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so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11 "For it is not mere words that nourish the soul, but God Himself, and unless and until the hearers find God in personal experience they are not the better for having heard the truth. The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts." ~ AW Tozer God's Word is Like Rain & Snow “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11 Rain and snow are part of the Earth’s cyclical process. They are an important part of God’s plan and purposes in His creation. Rain and snow fall from above and soak into the ground below. Water sent from heaven brings forth the growth of crops, the refreshment of people and animals, and the sustaining of life throughout the land. Rain and snow come from heaven and do not return to heaven without accomplishing the purpose for which they were sent. God’s Word is compared to earth’s precipitation because, just like the rain and snow, God’s Word spoken from heaven always accomplishes His good purposes. The Word of God will always succeed, prosper, and overcome, and all those who trust His Word will too (1 John 5:4). God says that His Word will go out from His mouth and not return to Him empty. He has a purpose and intention for every Word that He speaks from above. Every Word God has spoken to us is vital, purposeful, and useful because it tells us about the Only Way of salvation and how we are to live an abundant life in light of that truth. The written Word points us to the Living Word, Jesus Christ, Lord to all and Savior to all who believe in Him. Jesus Christ is God Speaking 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is “breathed out” by God. 2 Peter 1:20-1 says that Scripture comes from God through men. knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. God's Word has been written down by approximately 40 different authors, across three different continents, over the span of multiple centuries, and yet it is one unifying story. This was accomplished all through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God has been compiled into 66 books, which the whole world refers to as the Holy Bible, whether they believe it to be the Word of God or not. One thing the world can't argue against though is that the Bible is the biggest-selling book of all time. (Gee, I wonder why? Insert gentle sarcasm). As Christians we believe the Holy Bible to be the Word of the Holy God of the universe, speaking to us Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). “A true man reveals himself by his words. Therefore, it is the Lord Jesus Christ who is called the Word of God. Jesus Christ is God speaking. God thinks what He says, and the thoughts of God are embodied in the person, work, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His dear Son. God could’ve never revealed Himself so fully in any other way than by giving His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). ~ CH Spurgeon. God's Love Letter God wrote us a letter from heaven, and it's all about Jesus. From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible is God's amazing love letter to sinners of His mercy and saving grace in Jesus Christ. The entire Bible points us to Jesus, the Living Word of God. Through God’s written Word, we know that God loved us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for us on the cross. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus freed us from sin and death, in order that we may be granted eternal life in Him, by grace through faith. God’s Word not only tells us how much He loves us but how we ought to live in the light of believing His truth and love for us. It’s not enough just to intellectually know the truth, for even demons know the truth (James 2:18). As believers, we are to know and live the truth in our hearts, by the power of the Holy Spirit, our Guide, Teacher, and Helper (John 14:16). The Light of the World Just like the rain and snow, the Word of God brings forth life (John 6:63) and produces good fruit in the lives of those who trust and follow Jesus. God’s Word is given to point everyone to Jesus. And for those who believe in Jesus, it's given to tell us how to walk in Jesus. God's Word is given to Christians to teach us, reprove us, correct us, and train us in righteousness, so that every man and woman of God may be complete and equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s Word gently reproves and corrects us when we go wrong and trains us and encourages us in godly living. As it is the chief end of humanity to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we are given the means to be able to do so when we open God's Word and believe Him. As disciples of Jesus, we are commanded to abide in God’s Word (John 8:31-32), as it absorbs into our minds and renews us (Romans 12:2), just like the rain and snow absorb into the ground and bring forth vegetation. As our minds are renewed in the truth of God's Word, His Word will never return void. His Word was sent into our hearts to transform our lives and bring forth fruit for the glory of God. God’s Word is a lamp that guides our feet and lights our path in a dark world (Psalm 119:105). The Ultimate Lamp and Light is Jesus, for He is the Light of the world and whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but have the light of life (John 8:12). Will Not Return Empty When God says His Word will not return to Him empty, we know that He is sovereign over all things. His Word will always accomplish what He wants but not always what we want. We may share God’s Word with the goal of trying to change someone’s mind about Jesus in the very moment we share it. If that doesn’t happen, does that mean His Word came up empty? Never. Our personal goals and plans may differ from God’s. Scripture tells us that the wind blows wherever it pleases since God's Spirit moves in mysterious ways (John 3:8). We may share God’s Word with our own plans in mind, but God often uses His Word in mysterious ways, at surprising times, and with the most unlikely people. Just like we can’t predict the rain or snow with 100 percent accuracy, 100 percent of the time, we can’t predict how God will use His Word in the hearts of people He chooses for His plan of salvation. Our responsibility is to simply plant the seed and shine the light of Jesus. Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your written Word, which points me to the Living Word, Jesus. I know that Your Word never returns to You void. I also know that Your thoughts are not my thoughts, and Your ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55:8). I know I can’t save anyone. Only You can save souls, Jesus. Help me be the light-carrier and the messenger You call me to be. Help me to plant the seed and water what has been planted by others. Lord, You alone bring the growth! I pray Your Word renews minds and transforms lives all over the world. I pray that the Holy Spirit carries salvation to souls through Your Word, by the gift of Your grace. May You gift everyone I know and don't know, the gift of repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God. All glory belongs to Jesus! In His name, I pray, amen. