English Standard Version Archives

Trending Topics and God’s Reminders

October 26, 2016 Gracie

Trending Topics

God’s Reminders

How about some briefs that reflect something good for a change?

These are some of God’s reminders I like to think about and want to share with you. Take a look at these truths and remind the other believers in your life what we have to look forward to, no matter who wins the election. There’s an ending to all of this global junk and it’s a Good Ending. There’s no cliffhanger to keep us guessing. The Bible tells us how it ends.

In the meantime, when fear and doubts come, dear ones, please remember:

1. God does not abandon Us

He hasn’t gone anywhere. God will never break His triumphant promise. He never violates His Word. Regenerate believers – He’s right there with you. Talk to Him when the fears come.

God will listen I’ve done that myself. I’ve walked outside during a beautiful sunset and silently prayed to God about my concerns. I know He is listening. I feel a sense of peace I can’t even adequately describe and His peace eventually takes over any fearful thoughts. Try it sometime.

**Even so, the cross we carry is only for a little while at most, and then we shall receive the crown, the glory. Surely we should love the cross and, instead of shrinking from it, count it very dear, for it works out for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. – Alistair Begg, Christian Pastor.

2. God continues to bless us individually according to His Will

Christians have the blessing of eternal life. But, in addition to that beautiful assurance, God will also continue to pour out His blessings on us as individuals. Don’t miss those blessings.

Let’s start with this morning. You’re up and breathing, right? Have you thanked Him yet? God didn’t create you just to go through life, work yourself to the bone, retire someday, and then breathe your last breath. Poof! It’s all over. That’s a defeating premise for someone like you and me who God is holding in His grip.

God's reminders

God created you and me for so much more. We can’t waste our lives on the trivial stuff. If there’s something you can do to bring glory to Him, do it! Acknowledge Him. You may never know in this life whose lives you may have touched by doing so, but some day you will know. Your witness may help plant the seed that leads someone else to eternal life with Christ, and it’s all worth it.

3. There is one way to eternal life, and that is through the saving grace of Jesus Christ

One way. Not ten ways, not a thousand, not even a trillion. (How many zeroes is that?) There is one way, praise the Lord!

Why does the Bible refer to us like sheep? It’s not flattering. Sheep play “follow the leader” and will blindly follow the herd off a cliff.

*⁶All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

– Isaiah 53:6, ESV

Christ took the fall for all of yours and my sins and gave us His saving grace. Praise the Lord we have a Shepherd to guide us and protect us until He calls us home.

4. God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our Advocate. The Holy Spirit convicts us. Take the hint 🙂

Cherish the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. If you mess up, apologize sincerely to God, and He will forgive you.

5. Everything in life is working out according to His Will

Life may feel like it’s going to hell in a hand basket, but God’s Will is done every day, behind the scenes. His will is at work and we can’t fully understand it.

I’ve asked that question myself, “How can this be right for our country? How can that even be happening?”

Remember that sheep analogy earlier?

As sad and as tragic as events in this world will get (a fact of life), all circumstances are following God’s timeline.

God is all-knowing. Nothing surprises Him. And the good news is that His Light will always win out over darkness. The trials and sufferings we have experienced (and will experience) during our lifetimes are gone in a flash when Jesus returns for His Church. Remember, God’s timing is very different from our concept of time.

To God, a year or more is nothing

As an example, a year can seem like forever to us. To God, a year or more is nothing.

Everything that happens to us as believers is leading to a spectacular and very real event in our future.

6. Everyone who should be saved will be

It’s comforting for me to know that no true Christian will be left behind. That’s why we must take it to heart to share our stories of how our lives changed once we started following Him.

God doesn’t want anyone to perish. We must humble ourselves as a child, and seek His forgiveness. In the final chapter of our lives on this planet, earthly power, riches, success, and status mean nothing. The only thing with eternal meaning is our relationship with Him.

As I was leaving a morning Bible study recently, I had this song playing on my iPod. I always liked the melody, but intently listened to the lyrics this time and thought how foretelling they are. It’s a song by MercyMe called, “Finally Home.”

If you get a chance, please listen to the lyrics. Think about meeting God face to face. Imagine reflecting on your life with the One who gave you life. He loves you that much!

God bless!

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**Begg, Alistair, “Your Cross.” Crosswalk.com. 5 April 2017, Web Access 05 April 2017. Copyright Truth For Life. Used with Permission.

Our Exceptional God

Our Good Father

May 7, 2016 Gracie

Our Good Father That’s Just Who He Is

We have such a good, Holy, and Infinite Father. He sees all of our sins and yet freely offers us a path to forgiveness.

good Father The path?

It’s not a mystery.

As we trek through the rat race of this life, God doesn’t make us jump through hoops or sign a written contract. There’s no wearing a scarlet letter or public shaming for our sins.

No, none of that, as far as God is concerned.

The one, true God, is good and He cares about us.

