In His Hands

January 20, 2018 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement

“You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145:16-18‬

It is amazing to know that God is in control of all things. The power that is within the majesty and glory of God can never be understood by human logic. For the Lord declares, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
(‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:9‬)

Let’s ponder God’s compassion and grace for a moment. It is God alone who forgives sin and heals the nations. It is God who graciously gives to those who are in need and blesses those who are faithful. It is God who fights our battles and destroys our enemies. We have a compassionate Father who loves to bless His children and keeps them safe in His hand. Throughout the entire Bible we witness God seeking to have a relationship with His people.

God wants everyone to experience His great love and compassion. However, not everyone belongs to God. If you don’t belong to God you are at war with Him. And I promise you, God is victorious! You will never win a war with the One who created you. If Satan was honest, he would say the same.

As a child of God, rest assured that His compassion never ends. “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”
‭‭(Lamentations‬ ‭3:22-23) Be confident in knowing that God will always take care of you. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
‭‭(Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬)

Pray as king David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”‭‭ (Psalms‬ ‭51:10-12)

Concerning The Times

January 19, 2018 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Salvation, Trust

Concerning The Times

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.
1 Thessalonians 5:1

Anticipate The Day

There is great joy and great confidence in knowing that Jesus Christ is coming very soon. In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul gives answers to the questions of what happens when someone dies and Jesus hasn’t come back. But there are many questions of when is Jesus coming back for the church. So Paul starts chapter 5 with a great statement to encourage Believers. Just as the Thessalonians were curious about the coming of Jesus and the Rapture of the church so are many of us today.

Paul said we do not need any more information because we already have what we need to know. He means this in a way that Christians are prepared for Jesus’ return and since no one knows the day or hour we stay alert and rejoice in the fact that Jesus is returning soon. Acts 1:7 says, “He (Jesus) said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” If we knew the exact time that Jesus was going to return it would either cause panic and fear if it were near or it would cause us to lose hope if it were a long time away. What Paul does say that we need to know is the fact that the day is coming soon. We should expect it to happen even if it were today.

Prayer

Pray for God to help you live a holy life with complete obedience to His Word and in anticipation of looking forward to the day of the Lord.

Known for Love

January 19, 2018 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
‭‭John‬ ‭13:35‬

If there is one word to describe the person of Jesus it should be love. Jesus is the living example and definition of love. Jesus taught how to love and who to love. But most of all Jesus proved His love by dying on the cross.

Every born-again Believer is transformed into a new person as 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” You become a new person because the Holy Spirit comes inside and dwells in your inner person. He gives you new life that lasts for eternity. But the evidence of salvation is demonstrated by love. Jesus says people will know you belong to me because of your love.

I want to point out three ways people will know you are a true follower of Jesus Christ. First, people will know you’re a Christian because you love the Lord. You don’t have to tell people you’re a Christian when it’s written all over you. You will have a demeanor about you that glows and reflects Jesus. Your words and actions glorify the One you love. You will love to worship and praise the Lord.

Second, people will know you’re a Christian because you love others. Your love for people (all people) is true evidence that your heart is occupied by the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to love those who are peaceful and lovable, but what about those who are difficult to love? You know who I’m talking about because someone just popped into your mind. Uh oh! If Jesus loves them, we too must love them the same.

Lets move on to the third way people will know you are a Christian. When we love Jesus we will obey Him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John‬ ‭14:15‬) Our love is demonstrated by how we obey the One we love. Complete obedience to God’s Word is a requirement. When we obey the commandments we show others that we belong to Jesus.

Can someone identify you as a Christian by your steadfast love?

Pray for God to give you a heart that is full of love.