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them,15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.16 All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:36 Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for loving me and choosing me before the foundation of the world; for blessing me in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (See Ephesians 1). I praise You for setting me free in Jesus, by the gift of Your grace. Thank You for my repentance and faith in Jesus, the greatest gift besides Jesus Himself. The ultimate freedom is the freedom from the bondage of sin and the gift of eternal life, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Lord to all and Savior to all who believe in Him. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:1-2). God Bless America Not only has God saved me from my sins and gifted me with eternal life through faith in Christ, but He’s given me a free country to live in. And it's all for His purposes, my benefit, and His glory. God bless America and praise God I get to live here! Purely by His grace, God let me live in a country where I have the freedom to own a Bible, the freedom to go to church and worship with other believers, and the freedom to proclaim His Word and share the Good News. How blessed am I to have such freedom and access to God’s Word and the preaching of it. More Precious Than Gold The written Word points me to the living Word, Jesus Christ. Scripture is the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15-17). From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible points me to my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2) The Holy Scriptures are right at my fingertips, just a click away, and I’m able to hold them in the palms of my hands. What a gift it is to be given the Instructions Manual of how to live this life and how to find eternal life. I've tried living life without the Instructions Manual. Lemme tell you, it's a mess trying to navigate and build a life without the Book that's supposed to go along with it. What a gift it is that God worked His divine grace in my heart and drew me to open His Word to tell me about Jesus. What a difference it makes to read the Instructions Manual and walk in wisdom. For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and all that you desire cannot compare with her (Proverbs 8:11). How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver (Proverbs 16:16). Grace Upon Grace It's so tragic that the Bible is illegal in so many countries. (See list below) In 52 countries, the Bible is either A. difficult/dangerous to obtain, B. illegal or highly restricted, or C. strictly illegal and only available through covert smuggling. Why do some get access to God's Word when others don’t? That’s a question I don’t have the answer to. All I know is that I am to trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). I am simply to praise Him for His grace, for I know it’s nothing I did to earn God’s favor. It’s not like I deserve to live in a free country or own a Bible. And I certainly don't deserve eternal life. I don’t deserve these good things because I'm “good.” I'm not good, and the Bible tells me so (Romans 3:10). Rather, it’s because God is good and rich in mercy. (Ephesians 2:4-8). It’s simply a gift by His grace to allow me to live in a country where I can freely read and learn about Jesus, from the very mouth of God Himself (2 Timothy 3:16). And it’s in those Scriptures where God first gave me the gift to believe in Jesus. So faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of Christ (Romans 10:17). It’s truly all of grace. My freedom is all of grace, temporarily in the USA and eternally in Christ. Just grace upon grace. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . . For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:14,16,17). As believers, we receive grace and then more grace. We are served grace on top of grace, and in place of that, even more grace. Jesus is full of grace, and those who follow Him get showered with His grace. People are killed for concealing God’s Word simply for personal use. The Bible is so precious that people will risk their lives to keep the Word of God in their possession. And here I am living in the USA, with the freedom to own as many Bibles as I please. But one is all I need. To say I am blessed is an understatement. I know I am totally undeserving, and for whatever reason, God had mercy on me. He gifted me with my faith and an eternal home in Christ. On top of that, He gifted me with an earthly home to freely grow in Christ and share Him with others. The greatest act of mercy that God performs is giving the gift of faith.” — R.C. Sproul The Ultimate Freedom It’s not what I do that sets me free. It’s what I believe in my heart that sets me free. May my heart be filled with Jesus as I fill my mind with the Word of God. Jesus lived the perfectly obedient life I could never live. He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to His Father’s will to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross for me and all who would ever come to faith in Him. On Calvary, Jesus took the full wrath and punishment I deserved upon Himself. He paid it all when right before He died He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus defeated death and in three days He rose from the grave, so that by grace through faith I may live and reign with Him forever! There is no greater freedom than that which is found in Jesus. He is my Supreme Treasure (Philippians 3:7-8). He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). I could be living under a dictatorship, in a jail cell somewhere, or even bound up in chains, but with Jesus in my heart, I would still have the ultimate freedom. Dear Lord, If it is Your will and it brings You glory, may You allow me to live in a free country for many more years to come. May You protect the US from the evil one who tries to take away my freedoms by calling good evil and evil good and distorting the Truth. May You help me to continue sharing the gospel and proclaiming Your Word, even as the world grows more and more hostile toward God and the Truth. No matter what the future may hold or what trials this country may face in the coming years, I know there is nothing to fear because Jesus is in my heart. Help me keep my eyes focused on Jesus, by keeping my eyes focused on Your Word. All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8:34-36 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Romans 6:22 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 1 Peter 2:16 List of 52 Countries There are 52 countries where the Bible is either A. difficult/dangerous to obtain, B. illegal or highly restricted, or C. strictly illegal and only available through covert smuggling. Check out the map here: https://www.persecution.com/bibles/ 1. Afghanistan 2. Iran 3. Kazakhstan 4. Kyrgyzstan 5. Maldives 6. Mauritania 7. North Korea 8. Saudi Arabia 9. Somalia 10. Tajikistan 11. Turkmenistan 12. Uzbekistan 13. Yemen 14. Algeria 15. Bhutan 16. Brunei 17. China 18. Cuba 19. Djibouti 20. Eritrea 21. Kuwait 22. Laos 23. Libya 24. Malaysia 25. Morocco 26. Oman 27. Sudan 28. Tunisia 29. Bahrain 30. Bangladesh 31. Central African Republic 32. Columbia 33. Egypt 34. Ethiopia 35. India 36. Iraq 37. Jordan 38. Kenya 39. Lebanon 40. Mali 41. Myanmar (Burma) 42. Nepal 43. Niger 44. Nigeria 45. Pakistan 46. Philippines (Mindanao) 47. Sri Lanka 48. Syria 49. Tanzania 50. Turkey 51. United Arab Emirates 52. Vietnam

