Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: bible

Abide In My Love

Trust

Abide In My Love

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
‭‭John‬ ‭15:9‬ 

His Love Is Everlasting

There is no greater love than the love of Jesus.  God’s love for the world is witnessed through the person of Jesus for the sole purpose that all people should be saved.  His love is unconditional and unchanging.  The promise of the Scripture tells us that there is nothing that can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35)

As we read and study the Word of God, the message of His love is embedded through every book and every chapter.  God wants us to know who much He loves and cares for each of us.  During times of uncertainty and difficulty His love never fails.  His great love is all we need to face everyday with hope and joy.  Allow the Word of God to penetrate your heart and mind so that you discover His perfect will.  Jesus says to “abide” or “remain” in His love.

Jesus desires that we never drift away from the truth of His love.  It is easy to get distracted  with all the things of the world and forget how much He loves us.  No matter how busy we get or how famous we become we never need to forget His loving promises.  Sometimes we stray away from His Word and we allow the things of this world to control our minds and hearts.  But the only way to abide or remain in His love is to be in constant and consistent meditation of the Scriptures.  His Word is living and powerful and we should never find a substitute for it.  Your life depends on your devotion and allegiance to the Bible.  Stay in His love and stay in His Word.

Prayer

Ask God to remove whatever is keeping you from reading and studying the Bible.

Joy And Peace

Encouragement, Faith, Salvation

Joy And Peace

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13

The Source of Peace And Joy

God wants you to be filled with joy?  He also wants you to experience peace in all areas of your life.  He wants you to have peace with your family, peace with your friends, peace with your church family, and peace with the world.   He wants you to have peace within your work, your play and your worship.  The only way to experience peace and joy is through a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

The reason most people don’t have peace and joy in their life is because they are missing the free gift of salvation.  God gives us peace and joy through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Because we are born with a sin nature we are naturally at war with God.  Once we surrender and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we are at peace and all sin is forgiven.

Another reason why most people don’t have peace and joy in their life is because they are seeking to be filled with worldly pleasures instead of the hope of God.  Even as a Christian we can get caught up in the trap of worldly living.  If we are not careful we will find ourselves seeking pleasure in things that will only last temporarily and will soon fade away.  However if we keep our minds and hearts set on the things of God we will enjoy the peace and joy that only God can give.

Prayer

Ask the Lord to fill your heart with peace and joy and then seek the things of God.

Worthy Of The Gospel

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Worthy Of The Gospel

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:27‬

Living For Jesus

Paul lived a Christian life that was radically different from his life before knowing Jesus.  Jesus made a difference in his life.  After the road to Damascus experience, Paul was on mission to make sure people knew Jesus as Lord and Savior.  It wasn’t just a job, it was his life.

As Christians we are to live worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Christ did something that no one else could do.  He paid the ultimate penalty for sin.  If we really consider the cost involved we would desire to live for Christ with all of our capabilities.  However, sometimes we tend to forget about the grace and compassion that was done on our behalf.  We never need to forget what Jesus did for us.  If we would always have Jesus on our mind we would always be productive in building the Kingdom of Heaven.

Paul sets the example of one of the greatest Christians who ever lived.  He had his faults of course, but he sets and example of how we are to live our lives.  We are to have the mind of Christ at all times.  To have the mind of Christ is to have the Gospel in our hearts.  Reading and hearing the Word of God should be the most important thing we do as Christians.  We should never be too busy to read and meditate on His Word.  Once we have the Word on our mind and in our hearts we can live a life that is worthy of the Gospel.

Prayer

Lord, I want to search you with all of my heart, mind and soul.  Help me to dig into your Word with eagerness and passion.