Are we truly in Christ?

"John 3:16" from the New Testament of the Bible is the most used verse... This verse is the "core" of the Christian Faith. However, do we truly understand the depth and meaning of the verse or do we apply it to our daily life and live sacrificially?

We claim to be Christians, but are we truly in Christ? Faith is not something we obtain in an instant. It's a slow transformation from the old to the new us in Christ. First, we have to start by truly believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that He sacrificied his life for our sins so we can have eternal life, and that He rose from the dead on the third day and that He is the only way, the truth and the life. By believing that, we begin our journey towards the effort of being saved. We slowly start surrendering our old ways to God and start our new walk with the Lord. Then we continue to live by yielding constantly to His ways. Once God sees our willingness and effort to please Him, He starts the cleansing process and will continue to purify us. When we are purified, we are transformed into His image at which time we start reflecting Him in everything we say and do.

If we really believe in Jesus, we would desperately seek Him. We would want to receive His blessings daily, we would become eager to continue to live a sin-free and righteous life, we would thirst and hunger for more of His presence in our life. We would allow Him to take total control of our thoughts, etc. When we are truly in Christ, we would do everything and anything to please Him thus bringing Him honor and glory - it's always about Him, not us!

1 Peter 1:4-9 "...and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith - of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire - may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 John 5:3-5 "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."

To overcome the world means to fight the good fight of faith by believing that we have victory over sin because He has overcome the world!

2 Timothy 1:8-10 "So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

Titus 2:11-14 "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

"Jesus said "not everyone who says to me 'Lord, Lord' will enter into the Kingdom of heaven..."

Matthew 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Hebrews 12:14 "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy - without holiness no one will see the Lord."

1 John 3:2-3 "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure."

John 6:40 "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

Hebrews 5:9 "...and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.."

John 11:26 "... and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

Galatians 5:19-21 "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."

Ephesians 5:5-6 "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person - such a man is an idolater - has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient."

1 Corinthians 12:3 "Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit."

Unless we allow Jesus to be in control of our life whether it's at home, at work or amongst our friends, then He is not our Lord. Unless we acknowledge Him without worrying about what people might think or say, then He is not our Lord. Jesus doesn't want a bunch of hypocrite Christians who behave one way with certain people and differently when with others. Jesus wants us to honor and acknowledge Him with our lips, our actions, our heart, mind and soul!

Mark 7:6 "He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."

To inherit the Kingdom of God, we need to beleive 100% that Jesus is the only way to God! Going through the storms of this life is part of our journey from sin-to-pure. We will be faced with trials and tribulations no matter what. During these afflictions however, because of our selfish nature, we’ll become angry and denounce God (look at what the Israelites did when God brought them out of Egypt from their bondage. No matter what God did for them, they still complained and whined to Moses. Their ungratefulness and sinfulness angered God and extended their stay in the wilderness to 40 years...) However, if we keep our eyes focused on the non-temporary things instead of the temporary things of this world, then we will be able to stay on the right path. Jesus suffered for us so we should participate in His sufferings in order not to perish, but to inherit the Kingdom of God which is eternal.

1 Peter 4:12-13 "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed."

1 Peter 2:21 "To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps."

2 Timothy 2:11-12 "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us..."

1 Peter 4:1-2 "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God."

Galatians 5:22-23 "...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Galatians 5:24 "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires."

Therefore let's live like Christ did! Let us strive to be more like Him and less like the world! Let's apply the 'fruit of the Spirit' to our lives so we can say with 100% assurance: "we are in Christ"

God Bless,
Lucine

The Night of all nights!

CHRISTmas is a joyful time of the year. It is the time we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Jesus was not an ordinary baby! He was a Gift from God to mankind. God showed how much He loves us by sacrificing His one and only Son. God wanted His best for us, so He gave us His Best!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 1:4 "In Him was life; and the life was the light of men."

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and repent of our sins and start living for Him, something wonderful happens inside of us. Our heart is illuminated with His presence. As we continue to live for Him by following His commandments, we become beacons to a dark world. It is His "light" in us that makes us different from other people. It is the love, joy and peace that comes from Jesus that other people see in us that's different. Even when we are going through the storms of this life, we can still have peace, joy and hope because of the One who lives in us. The Bible says: "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world." When we allow Jesus to live in us, we allow the "Christmas spirit" to stay with us all year round and not just in December!

John 3:17 "God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world."

Luke 2:14 "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests."

Matthew 2:10-11 "When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh."

God gave us His one and only Son so we can be saved... Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!

1 John 1:5 "Now this is the message that we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all."

Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, the One who has triumphed! He is the One who is able to open the scroll and its seven seals in the end. He is the Alpha and Omega - the Beginning and the End! He is the only Way, the Truth and the Life!

John 14:7 Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is."

Psalm 29:11 "May the Lord give might to His people; may the Lord bless His people with peace!"

...May 2009 be our best year yet filled with HIS peace, love, joy and abundant blessings!

Merry CHRISTmas!