Let me hear in the morning of Your steadfast love, for in You I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to You I lift up my soul. Psalm 143:8 Dear Heavenly Father, When I wake up, I want to know that You are God and I am Yours. (Psalm 100:3). When I wake up, I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When I wake up, I want to thank You, praise You, and rejoice in You. When I wake up, I want to come into Your presence with a song-filled heart, ready to start my day on a joyful note (Psalm 100:1-2). When I wake up, I want to be Your joyful and obedient servant, trusting in You wherever You may lead, lifting up my soul to You. When I wake up I want to be reminded of Your steadfast love and promises, found in Your Word. Help my waking words be “Good morning, Lord"... "I love You, Lord"... "Help me today, Lord"... "I need You again, Lord"... "Strengthen me, Lord"... "Bless the work of my hands, Lord"... "Help me be a blessing to others today, Lord"... "Help me stay focused on You, Lord.” Lord, Let my mind not be set on earthly things but on things above, where Christ is seated. (Colossians 3:1-2). Help me not to focus on the things that are seen and temporary but on the things that are unseen and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Help me fix my eyes on heaven, as that reality is what helps me live fully in the moment. Help me go about my day by being reminded who Jesus is and what Jesus did for me. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. God sent His beloved Son Jesus to save me from my sins by dying on the cross for me. In three days He rose again from the grave so that by grace through faith, I may have eternal life in Him. Lord, help me keep that glorious truth in the forefront of my mind and in everything that I do today. Help me take my eyes off myself and fix my eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2). Lord, Help me go through my day with an eternal perspective. Help me to walk carefully and be wise, making the best use of my time today (Ephesians 5:15-16). Help me be generous with my time, talents, and resources. Help me count others more significant than myself as I look not only to my own interests but also to the interest of others (Philippians 2:3-4). Help me love You with all my heart, mind, and soul, and help me love my neighbor as myself (Matthew 22:37-38). Lord, I confess that with all these things, I am so weak and I fail. I fail to keep my eyes on You. I fail to remember the gospel throughout my day. I fail to deal gently, patiently, and humbly with others. I fail to see the log in my own eye before helping my brother or sister with their speck. I fail to love You and love others as I ought. But I know my weakness can lay ahold of Your strength. “A weak faith can lay hold on a strong Christ.” - Thomas Watson. Your grace is sufficient, and Your power is made perfect through my weakness. May the power of Christ rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). I cannot do any of these things on my own, but with You, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). Help me with all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Because of Jesus, I have overcome the evil one. He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Lord, strengthen my faith today. Help me trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. Help me submit to Your ways (Proverbs 3:5-6). Help me be humble like You. Help me be gentle like You. Help me love like You. All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Matthew 9:13 “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12-13). The “righteous” are respectable and moral people in the eyes of the world. They are righteous in their own eyes, but not in the eyes of God. The “sinners” are the outcasts of society who are often judged and looked down upon by the world. Sinners know they are unrighteous, and it's these people whom Jesus comes down to earth to save. It's these people whom Jesus clothes in His perfect righteousness, by grace through faith in Him. While Hell is filled with a lot of moral, righteous people, Heaven is filled with a lot of sinners who are forgiven in Jesus. Poor in Spirit Jesus is The Doctor and The Great Healer for those who are sinners. They are the ones who know they are spiritually sick and in need of a cure. They are poor in spirit. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). Poor in spirit is the opposite of self-sufficiency. The poor in spirit speaks of those who have humility and recognize their own sinfulness and total dependence on God. Their pride and self-confidence are gone, and they stand empty-handed before God, knowing they are undeserving of eternal life. The poor in spirit know there are no saving resources in themselves. They don't trust in their own self-perceived goodness, personal merit, or good works to save them. Rather, the poor in spirit trust in the person and finished work of Jesus Christ to save them. Proud in Spirit The “righteous” are “those who are well” and don’t think they need a doctor. They are proud in spirit. These are the Pharisees who are blind and self-deceived by their own spiritual condition. Jesus doesn't mean that they are truly righteous but that they believe the lie that they are righteous. The Pharisees believe in their own merit and good works to save them. When we take out the irony from Jesus’ statement, it might sound like this, “I haven’t come to call those who believe they are good and who trust in their own good works to save them. I come to call those who know they are sinful and in need of a Savior.” The Pharisees are hardened in their willful unbelief and spiritually blind to the truth in Jesus. They claim to see, even though they walk in darkness. In Scripture, blindness is symbolic of spiritual darkness. It’s the incapacity to discern or comprehend the Gospel Truth. Although we have the human responsibility to obey God's command to repent and believe in the gospel, only the grace of God can open the eyes of the blind. Those Who Don't See & Those Who See Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind." Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, 'We see,' your guilt remains" (John 9:39). • Those who do not see - This refers to those who know they are sinners and are in spiritual darkness • Those who see - This refers to those who are the “righteous” and think they are in the light but are in spiritual darkness. If the Pharisees recognize their own spiritual darkness and cry out to see the Light, they would no longer be guilty of willful unbelief. They would be granted repentance and faith by God’s grace. Unfortunately, they are content in their blindness. Tragically, they think their spiritual darkness is light, and this further hardens their hearts in their rejection of the Messiah, the only One who can save them. They choose themselves instead of Christ. ‘I desire compassion and not sacrifice’ is another statement Jesus says against the Pharisees. They believe they obey the Law perfectly through their vigorous religious rituals, ceremonies, tithing, and sacrifices. However, if they are truly righteous, they would display the fruits of love, kindness, and compassion to the social outcasts of the world. Mere external acts of obedience, while the heart is full of hypocrisy are detestable to the Lord. (Isaiah 1:10-15) The Truth Changes Us When doctors help the sick, they must come into close quarters with their patients. They must connect with their patients on a personal level in order to see them, understand them, and be able to heal them. This is also with Jesus when He calls sinners to Himself. It’s His compassion, thoughtful attention, and love that draws Him to come down to where they are and meet them in their place of need. He stoops down into the dirt and mud of the earth to dwell with sinners, listen to them, teach them, and heal them of their condition. (Hebrews 2:9, Phil 2:7). On the other hand, the Pharisees show their religion by keeping perfectly clean on the outside while their hearts are full of hypocrisy. Jesus says,“Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean (Matthew 23:27). It’s the inside that Jesus wants to clean for us. It's our hearts that Jesus wants to transform. