In the Bible, many similes are used to describe the relationship between God and His people, such as a shepherd and his sheep, a husband and his bride, and vine and branches. No one simile entirely grasps the whole, but the relationship of a Father to an adopted son comes close. Jesus invites us to pray, “Our Father in heaven…”
In the above verse, Paul declares that our adoption flows out of being chosen before the foundation of the world as a valuable benefit for which we are predestined. Though Paul’s language is simple, the concept is almost beyond understanding, yet so precious. Even though each of us has an earthly father and mother from which we were born, spiritually each of us is an orphan desperately in need of redemption. God looks upon our need, chooses us, and predestines us for adoption as a glorious act of grace.
With such a glorious destiny, should not our hearts overflow with thanksgiving and praise? Should we not live in such a way as to display the infinite value of our Savior? What are our small troubles today compared to the exceedingly great treasure of knowing Him as our Father?
Tom Day
Jesus very plainly told His disciples that they would face great persecution for following Him. They would face such persecution because they were to go out into the mission field and preach the Kingdom of God to folks that aren’t always receptive and sometimes even hostile. But mind you, Jesus is telling His followers not to avoid danger at all cost, He’s telling them to use caution and wisdom as you go into dangerous settings.
As life gets more and more unfriendly towards Christianity in the states, we are still called to preach the Gospel. We are to go into “hostile” territory and be lights in both word and deed. Should we exercise caution? Yes. Should we always be solely concerned for our safety? No. If that were true, we would never leave the house. Jesus gave us a job to do and it wasn’t to be safe and comfortable. We are sheep amongst wolves, but amongst some of those wolves are people that need to know truth. That is our job here on this earth, to live and preach truth even if it costs us.
Pastor Jason Witt
There is a reason why you would want to put on the whole armor of God. We are fighting a spiritual enemy and it’s not our wives, our neighbors, or our bosses. Our enemy is Satan. So we need God’s armor to protect us against him and his attacks.
Far too many times, we think we can take on Satan but we’d be foolish to do so. Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). It is only by standing behind Jesus and submitting to God that we can overcome the Devil (James 4:7). If we know who the enemy is, we would know how we can overcome him. When we know how big our God is, we will see how small our enemy is.
Joshua Navarro
The world that we live in can so often confront us with challenges that weigh us down. Our thoughts, our cares, and our concerns multiply in our minds, leaving us unable to move forward. Spiritually, our feet can become stuck in the mud of doubt, pinning us in place.
Thank the Lord that He is the God of transformation. With a troubled mind, we turn our attention away from our distress to seek His face, finding that our Maker has never left our side. God stands ready to bring His refreshing perspective to our weary souls.
As we prepare to embark on a new day, let’s look past the multitude of our anxieties to seek the Lord. My soul can hardly wait for His response!
Jeff Deal
An amazing thing happens when you get saved. You believe by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for you and you’re redeemed by God’s grace to receive eternal life. On top of that, the Holy Spirit is sent to live in your heart and you have a new relationship with the God. You not only know Him as Lord, Savior, and Creator of heaven and earth, but you now know Him as Father or Daddy, which is what “Abba” means.
You know many men who are fathers, it’s a title they carry because they have a child but you wouldn’t be comfortable calling them daddy. But because God’s Spirit dwells in you, you have an intimate relationship with God. He’s not only our heavenly father, He’s your daddy and that changes everything.
We aren’t servants or slaves, but sons and daughters, heirs through Christ. So we read in Romans 8:14-15, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.”
Can you see how that changes everything? We are free to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, knowing we have a daddy that loves us so.
Pastor Doug Hardin
In times such as these, you may be wondering what you can do. I have three words for you, just keep praying. Prayer is the most powerful tool that we have in our arsenal. Prayer changes things! Hannah cried out to God after years of being barren and God gave her Samuel (1 Samuel 1). Hezekiah called out to God from his death bed and had fifteen years added to his life. Prayer is powerful.
Haven’t you ever wondered why every time you start to pray your mind starts to wander, the phone starts to ring, and it seems like every distraction pops up? That happens because Satan desires to take you away from that powerful time of prayer with our Heavenly Father. I know having a consistent prayer life can be difficult, but there is nothing more valuable in this world than having fellowship with the King of Kings. Now more than ever, we need to be people of prayer.
For the King,
Pastor Daniel Batistelli
In the opening section of Paul’s letter to the church of Colosse, he talks about what he is thankful for. One of the last things is Paul’s thankfulness for where their hope lies. While there are many things to have hope in here on earth, there is nothing more certain than what waits for us in heaven. Imagine the consistent joy we can have as Christians if our hope was always fully resting upon what lies ahead for us in heaven, where rust or moth cannot eat away at what the Lord has for us; where we get to worship our Lord forever.
May your hope be fully rested upon what lies ahead as you seek to be faithful and love the saints.
Resting in Him,
Pastor Sean Boehm
Have you ever walked up to someone and asked them how they are doing and they answer with the standard, “I’m doing great.” But you think to yourself, “Then someone needs to tell your face because it obviously didn’t get the message.” When we truly walk in the “joy of our salvation” and a vibrant day-to-day relationship with Jesus, it will show on our countenance. It doesn’t mean we won’t have bad days and sorrow in our hearts but we can choose joy even in the midst of the most difficult times, because our eternal destiny hasn’t changed.
We will be with Jesus one day and our hearts will be merry for eternity.
Happy with His promises,
Pastor Gerard Deleeuw
This verse is one of the most loved in the Bible as it outlines God’s forgiveness for our sins. David kept his sin hidden for a year while his life was falling apart, but when he finally confessed it, the Lord forgave him and said he wouldn’t be killed, which was the law for murder and adultery, both of which David committed.
You might say, well, yes, but he still lost his newborn son. That’s true, because forgiveness of sins doesn’t mean the consequences of sin are going to be wiped out. It’s why we shouldn’t use this prayer as a “Get Out of Jail Free” card, but use it as a chance to comfort ourselves in the Lord’s forgiveness and pursue God’s best for our lives going forward.
Blessed by His cleansing of my sins,
Pastor Ron Kitchell
The concept of joy needs to be biblically understood for it to be fully enjoyed. As a fruit of the Holy Spirit, it is first and foremost the consequence of a born-again life in fellowship with God. Additionally, by definition, “happiness” is dependent upon circumstance (happenstance) while biblical “joy” finds its source with God and His promises despite the circumstances. As such we can have great joy in the Lord even in the midst of great difficulty. How? By doing what we read poetically in our verse: drawing water from the well of salvation.
We must reach out and draw forth all that He has provided. It is His water, His well, His rope, and His bucket given to us. He is the reason we rejoice. He is our joy!
Finding my daily joy in Him,
Pastor Jack Abeelen
