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The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 Knowing Who God Is In this verse, the word "beginning" is translated from the root tachillah, which implies a foundation or an origin. Within this context of Scripture, Solomon means for the word "beginning" to be a prerequisite to wisdom. A person cannot be truly wise unless he first has a fear of the Lord. This is a level of wisdom that brings humility, recognizing that God is the originator and ruler of all things; from wisdom to creation to salvation. Submitting to God's authority shows that a person humbly acknowledges his place in the world and understands his need for a savior. A fear of the Lord does not mean having terror or being scared of Him. Rather, it means having a deep reverence, respect, and awe for God and a continual awareness and submission to Him. Having a fear of the Lord is having a proper understanding of His characteristics. It's understanding that God is holy, which means He is set apart from us; He is transcendent. So when we speak of His holiness, we speak of His majesty that rises above all things in the created realm; His divine greatness. The secondary meaning of holiness is purity. Purity means there is not one stitch of evil or tiny imperfection in God. He is perfectly moral, perfectly just, perfectly righteous, perfectly good. His purity and perfection go way beyond what we could ever begin to grasp. Both of these references to His holiness define the love of God. His love is transcendent, sacred, majestic, and it goes far beyond what any creature can manifest. Furthermore, God's love is a sincere love. This means God loves that which is holy, which in turn, causes Him to hate that which is evil. Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil. Cling to what is good (Romans 12:9). Hating evil means God hates injustice, immorality, ungodliness, and every sin. He can't look upon evil and sin, meaning He can't tolerate what He sees. When we come to believe these truths about God's character and His attributes, it instills in us a true fear of the Lord, which is foundational to obtaining true wisdom. Those who have a right view of the one true God have an appropriate understanding of who He is, His character, His role in the universe in comparison to our roles, and a clear view of reality. This leads us as Christians to live upright, balanced lives in line with the Truth, headed for eternal glory. Knowing Who We Are One of the biggest mistakes we make is thinking God is like us because we don't know who God is. We also make the mistake of not having a right view of ourselves, believing we are actually good, based upon our own personal standards and definitions of what we view good to be. This also comes through being self-righteous and comparing ourselves to others whom we think are not as "good" as we are - which further gives us a false sense of being good ourselves through our own relative truths. People often ask the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The real truth is that has only happened once in history, and that was the person of Jesus Christ who voluntarily gave His life on the cross. We are all sinners, and only God is good, whether we are able to humble ourselves to that truth or not. Only a contrite and humble heart can understand his or her need of a Savior, see the light of the gospel in Christ, and possess a healthy fear of the Lord - the foundation of true wisdom that leads to eternal life. Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse, and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury. Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. Proverbs 9:7-9 There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24

At that time Jesus declared, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to little children; yes Father, for such was your gracious will." Why Many People Fail to Believe in Jesus This Scripture comes right after Jesus finishes condemning three towns in Galilee where He performs miracles in front of the crowds and preaches to them. Even though people clearly see God's power on display with their own eyes, they still fail to repent of their sins and believe that Jesus is the Messiah (Matthew 11:20–24). Why do these people fail to believe that Jesus is God, despite seeing miracles performed right in front of them? A clue is given to us in Scripture: When in the middle of speaking to the crowd, Jesus turns to God the Father and thanks Him for having hidden these things from the wise and intelligent. Jesus thanks the Father for keeping the truth from those who are considered to be wise, according to the world's standards, or at least according to their own eyes. God keeps the truth from those who are blinded by their own pride. Instead, God reveals His hidden divine truth only to "little children." Little children are people of all ages with humble hearts, eager to receive the light of the gospel in Christ Jesus. What does it mean when the verse says, "these things"? "These things" are things that should be quite obvious. If Jesus displays a power that can only be from God — a power to raise the dead, to cure impossible illnesses, and to drive out demons with a simple word—then He must be the Messiah. How could someone possibly see these things with their own eyes and still not believe that He is truly God?? Blinded by Pride Jesus identifies two reasons why people can't see the light of the gospel in Christ. First, those who are