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus tells sinners to come just as we are, but He doesn't intend to leave us that way. Jesus didn't come to affirm us in our sins. Rather, He came to save us from our sins, call us to repentance and faith in Him, renew our minds in the Truth, and transform our hearts to live for the glory of God. The yoke of pride is hard and the burden of self-sufficiency is heavy. But Jesus says His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30). For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith Philippians 3: 8-9 "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, Matthew 11:5 Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “The question is not, “Do you know you are a sinner?” The question is this, “As you have heard me preach the Gospel, has God so worked in your life that the sin you once loved you now hate?” Paul Washer

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 Confessing Jesus as Lord Chosen and loved before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-5), faith in Jesus is a gift by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), and God's love has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5:5). It's not what we do that sets us free from the bondage of sin. It's what we believe in our hearts that sets us free, and only Jesus can set us free. Our speech and our actions will naturally reflect what's deep down in our hearts, whether that's love for God and others or love for self and the world. (See 1 John 2:15-17 for definition on the term 'world' in this context). Paul said,“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved (Romans 10:8-10). And Jesus said, "For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart" (Matthew 12:34). "What's down in the well comes up the bucket. What's down in the heart comes out of the mouth." - Steve Lawson. We will confess with our mouths what we believe to be true in our hearts. We will confess Jesus as Lord if we believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, since His resurrection is the supreme validation of who He is as God. So if Jesus is down in our hearts, Jesus will come out of our mouths. We will declare Him. We will share Him. We will discuss Him. Jesus said, "Therefore, everyone who confesses Me before people, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven (Matthew 10:32-33), (Timothy 2:11-12). Not ever speaking up for Jesus is equivalent to denying Him. Therefore, if someone never makes a peep that Jesus is Lord, it only reveals that their heart doesn't really know Him as Savior. (Scripture talks about a final, permanent denial of Jesus, not a temporary failure of a true believer like Peter). Jesus is Not a Kept Secret We are never to keep Jesus a secret. There is no such thing as a private faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus makes it clear that if we don't confess Him before others, He won't confess to His Father that He knows us either. True faith is a public faith. True faith is a spoken, verbal faith. Our faith ought to be the most public thing about us, regardless of personalities or insecurities, extroverted or introverted, bold or shy. Being convicted about the magnificent truth in Jesus should far outweigh and transcend our personalities, personal preferences, and the manner in which we like to socialize. No matter what personality we are given by God, where we're at in the Christian walk, true faith in Jesus is a public faith (Romans 10:9), whether we speak of Him in front of an entire audience or we quietly share Him one-on-one with a close friend. I'm not talking about making some grand public announcement that Jesus is Lord (although that would bring glory to Jesus too), but I'm talking about simply acknowledging that Jesus is Lord with our mouths in front of other people, as Scripture clearly states. In the end, no matter who we are or what insecurities we have, the Lord will give us the grace to verbally confess Jesus as Lord in front of others if He is truly down in our hearts. Obeying Jesus as Lord “The driver on the highway is safe not when He reads the signs, but when He obeys them.” AW Tozer We who confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead will naturally follow and obey Jesus too, by the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts. We won't just profess to know Him with hollow words and then by our actions deny Him (Titus 1:16), (1 John 2:4). That's just playing the hypocrite. We don't obey God to be saved. We obey God because we are saved. Reasons why we obey God: • We obey God because we trust in God (Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 37:5) • We obey God because we trust that Jesus paid it all. Jesus was our Perfect Substitute. He died on the cross for our sins and rose again, so that by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, we may have eternal life. (2 Corinth 5:21, 1 Peter 3:18, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Corinth 15:3-4) • We obey God because we trust His Word, His goodness, mercies, faithfulness, righteousness, justice, and character. (Psalm 119) • We obey God because we want to. (Psalm 119) • We obey God because we have the Holy Spirit, our Helper who will be with us forever. (John 14:16) • We obey God because His grace is sufficient and enables us to do so (2 Corinth 12:9-10) • We obey God because we have been born again and adopted into His eternal family. (1 Peter 1:3) • We obey God because He knows us and we know Him. (John 10:14) • We obey God because He is our loving and compassionate Father. (Psalm 103:13) • We obey God because we are His children. (2 Corinth 6:18) • We obey God because He has transformed our hearts and given us a new nature in Christ. (Ezekiel 36:26, 2 Corinth 5:17) • We obey God because in our new natures, we now hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6) and hate the sin we once practiced and loved before our conversion. (Psalm 97:10) • We obey God because we know that once we are saved, we are always saved. We are eternally secure. We know we can never lose our salvation. (John 10:28, Eph 1:13-14, 4:30, John 6:39) • We obey God because we love Him..because He first loved us (John 14:15, 21, 5:10) (1 John 5:2-3, 2:3-6, 1 John 4:19) • We obey God because He gave us the greatest gift imaginable: eternal life and to be with Jesus forever. How could we ever return to living in sin and disobedience after being given something as extraordinary as Jesus Himself? (John 3:16, Eph 2:4-9) • We obey God because Jesus is in our hearts. (Rom 10:9) Mere external acts of obedience, sacrificial deeds that are done without love, and working for our salvation and thinking we are earning God's favor through our "good deeds" is legalism. On the other hand, heartfelt obedience to God's Word by God's grace is evidence that we believe in Jesus and belong to Jesus. The Litmus Test Those who claim