Eternal Embrace

The truth is humbling. We have the blessed assurance that He will always welcome us back, if we are truly sorry for our sins. No matter what they are.

In our prayers, we must show up at His throne with our broken, wounded, and repentant hearts.

We deserve nothing, but instead of rejecting us, God embraces and forgives us for the prodigal sons and daughters that we are, desperately in need of His grace.

Jesus never fails

God is Good All the Time

He doesn’t allow difficulties to enter into our lives out of some twisted desire to see us suffer.

We fail Him often, but He never fails.

There’s a song we sang in church recently that’s a favorite. The chorus has been on my mind a lot lately, especially as I’m watching joy-killing news on television or reading sad headlines on Facebook.

I’m grateful that a song like this one can come to me when I need some encouragement. It always comes to mind at just the right time. I’m thankful to God that I can turn off brain-clogging mainstream news and focus on what is, ultimately, untarnished hope.

The title is “Good Good Father,” sung here by Chris Tomlin. I’ve posted it so you can delight in God too.

Our Past Does Not Have To Dictate Our Future

Life has it’s share of disappointments and trials, but there’s one constant we can hold onto. God wants none of us to perish. As the Apostle Paul tells us in the Book of 1 Corinthians:

^*18For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. – 1 Corinthians 1:18. ESV

God bless you this week!

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Our Exceptional God

Does God Hear Me?

October 15, 2015 Gracie

Have you ever asked yourself this question, “Does God hear me?”

Hello God?

This is me.

I have a problem and I could really use your help.

Sound familiar?

God does hear us Perhaps you’ve prayed about something sad going on in your life and there doesn’t seem to be any answers.

You’ve been praying for a long time and yet, nothing changes.

There’s no quick fix. No relief. Nothing.

Where is God? Is He even listening?

We know to trust God, but sometimes, from our human perspective, it appears that He is silent.

As we learn throughout our lives, our desires do not always line up with God’s sovereign will. His Will and providence are always greater, even if we don’t understand it in our grief. Fortunately, a day is coming when we will understand.

Do bad things happen to just me?

If you’ve ever felt that way, first off, you’re not alone.

The Bible tells us that David prayed desperately to God for relief from his adversaries. His pleas are echoed throughout the Psalms.

And not only David. There are many true accounts of Biblical heroes, men and women, who endured personal struggles with courage and perseverance.

Hardships are a given part of our lives until we reach Heaven.

As Christians, what we have in the meantime is the wonderful promise from God that there’s eternal victory for us in Heaven.

How long, Lord?

How long must we suffer, Lord? No one knows for sure, but we do know that Jesus rose from the dead and He’s preparing a place of eternal joy for His children. His Word is His bond and His truth is absolute. We can rest in that assurance.

In the following Bible verse, the apostle Paul addresses Titus, a Greek believer as an encouragement for the evangelism task ahead.

*Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, ²in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began ³and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior – Titus 1:1-3, ESV

We worship God, who never changes through the ages and He never lies.

In the meantime, we also have a community of brothers and sisters in Christ. We don’t have to feel alone.

If you haven’t found a church home yet, I encourage you to find one that is bold in preaching the truth of Scripture, mission-minded, and also a supportive body of believers.

There have been challenges in my own life when I’ve turned to close friends who have prayed with me. I am so thankful and I know whom to call 🙂

Broken, but not defeated

We must quietly wait for the Lord to reveal His purpose in our suffering, whether it’s in this life or when we get to Heaven.

Even if it’s hard, we must remain faithful in the midst of our distress. Grumbling, complaining, and blaming God is not the right response.

I’ve had some friends and family members who have lost their fight with cancer. As devastating as their deaths were, they may never have known at the time how their godly perspective of their suffering was an inspiration to all of us who loved them. There’s also the very real possibility that their witness directed lost friends to Christ.

I mean that with my whole heart.

inner beauty Whether it was during personal visits or even from their posts on Facebook, I saw their joy and anticipation, because these dear people had Jesus in their hearts.

No matter what this dreadful disease took away from them physically, no affliction could ever rob them of their inner beauty and spirit.

A Christian perspective from California

My sister-in-law, Cathie, wanted to share this insight from the Book of Lamentations.

³¹For the Lord will not
    cast off forever,
³²but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love;
³³for he does not afflict from his heart
    or grieve the children of men. – Lamentations 3:31-33

In her own words, here’s why these verses mean so much to Cathie:

“When my sister was in remission from melanoma, I once asked her which Bible verses and hymns sustained her during her horrific season of chemotherapy. The above verse from Lamentations is the one I distinctly recall. At the time I was unfamiliar with this verse; but now it is highlighted in pink in my Bible. My sister suffered assorted afflictions during the fifty-three years of her life. All of them were undeserved; none of them resulted from bad choices or a rebellious life style. Yet, she remained faithful to her Lord until her death.