Lucine

Faith, hope & love.. but the greatest of these is love

"There are not thousands of religions in the world, but only two", states Dr. Robert Jeffress in his book titled 'Hell? Yes!' He continues on to say: "All of the other religions of the world are spelled 'd-o'. Regardless of its label, every other religion tells us what we must 'do' to earn God's favor. But Christianity is spelled 'd-o-n-e.' The foundation of the gospel is not what we do for God, but what God has already done for us in sending His Son to atone for our sins."

Yes, our salvation is a gift from God because of God's unconditional love for us. Only Christianity makes that claim!

I'm listing only a few of the 400+ Bible verses on 'love':

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

1 John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."

Luke 6:27-28 Jesus said: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."

Mark 12:31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

John 8:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Romans 12:9 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."

Romans 13:10 "Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."

1 John 4:7 "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away."

Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her."

Ephesians 5:33 "However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Colossians 3:14 "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Luke 6:35 "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your rewards will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."

For more on "love", read the "New Testament" of your "Bible" :-)

God Bless,
Lucine

A beacon in darkest times...

Time is short... What are we doing for God's Kingdom? Are we being a beacon or idling in our comfy zone?

Acts 20:35 "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

John 9:4-5 Jesus said, "As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."

Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world," Jesus told His followers in the Sermon on the Mount. "A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

We should get out of our complacency and reach out to people just like Jesus did! Let's not be content with where we are in our comfy-zone and our own cirlce of friends! Let's reach out to the helpless, hungry, deceived, poor, sick, hopeless, confused, lonely, tired and torn. Let's be Jesus' hands and feet and share the good news wherever we go... and let's do it all in love and compassion one person at a time.

We have it a lot easier than Jesus' disciples. They had to walk from town to town to share the free gift of salvation. We on the other hand, are the privileged generation. We can reach people within seconds. This has been made possible by TV, radio, missionaries, Bible offerings and translations and other high-tech communication systems. So what is our excuse? Is it because we are too busy or we don't know what to say or is it because we are ashamed to claim Jesus? We can come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid doing what Jesus instructed us to do, however, our excuses are worldly excuses based on our emotions and fears of what people might think or say. We need to start looking beyond feelings and emotions! We need to focus on facts! This is about our salvation! Based on the choices we make here on earth, we'll set the future! We will be either in heaven with Jesus or in eternal darkness separated from Jesus (the Light of the world). The choice is ours!

Jesus said that the end won't come until the gospel is preached to every corner of the world. It's a big possibility that this could happen in our lifetime considering the high-speed communication tools we have. Also, the Bible prophesies are being unfolded one by one. Although we may not know the exact day and time of our Lord's return, we need to prepare ourselves and others. God wants ALL His children to be saved!

Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Romans 3:10–11 "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God."

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."As followers of Jesus, we get the urge to tell people about Him because there is no higher motive to do so than the love of God. Let us daily saturate ourselves with Biblical wisdom so we know how to share our faith with others openly and wisely. There is a way which seems right to man, but it leads to death and darkness. People ignore the fact that the love of God, His ways and His standards are pure and higher than ours!

1 Peter 3:15 "In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."

2 Corinthians 5:14 "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died."

Proverbs 14:12-13 "There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again, it leads straight to death. Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in grief."

Let's share the truth with people and let's educate them. Being good and doing good deeds, volunteering, being ethical, and morality are all good, but not knowing Jesus or not accepting Him as our Lord and Savior is not going to get us to Heaven! The Bible makes it very clear that no amount of good works will save us! If we could get to heaven based on our good works alone, then Jesus' crucifixion was in vain! It is God's unconditional love for ALL His children that lead Jesus to that cross! Christians celebrate Easter every year, but how many people actually know or remind their children the 'true' meaning behind Easter? More emphasis is placed on coloring eggs, candies and bunnies rather than the cross, and when I say "cross", don't focus on Jesus' death, but on HIS Resurrection - because that's the Hope of eternal life with Jesus!

John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of Jesus."

The cross should be our everyday reminder that we were not created to live for ourselves, but to live for Him!

Jesus said: "The one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out. Come now, and let us reason together... Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool."

Romans 10:13 "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

John 14:1-3 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”

Revelation 14:13 Then I heard a voice from heaven: "Write this," it said. "Blessed are the dead who die as believers in the Lord from now on." Yes, says the Holy Spirit. "They will rest from their labor. What they have done will not be forgotten."

God is not asking too much from us. He knows that we're all sinners and He knows our limits and capabilities. Unless we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there's no way we can make it to heaven. The only things that God requires of us is to confess our sins, to ask for forgiveness, to believe that Jesus is the only Way, the Truth and the Life and that there's NO other way to God except through Jesus. That's it!

We need to reach out and share the good news with everyone we come in contact with and make a difference for God's Kingdom. We can affect our everlasting destiny by learning the Bible and teaching it to others. God wants 'ALL' His children to be saved. So it's up to us, we can continue to live for ourselves or we can become a beacon to a dark world!

God Bless,
Lucine