Jesus with their mouths must also display these three characteristics through their actions as genuine Christ followers: 1. Trusting in sound doctrine and a proper view of Christ, which naturally flows from true faith 2. Obedience to God's Word, which naturally flows from true faith 3. Love for God and other believers, which naturally flows from true faith Those who are truly born again have been given a new nature from God, which gives evidence of itself. Displaying these byproducts of true faith is all by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by our own human willpower. Obviously, we will have far from perfect obedience, but our lives will be marked by a pattern of obedience to God's Word and a practice of righteousness rather than sin. Furthermore, believers are able to discern and reject false teaching by the Holy Spirit, who guides us into all truth (John 16:13) because we are grounded in the truth of sound doctrine. Lastly, our love for God and our fellow believers will flow from loving and obeying His Word, and we will worship Him in Spirit and in truth (John 4:24). When these three things, true faith, obedience, and love sing together in harmony, they produce joy, holiness, and assurance of salvation in the believer and constitute the litmus test of a true believer. The single most responsible thing we could ever do in this life is to examine ourselves to make sure Jesus is truly in our hearts; the Biblical Jesus and not a wimpy jesus of our own making and imagination. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5). The best way to examine ourselves is not by comparing ourselves to other Christians but through the lens of Scripture. The Book of First John was written to believers to help us know that we truly believe in Jesus and have eternal life. (It is a book of joy for the believer because it gives us assurance of our salvation)! It's very important to examine ourselves from time to time, but we must never get so fixated on ourselves that we take our eyes off Jesus. For every look we take at ourselves, let's take ten long gazes at Jesus, the Light of the world. Check out my other latest blog, If You Love Me... 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous, 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:7-10). "Our faith and works are merely reflections of the salvation we have received, not a contributing factor to it." Sinclair Ferguson "Hearing the Word without doing it, professing it without practicing it, singing 'Jesus is King' and pleasing myself is an indication of the fact that I have never truly trusted in Christ." Alistair Begg

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15 Scripture Says... If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. (John 14:15) He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. (John 14:21) If you keep My commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in His love (John 15:10). This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, (1 John 5:2-3) We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. (1 John 2:3-6) So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32). If We Love Him... Jesus says that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. These “commandments” involve the entire scope of Christ's revelation, not just the Ten Commandments. They encompass all of Jesus’ words in Scripture, which are God the Father’s words too (John 14:23-24), and they are not burdensome. Therefore, loving Jesus is not a mere feeling since biblical love is not an abstraction but an action (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Rather, loving Jesus is an active, abiding, and continuous relationship of following and obeying Him as our loving Master.“We know that we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments” (1 John 2:3). When Jesus speaks, we do well to listen. When Jesus repeats Himself, we do well to listen even closer. In John’s Gospel, three times Jesus emphasizes the need for keeping His commandments as evidence of our love for Him and the Father. We are not saved by anything we do or by keeping a list of rules through mere external acts of obedience (which is legalism). But we are saved by grace through faith alone, which produces a love for God. Saving faith and true love for Jesus are inseparable from heartfelt obedience to His will. Of course, we will have far from perfect obedience with how fallen we are, but the habit of practicing righteousness through the process of sanctification is evidence that we have the Holy Spirit living within us. It is the Holy Spirit who gently convicts us of sin and helps us walk according to God’s will through faith. Right after Jesus makes the statement “If you love me, you will keep my commandments,” He adds, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever” (John 14:16). Jesus knows that to keep His commandments in this fallen world, it will require God's grace in the form of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our hearts. We can't do God's will or keep His commandments by our own human merit or willpower. That's impossible. Rather, our obedience and good works are expressions of the faith and love we have for Jesus, which is poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). This is consistent with the teaching of James 2:14-26 that true saving faith manifests itself by works produced by God in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. If We Abide in His Word... So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:31-32). Furthermore, Jesus says if we abide in His Word, we are truly His disciples. When we abide in His Word, we prove to be His disciples. The word, "abide" here means to habitually hold fast to Jesus' teachings and persevere in obedience to Scripture. The word “truth” here speaks not only that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and to the Gospel Truth but also to the teachings that He brought to us in the Scriptures. Trusting in Christ as Savior ( His person and finished work of redemption on our behalf) goes along with submitting to Christ as Lord (abiding in His Word). Believing in Jesus is not just a one-time occurrence or intellectually agreeing with the historical facts of the gospel. It is a daily walk and lifelong commitment to trust in Jesus. A genuinely saved follower of Jesus will know, understand, and habitually walk (abide) in divine truth, which brings freedom from the bondage of sin. Only those who believe and receive the truth of who Jesus is as the Way, the Truth, and the Life are set free and in turn “abide in His Word” or keep His commands. The only way we can detect and fight the lies of sin is by trusting in Jesus, which produces a love for God and the truth of His Word. Believers can struggle with sin in this life and still be saved, but a believer cannot go on freely practicing sin or believing both sin and God are good. We will either serve one or the other but not both (Romans 6:16). It’s not what we do that frees us from the bondage of sin. It’s what we believe that sets us free, and our actions will naturally reflect what's in our hearts. May we love and treasure Jesus in our hearts, for it's Jesus who sets us free. Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your saving grace! I praise You for gifting me with the Holy Spirit. He is my Helper who will be with me forever (John 14:16). He guides me into all truth and helps me keep Your commandments. Help me to trust in You with all my heart and not lean on my own understanding. In all my ways help me submit to You, as You make my paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6). All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray Amen. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6 He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, But he who is careless of conduct will die. Proverbs 19:16

