hard to do. In a way we have heard it so much that we are kind of immune to it's real meaning and true intent.

When it matters is when real love is needed to deal with the hurt and injuries inflicted by sin and our sinful, selfish ways of dealing with each other. Real, Christlike love is sacrificial, do what needs to be done, love. The writer of Hebrews said, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Emphasis mine.) Jesus was not feeling all warm and fuzzy on the cross, he was experiencing all the pain, separation and rejection of our sins. That is the love John is talking about when he says to love one another. 

If you are married, you know that it isn't a warm fuzzy that gets you through sometimes. Dying to yourself, forgiving a wrong that your spouse can not see or acknowledge, is what makes a godly marriage work. All relationships need Christlike love to make them work. 

How do you need to love today?

Father, thank you for your love for us in Christ, what he endured on the cross so that we may be your children. Help us to love one another like you loved us. Praise be to you in us today!

ENDURE THE OPPOSITION

"Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." Hebrews 12:3

Jesus is God. He is all powerful. He holds the universe together with the power of his word.  Yet, he endured opposition from sinful men. He died on the cross. He took the abuse, to save our souls.

Sometimes we just get tired. Sometimes we're just tired of the routine, the same old, same old. Trials and temptations can seem to just wear you down. But, like Christ, we need to stay disciplined and endure. The Father will reward us. 

So, whatever you are enduring, keep seeking to do what you know is right. If you stumble and fall. Get back up, seek Christ's grace and move on. Jesus is faithful and just to forgive us all unrighteousness. He will never leave us or forsake us. 

Endure.

Father, help us to consider Jesus and to endure. Praise be to you in us today!

IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23

The reason we can hold on to Christ is because it is all about his faithfulness, not ours!It's not about you, it's about Christ! In I Timothy 2:13 Paul encourages us by saying, "if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself." 

Hold on to Christ. Do let go. Do give up. He is holding on to you! He is faithful and will complete the work he began in you (Philippians 1:6). It's not about you, it about Christ's faithfulness!

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your faithfulness! Thank you that I can hold on to you! Praise be to you in us today!

OPPORTUNITIES TO ENDURE: Titus 2:2

"Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance." Titus 2:2

When I first gave my life to Christ I felt such a dramatic turn around within myself I kind of thought that if God continued to work as much as he did that first few years, that in about five or so he would have to take me home. I was young. I obviously didn't really get the depths at which God can work in our lives. I eventually realized that God had a lot to work on within me and following Christ was going to involve some patient endurance. 

I attend a men's study on Wednesday mornings. A friend shared that a battle he was having was his marriage was in shambles. You know, there has been times when I felt the same way. We made it through, but it really was a struggle for a while even though I believe we were both trying to seek God. Patient endurance can only be learned by going through something that requires patient endurance. My only hope was that somehow God would reign where I could not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Eventually a light came into view. The only thing I could do was trust God and try to love my wife like Christ loved me, even though I apparently wasn't doing to that too well. 

The bottom line is that Christ patiently deals with me with his enduring love. And I am to love others with that same patient endurance. Life will present us with opportunities, we just trust God and try to love others like Christ loves us.

Father, help us to keep our faith fixed on you. Open our eyes to see your love in our lives. Help us to love as you have loved us. Praise be to you in us today!