My sister’s accomplishments set the standards for my own life. Much of who I am today is a result of my desire to be like my sister. I am grateful for the gift of a sister who modeled daily Bible reading, suffered with grace, and pointed me towards the compassion and steadfast love of Christ Jesus.”

Thank you, Cathie.

I rejoice that our loved ones in Christ are now walking with our Savior in Heaven. What a reunion we will all have someday!

joyful reunion

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* Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Our Exceptional God

You’ve Said the Sinner’s Prayer. Are You Saved?

February 11, 2015 Gracie

Did the Sinner’s Prayer save me?

Have you said the Sinner’s Prayer and you’re wondering if you’re saved? Please allow me to give you some steps in the right direction.

First of all, know that while the intention to say a sinner’s prayer is good, the prayer itself is not what saves you. It’s an oft-repeated prayer, but unfortunately in some circles, it’s held up as a sort of badge of honor, a guarantee of eternal life. It’s not a guarantee.

You can’t have salvation without repentance. One without the other does not add up. God knows the heart and He knows who authentically believes and who is giving lip service.

So, please be careful with this and don’t be fooled into thinking that saying a prescribed set of words is all that’s necessary. That can lead to a false sense of security without the substance to back it up. Too many people have experienced a false conversion.

Anyone can simply repeat the words to ask “Jesus into their hearts” and not actually believe in what the Bible says. It’s the same as certain celebrities wearing crosses around their necks for example and yet, their very public actions do not reflect transformed lives.

That may sound harsh, but it’s true. It is God who saves, not simply a recommended prayer. A transformed life reflects a person’s life-changing faith, commitment, obedience (bearing fruit), and godly character.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:22-24.

Child of God God will bless you if you sincerely guard your heart (with the help of the Holy Spirit) towards Him. Praise God if it was a certain friend or family member who planted the seed and led you to the authentic saving grace that comes only through Christ Jesus.

Expect some resistance though if you have friends or family who aren’t believers.

Remember, dear friend, that the Bible says in Matthew 5 –

¹¹ “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

– Matthew 5:11-12, ESV

There’s No Free Ride

Christianity is not a free ride. Your life won’t suddenly get better and all of your problems won’t go away. In addition, a newfound faith doesn’t lead to a bigger bank account (despite the false teachings of prosperity preachers).

Life will continue to be hard, but you will be rich in so many other ways. You’ll have the knowledge that our perfect God has chosen you to be a part of His holy family.

Salvation is attainable through Jesus Christ alone.

Your commitment serves as your conscious affirmation that you believe in the saving grace of Jesus Christ and recognize His atonement for your sins.

The Sinner's Prayer Here are some commitments to take to heart:

– Find a Bible-believing and teaching church. It can be non-denominational, but they must preach the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ. Not a watered-down version of it that some false teachers think is the only way to help a church grow. Start your search for a bible-believing church by talking with other believers. You can also check each potential church’s website for their mission statement. Unfortunately, the teaching may not line up with the mission statement, so a visit is necessary. If a church is teaching that every religion is basically the same and every cult leads to God, stay clear.

– Buy your own personal copy of the Bible. Until you do, churches have them in the pews so you can follow along with the Biblical preaching. Recommended versions are the English Standard Version Bible, the King James, and the New American Standard Bible.

– Read your Bible. You’ll find that, once you become a Christian, your thirst for Biblical knowledge will increase ten-fold. Have a good commentary to go along with your reading. As a new Christian, you’ll need one and, if you’re a long-time Christian, you’ll still need one. Some are free and online, while some are found for a price, i.e. the John MacArthur Bible Commentary.

– Pray for God’s continued guidance, strength and comfort in your life. He hears every prayer you pray. Speak to God from your heart, not prescribed prayers.

– Learn to memorize Scripture. The verses are the actual inspired words from God the Father. If you can have some of these treasures tucked away in your heart, they’ll come to mind more easily when you’re stressed or going through a difficult trial.

– Read Randy Alcorn’s book, Heaven. It will give you a wonderful perspective, based on an interpretation of Scripture, of what Heaven could be like. It’s a hopeful and thought-provoking work for those who mistakenly believe Heaven is boring. Quite the contrary, Heaven is full of unspeakable joy.

– You may want to consider listening daily to a sermon from OnePlace Ministries on your cell phone or iPad. This website has links to great teaching from wonderful pastors such as Alistair Begg, John MacArthur, and others. It will enrich your life, I promise.

– Check out the website gotquestions.org. You’ll find many answers there to your questions about God and the Christian faith.

– Start listening to Christian music. It will soothe your soul. If you enjoy hymns, there are so many choices. If you like more contemporary, you can find the music of Beckah Shae, High Road III, TobyMac, and others to your liking. Scan through some Christian songs on youtube. You’ll see what I mean.

Through Him, You Become A New Creation

You are God's new creation

God bless you!

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Our Exceptional God