“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1. The Fall of Man Where God puts a period, Satan puts a question mark. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5). The fall of man in the Garden of Eden is the most tragic event in the history of mankind. All that is wrong, both small and big, personal and global; all that is immoral and evil; all that is broken and incomplete; all that is loss, pain, and fear; all that is gossip, slander, jealousy, hate, vengeance, and regret; all that is pride, hypocrisy, selfishness; all that is manipulation, confusion, cheating, and lies; all that falls short of the glory of God comes from this one event. The fall of man in the garden defines the world in which we live today. It's the very reason for decay and death itself. It's the reason why we look to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as the Light of the world and our ultimate Hope, Joy, and Treasure. Satan's Game Plan The setting is the Garden of Eden, the opponent is Satan (which means adversary), the easy target is Eve, and the game plan is deception. Satan’s goal is to construct a lie that Eve believes to lure her into her own spiritual death. He poses what seems like an innocent question at first but is really manipulation.“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). This is the very first question of the Bible. Before this, there were only answers. As the main part of his strategy, Satan lies about the character of God and the Word of God. He lies about God's goodness and authority, twists God's Words, and aims to destroy God's truth from Eve, in which he succeeds. Disguised as an Angel of Light Scripture says that Satan was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44). Ever since the garden, Satan's strategy has been lies and deception. He disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) but he's really an angel of hell. He disguises himself as the proclaimer of truth, but he's really the father of lies. (John 8:44). Satan wants to get us to believe that he is the truthful one while God is the liar. Throughout all the centuries, Satan's tactics have not changed. His deception may have been subtle to Eve, yet it’s not so subtle to us in this age. We experience an assault on the truth nearly every day through the Internet, news, and social media. This whole world is full of layers and layers of deception. As believers, we are called to be discerning. Scripture commands us not to believe every spirit but to test every spirit (1 John 4:1). The only way we can grow in discernment and be able to detect lies and deceitful spirits is by saturating our minds with Scripture on a daily basis. "A life fed on fiction is a life of fiction. A life fed on divine fact will become a life of divine fact." CH Spurgeon. Planting Seeds of Doubt Satan tempts us to believe we have a right to question God and a right to doubt that He's telling us the truth in His Word. He also tempts us to believe the lie that we can even become our own gods, knowing good and evil. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5). This is the point where everything begins to fall apart. The assumption that we have the right to question God and to render our own judgment on what God commands is where we begin to self-destruct. Satan plants a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind by the subtlety of his question. “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Satan tries to get Eve to first distrust the character of God because if she can't trust His goodness, how is she going to obey His Word? His question is devised to set Eve on a path of questioning God that will soon spiral out of control. Questioning God leads her to doubt God, to distrust God, then to ultimately disobey God and obey Satan instead, which throws the whole human race into sin. Through the subtlety of Satan's question, he implies that God is really not that good. If God was really good and really loving He would have never put such a restriction on her like that. How dare He? Satan implies that if God really cares about Eve, He would let her eat from every tree in the garden. By how Satan strategically words his question, he plants the idea in Eve's mind that God is actually quite restrictive, unfair, and even cruel. Alongside that, he gets her to believe that it's Satan who is really generous. It's Satan who promotes and allows freedom while God is the One who's all about control and bondage. All Sin Follows the Same Pattern From the garden up until now; the same goes for the world we live in today. It's a very slippery slope the second we think God is against us and not for us. Satan wants us to believe that God’s Word is subject to our own judgment. All temptation begins with the idea that we have the right to make our own evaluations of what God has already clearly said. All sin follows this same pattern. It’s a very simple yet clever plan, and it’s where all sin originates. We think we have a right to question God when confronted with a lie or temptation. Then we think we have the right to doubt Him, both His goodness and His authority. Then we believe we have the right to distrust Him altogether and trust in ourselves instead, making ourselves into little gods. This inevitably leads us away from God and His goodness and into disobedience to His Word, where only sorrow and regret await us, whether earthly or eternal. The Greatest of All Lies Satan’s greatest of all lies is to tempt us to think there is no final judgment. He tempts us to believe there is no hell or eternal suffering. He tempts us to think it's ok to continue living comfortably in our unrepentant sins. He tempts us to come up with our own definitions of faith in Jesus, God's grace, and true love. He tempts us to trust in our own minds and to create our own standards of these terms, rather than trusting what Scripture says and taking God at His Word. He tempts us to keep our Bibles closed and create a jesus of our own imagination. He tempts us with legalism and a gospel by works. He tempts us to abuse God's grace with following easy-believism Christianity. He tempts us to disbelieve in the existence of God altogether while tempting us to believe we came from monkeys and baboons over billions of years. With his many paths of lies, Satan’s final goal is to lead us away from Jesus, the Light of the world, and into the outer darkness of eternal suffering. Scripture, the Sword of the Spirit Scripture is the sword of the Spirit. We can only triumph over lies if we read our Bibles. We can only come to know Jesus as He is revealed to us in Scripture. We can only grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus as we keep our eyes on His Word. May we believe in God. May we trust His goodness. May we trust His clear, authoritative, and sufficient Word that all point us to the Light of the world, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 Dear Heavenly Father, The whole human race fell into sin, but You so mercifully provided a way for me to live forever through Your Son, Jesus. Jesus lived the perfect life I could never live, suffered and died on the cross for my sins, and in three days rose again that by grace through faith in Him, I may live forever! Lord, give me the grace to live for the One who died for me. Help me trust in You with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen! And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

