Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: jesus

The Judgment Seat

Encouragement, Trust

The Judgment Seat

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
2 Corinthians 5:10

Standing Before Christ

There are many things that motivate us as Christians to live a life that is pleasing to God.  Possibly one of the most important is the fact that one day we all will give an account of our life to Christ.  We will not have to report what we did or did not do because Jesus knows all things.  Neither will there be any reasons to give excuses for our life here on Earth.  As the Scripture says, we will receive what is due for what we did while we were in our mortal bodies.

Paul was motivated by this truth and desired to please God with all his might.  The idea of standing before Christ gave him an expected urgency to obey the small still voice of God.  The Holy Spirit guides us to do the will of God.  That is why Paul says that it is important be controlled by the Spirit of God and no other thing or person.  Paul’s ministry was pleasing to the Lord.  He was not perfect but he strived to live everyday for the Lord.  His actions and words were living proof that Jesus was His master and Lord.

The promise that we receive as true Believers in Christ is found in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  The blood sacrifice of Jesus paid for our sin once and for all to give us eternal life in Heaven but we will still stand before Christ to receive our just reward for the things done good and bad.

Prayer

Lord, Thank you for dying on the cross for me and my sins.  Give me strength to live courageously for You as I strive to please only You.

I Am With You

Encouragement, Trust

I Am With You

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬

His Presence Is Everything

This is a verse we all should memorize and keep close to our hearts.  Whenever you feel that God may not be listening, remember this promise.  Or when you feel you just can’t make it another day, know that God is still there.  When you just cannot do it, He will.  He holds everything together in the palm of His hand.

The truth of this great verse is found in the promise of His presence. We never know what we may encounter from day to day, but we can count on God being right here with us.  If we have fear, His presence is all we need.  If we are without understanding, His wisdom surrounds us.  When we are lacking, He fills us with His love.  The power of His presence is overwhelming when we realize how close He is.  God is not far away.  As a Christian, He is living inside of you.  He wants to be part of your life.

We should seek and desire His presence everyday.  Moses said to God in Exodus 33:15, “If Your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.”  Moses didn’t want to make a move until he knew God was going with them.  Moses was so use to seeking His presence that He would be lost without it. That should be our same attitude and desire.  God’s presence is the most important thing we know.  The Holy Spirit is God’s presence.

Prayer

Praise Him out loud by saying or singing, “You are my strength, You are my help, You are my God!”

Not My Will

Encouragement, Trust

Not My Will

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
Luke 22:42

God’s Will

As Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was to be crucified, He was intensely praying for God’s will to be done.  Divinely, Jesus knew what needed to be done but on the humanity side He was dreadful of what was to come.  This verse points to the fact that Jesus was fully man and fully God.

Jesus was praying for God to remove the cup of suffering.  He was praying if there could be any other way besides the cross then let it be.  But if not, then the will of the Father is best.  Jesus wanted the will of God to be done, perfectly.  This should be our prayer as well.  We should pray for God’s will to be done in our life not matter what.  No matter what suffer, loss, or anguish we must face it will be for the Lord’s sake.

Sometimes we don’t fully seek the will of God for our lives.  We seek was pleases us the most and when we face a mess we turn to God for help.  God’s will is always best for us but it’s not always the easiest.  We too may face suffering and shame in our walk with God but in the end we should always remember that if it is God’s will then it is the best way.  It’s hard sometimes to agree to have God’s will to be done in our life but we should yield our will and way to His.  Since God knows all things and He knows the future then we need to pray the same prayer that Jesus prayed.

Prayer

Lord, today, nonetheless, not my will, but yours, be done.  I submit to your will and way for my life.