Many are called but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 The Good Shepherd While western shepherds herd their flocks of sheep with sheepdogs, eastern shepherds use the distinct sound and simple call of their voice. In Jesus’ days, sheep were very attuned to the voice of their shepherd. This gave multiple flocks the ability to mix in a pen overnight and separate in the morning. When different flocks commingled, occasionally a sheep from one flock might get mixed up or wander away (for a little while), but never indefinitely. Eventually, the lost and wandering sheep would hear its shepherd’s voice and come back into the flock. Or the shepherd would go out to find his lost sheep and bring it home safely. This is what Jesus does for His children. For once we like sheep had all gone astray (Isaiah 53:6) and were lost. But Jesus called us, and we responded. We heard His voice, not by our own human intellect or merit, but by His grace. It's a gift to be able to recognize Jesus' voice and follow Him. We have been given the gifts of repentance and faith so that we may turn from our sins and trust in the Good Shepherd for eternal life. Will Not & Cannot The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:3-5). In this figure of speech, Jesus explains why so many will not respond to the gospel call. It's because they are not part of His flock. Therefore, they cannot respond. Furthermore, they cannot respond because they will not respond. In John Chapter 8, Jesus says to the religious, self-righteous Pharisees, 43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. 44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me...47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.” Truth is Foreign to Many Simply put, the Pharisees don't believe Jesus because they don’t belong to Him. The truth sounds foreign to them because their nature is to believe lies. Even though they profess God to be their Father, in reality, they belong to another father. They belong to Satan, the Father of Lies. In this world, there are only two kingdoms, two families, and two roads. There’s the Kingdom of Light with the children of light traveling on the narrow road, and there’s the Kingdom of Darkness with the children of wrath traveling down the broad road. There is no middle road, no grey area, and truth has always been in the minority. (See Matthew 7:13-14 below) Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters (Matthew 12:30). Those who will not respond to the gospel call are spiritually blind but proudly think they can see. (See John 9:39). They are both self-deceived by their own pride and doubly blinded by the deceptive world system, devised by Satan. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). Both their unwillingness and inability to respond prove their hardness of heart (John 12:40). God's Sovereignty & Our Responsibility Furthermore, only God can give sight to the blind and soften hearts through the saving knowledge of Jesus. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6). God is sovereign, yet we aren’t robots! We have our human responsibility to open our Bibles and obey God’s commanded will. The more we read God's word, the more we will know His will. And we know that His will begins with obeying the command to repent and believe on His Son Jesus. God’s divine sovereignty and our human responsibility are two truths that run parallel to heaven. They cannot be intellectually harmonized on this side of eternity. They both are true! Many Are Called Jesus says, Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). In this verse, the call is extended to all who hear the saving gospel message. Many hear it. Few respond. Those who respond are the "chosen," or God's elect, which He chose before the foundation of the world and predestined for adoption to be His children (Ephesians 1:4-5). Matthew 22:14 expresses the balance between human responsibility and divine sovereignty. The "called," who reject the gospel invitation, do so willingly. Therefore, there is zero injustice in God for their exclusion from the Kingdom. The "chosen" enter God's kingdom only because of the grace of God in choosing them and drawing them to eternal life. We Don't Want Fair, We Want Mercy Whenever we say that God isn't fair in electing some and not others, we don't want fair. Fair would be sending us all to hell. What we want is mercy. Scripture says, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. (Romans 9:18). It's a sobering truth, and one that I have wrestled a lot with. But in the end, it's what the Bible says, and it's just the way the chips fall (in His perfect justice, for His purposes, and all for His glory). But praise the Lord, we serve a merciful God! We can go to a loving God and beg Him to open the eyes of the blind to the light of Jesus. We serve a merciful God who hears every prayer and tear we cry. What a comfort that is! Prayer is part of God's sovereign plan in saving His people. That's so beautiful to me. With all that being said, if you truly follow Jesus, you won the Lottery of all lotteries, my friend. You have the Peace that surpasses all understanding. You possess the Joy of all joys. Your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. AMEN. His Sheep Hear His Voice Those who belong to Jesus hear His voice. They recognize His voice and obey His call, by His grace. As believers, while we are attuned to Jesus’ voice, we will at the same time run away from the voice of a stranger. False teaching to a believer sounds like sour notes on a piano because our ears are attuned to biblical truth, by the Holy Spirit. The only way to detect and reject lies is to know and love the Truth, by being in the word and praying daily in heartfelt devotion. True sheep may fall into false teaching for a season, but eventually, the Holy Spirit will always guide a lost sheep out of counterfeit Christianity and away from false gospels and new-age jesuses, and back to the biblical Jesus; back to the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep on the cross and rose again, that by grace through faith in Jesus, we may have eternal life! “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; Isaiah 40:11

Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. John 20:19-20 The Ultimate Peace Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). Jesus’ first greeting to the disciples after His resurrection complemented His final words on the cross when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). Jesus’ finished work of redemption through His death and resurrection accomplishes peace with God for all who repent and believe in Him. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). Through our faith, believers are eternally joined to Jesus and gifted the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance (Ephesians 1:14). We are forever preserved by His grace and not by our own human willpower. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand (John 10:27-28). To know that we are saved through faith alone and not by works; to know that we are eternally secured by God's grace, to know that we can never lose our salvation, is the ultimate peace. (Want to read about the necessary components of saving faith? Check out my blog, "Three Elements of True Saving Faith") As Christians, we have the peace that surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7). The peace that Jesus brings to humanity produces a supernatural comfort in the hearts of all who trust in Him. Believers can be going through unsteady trials and tribulations on the outside but still carry a steady peace on the inside. Peace with God gives us the ability to still experience joy during life's many trials. All other joy outside of Christ is fleeting and dependent upon externals. The joy that believers have is internally rooted in Jesus who never changes, despite our ever-changing circumstances and feelings. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). It is a joy the world cannot rob us of because it comes from a peace the world cannot give us (John 14:27). To have peace with God, to be forgiven by God, to be loved by God and gifted eternal life, is the ultimate peace. Peace With God Brings Humility The greatest reality of peace is knowing that although we deserve hell and God’s eternal wrath, we have been saved from His wrath and gifted eternal life, by grace through faith in Jesus. To really grasp that stunning reality ought to greatly humble us. Humility is at the heart of the Christian faith. Humility is where love and all other virtues begin. As believers, peace with God enables us to deal with others with more humility, patience, and gentleness. Ultimately, peace with God cultivates love in our hearts. It gives us the ability to love by action and truth and not just by words or speech (1 John 3:18). Peace with God gives us the ability to forgive others of their comparably small offenses, knowing we have been forgiven by God of our countless and great offenses toward Him. Peace with God humbles us where we can truly love Him and others. The Ultimate Joy Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. 10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. 11 You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:9-11 To know we are safe and secure in Jesus and headed for eternal glory to live and reign with Him forever, is the ultimate peace and the ultimate joy! Dear Heavenly Father, I praise You for the peace You give me through faith in Jesus. It’s a peace that transcends all human intellect and produces a tranquil heart in me, even when things get difficult and life is uncertain. Help me to walk on Your path of life, delight in You, and find the fullness of joy in Your presence. Help me to practice the things that I have learned and received and heard and seen in You, so that the God of peace will be with me (Philippians 4:9). All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “The God of peace be with you all. Amen” (Rom. 15:33). I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” John 20:23 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 Dear Heavenly Father, Hallelujah! He is risen! All glory belongs to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! I praise You for loving me and choosing me before the foundation of the world. I praise You for being so merciful to me that You provided a way for me to live forever in Your Son, Jesus. Hallelujah! He is risen indeed! "It is Finished" There's nothing we could ever do to earn salvation. It's what Jesus has already done. Jesus defeated death once and for all and paid our debt in full when He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). “Death is swallowed up in victory.”“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:50-57). We are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us (Romans 8:37). If our faith stops at the cross and the grave, it misses the blessing of the fullest revealing of our Savior. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away our sins, but the entirety of His work in redemption doesn't stop at the cross, for He is risen! He is the Living Christ who intercedes for us in heaven and walks with us here on earth as our Closest Friend and Companion. We serve a living Christ! That's why we never want to have a cross that shows Jesus still hanging on it. No! Get Jesus off that cross! For He is risen! He is risen indeed! Redemption! The very crux of Jesus' resurrection is that He gives us a whole new nature in Him. By His mercy and through His death, we are saved from our sins and eternal damnation. By His grace and through His resurrection, we are raised with Him and granted eternal life. We were dead in our trespasses and sins in which we once walked (Ephesians 2:1), but by the riches of God's grace, we are totally forgiven and redeemed through His blood. By grace through faith, we are made alive with Him and are new creations in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17). In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. (Ephesians 1:7-10). In Christ, we have been given the blessings of all blessings - eternal life. Not only that, but Scripture says we are also given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). Not only does God bless us by His grace, but He lavishes us with it, giving us all wisdom and insight and making known to us the mystery of His will through His Son, Jesus. Jesus was the very first to be raised, but He will certainly not be the last! All who repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation will share in the glorious resurrection of life too. knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence (2 Corinthians 4:14). And this is our amazing hope, which is at the very heart of the Christian faith! Jesus swallowed up death once and for all, in three days rose again, and by grace through faith, we are eternally secure in Him! No one can snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28). We are the children of the Most-High God who loved us and chose us before the foundation of the world! All who believe in Jesus are headed for eternal glory to live and reign with Him forever! Faith in Jesus is a Gift We are saved by grace alone through faith alone, and eternal life is a gift. Salvation in Christ does not come by our own intelligence to choose eternal life, nor by our own personal merit, strength, or sheer willpower. No. We were all born in sin. We were all dead in our trespasses and sins before God intervened in our hearts, opened our blind eyes, and gave us the grace to respond with childlike faith. A blind man can't make himself see. A dead man can't make himself come alive. Only God can give sight to the blind and breathe life into a dead soul. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6). The God who shone the light out of darkness is the same God who has shone the light of the knowledge of Jesus into our hearts. Our repentance and faith in Jesus is a gift. Salvation is a gift. It just blows me away that I won the "powerball lottery" in Jesus. The lottery of all lotteries is being chosen and loved by God. Nothing can hold a candle to that stunning reality. And there's nothing in me that has earned His love or deserves His love, but it's all a gift by His grace, which He chose to lavish upon me through His Son, Jesus. Jesus Christ is the Treasure of all treasures. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! The risen King lives and reigns forever, and I am blessed in Him beyond measure. All glory belongs to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.