considered to be wise and intelligent in the eyes of the world, tend to overestimate their intelligence and think highly of themselves. A high IQ carries along with it the temptation to deny or excuse away anything that the individual doesn't like or prefer. Since Jesus is not what many of the self-professing wise men expect from the Messiah, they simply decide Jesus cannot be the Messiah, according to their own standards. Second, this verse implies that God hides what should be obvious from those who are arrogant and proud. This is not very different than the way a very wealthy person might fool himself into believing he needs nothing and no one else—not even God. He may believe he is secure enough in all of his earthly treasures, wealth, and in his own self-sufficiency. This all stems from the root of all sin: pride. In a certain sense, God helps the proud to not understand what they choose not to understand, according to their own preferences. This is similar to how Pharaoh, during the Exodus, was allowed to resist God's will (Exodus 7:22; 8:15, 32). God made an example of Pharaoh by further hardening his heart, eventually giving him over. (Exodus 9:12; 10:20; 14:8). Humble Hearts Receive Christ On the other side of the coin, God reveals what is obviously true to "little children." This is not only true of actual children, but Jesus talks about adults becoming like little children in order to be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven. (See Matthew 18:1–5). They are the ones who realize their need for a savior and humble themselves before God. Jesus also talks about coming to God with childlike faith. Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it (Mark 10:14-15). * I dedicate this post to my sister in Christ, Nori. This is her favorite Scripture that she shared with me. I also drew this butterfly from a butterfly she found in her garden. (See below for the photo of her special butterfly). If there is anyone who loves butterflies the most, it is certainly Nori! I call her Madame Butterfly, and we talk about butterflies and Jesus Christ :) Things that bring true joy! At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, Matthew 18:1-5 We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:13-16 What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived - the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9 #butteflygardeninheaven ;)

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Thorn in the Flesh Prior to this verse, Paul experiences a profound heavenly experience (2 Corinthians 12:1-3). He gains incredible insights into the heavenly realms that he is not allowed to share with others. (2 Corinthians 12:4). To keep Paul from being prideful about possessing this divine knowledge, God gives him a "thorn in the flesh." Scripture does not specify what this "thorn in the flesh" is - whether it is physical, emotional, spiritual, or associated with sin and temptation. What Scripture does explain though is that a man of great faith and devotion to God is stricken by some ailment, causing him to cry out repeatedly to God for relief. (2 Corinthians 12:7-8) His Grace is Sufficient After Paul understands that God's answer to fixing his ailment is a definitive "no," he realizes the purpose of the thorn in his flesh. This weakness he has to live with is to keep him humble. Furthermore, through Paul's suffering, God says that His grace is sufficient to provide everything he needs to endure it. The Greek word for "sufficient" here is arkei, implying endurance, strength, or satisfaction. This Scripture reveals the constant availability of God's divine grace on a believer. God does not remove the thorn, as Paul has requested, but will continually supply him with grace to endure it. God tells Paul that His power is made perfect in weakness. This prevents Paul from boasting in his own self and glory, and in turn, Paul is glad to boast only in his weaknesses, knowing the power of Christ rests upon him. Why would someone like Paul be glad to boast about a painful struggle in his life? It's because the power of Christ becomes most obvious in areas where believers are the weakest. The weaker the human instrument, the more clearly God's grace shines forth. Paul takes no pleasure in the pain itself, but rejoices in the power of Christ that is revealed through him and his weaknesses. All for the Glory of God There are several truths revealed in this Scripture about how God works in the lives of Christians. First, God has ordained everything all for His glory, including evil. (God did not create evil, but He allowed for it). God makes use of the devil and his demons to achieve His own purposes. Satan's strategies to kill and steal from Christians through harassments, calamities, and temptations becomes a part of God's own strategies to accomplish His purposes all for His own glory's sake. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, (Genesis 50:20) Second, God's answers to our prayers are according to His perfect will. God may answer "no" to a believer's prayer request to relieve a burden, whether or not that burden is caused by the devil and his demons. If this particular suffering is causing a Christian to be more dependent on God, it may be accomplishing the exact purpose that God wants for His own glory. Third, it shows us that God's main concern for His children is not for an easy or comfortable life on this earth. God's main goal is that we trust Him! This means we are to trust God by allowing Christ to be strong in places where we are weak. And we are not to resent God for allowing us to experience these weaknesses. Rather, we are to boast about our weaknesses and even rejoice in our sufferings. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5) John 14:6 is the most powerful verse in the Bible to me personally, but 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 is one of my all-time favorites. It's in my top five! No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:6-8 Dear Lord, May You kill my pride every day. May You help me to recognize when pride starts making its way into my mind and heart as it so easily does. May You give me the grace to be lowly, humble, and loving. May You help me to always share the Truth in boldness and to never lose my zeal - not caring about what the world thinks of me - but caring only to please You. May You show me where to meet people at with the Truth, in patience, humility, and gentleness. May You keep me from boasting in my own humility and help me to recognize when I do. May You also keep me from endlessly peeling back layers of my own motives and intentions through scrutinizing self-examination. May you protect me from that trap devised by Satan who aims to take my eyes off You. May You keep me from focusing on myself too much, and may You direct my eyes onto the beauty, light, and love of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Love, Jenna "Humility is one of the excellencies of Christ, because He’s not only God, but man, and as a man He was humble; for humility is not, and cannot be, an attribute of the divine nature. God’s nature is indeed infinitely opposite of pride, and yet humility cannot properly be predicated of Him; for if it could, this would argue in perfection, which is impossible in God. God, who is infinite in excellence and glory, and infinitely above all things, cannot have any comparative meanness, and of course cannot have any such comparative means to be sensible of, and therefore cannot be humble." - Jonathan Edwards in"Charity and Its Fruits" and pray also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:19-20

The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 A Humanist's View of Man Humanism teaches that the superior being of the universe is man. It teaches that we are creatures of the highest dignity, value, and esteem. It teaches that mankind inherently possesses virtues like goodness, honesty, selflessness, and integrity; and that we seek to uphold human rights at all costs and strive to protect the "dignity and righteousness" of mankind all over the world. If you ask a humanist “where does all of this human dignity come from?” - he will simply have no answer. That's because at the same time the humanist is claiming just how noble and dignified human beings are, that same humanist is telling us that man also emerged as a random cosmic accident out of the abyss and is moving incessantly towards nothingness. The humanist’s beginning of man is as insignificant as his destiny of man. However, somehow in between those two points of man's existence, the humanist believes that man has all of this dignity and moral value, worthy of honor and praise. "Humanism is nonsense, but it’s persuasive nonsense because it speaks to a need in the human heart. We want to believe that we have significance and dignity and that our passions matter and aren't useless. We want to know that there’s more than just the abyss of nothingness. See, the humanist lives on borrowed capital. Humanism could only emerge from a society that had previously been committed to a meaningful origin and a meaningful destiny to the human race. What humanism has done is rejected Christianity and tried to replace their secular worldview in what they have rejected, not realizing that they have rejected the very foundation for the humanity that they seek to extol." - RC Sproul Humanism is based on sentimentality. It has no metaphysical support, no epistemological support, and no theological support. (See below for descriptors of these elements). Humanism is an anthropology without any foundation, based on human sentiment, personal preference, and the choice to not believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ; which is also known in Scripture as disobedience to God. In the Bible, the words "disobedience" and "obeyed not" come from the same Greek words as "unbelief" and "believed not." The writers of the Bible used "unbelief" and "disobedience" as synonyms throughout all of Scripture. They are the same word in the original Greek. That being said, we cannot rightfully say we believe in God while living in disobedience to His Word and His commands. It's a contradiction. So when the humanist chooses not to believe in God's simple Truth of the gospel, he is flat out disobeying God and going against the will of God. All in all, humanism does not have any foundation or basis to support its ideology. “The humanist has both feet firmly planted in midair." - Francis Schaeffer A Christian's View of Man "The Christian worldview teaches that man is totally depraved; that mankind is the most wicked creature on this planet, apart from the visitations of Satan himself here. It teaches that out of all the creatures that inhabit this world, man is the worst. The Christian sees that the ecological problem with planet earth is not because of an overabundance of rats, but an overabundance of people. It’s people who have plunged the world into ruin. The whole creation is under a curse because of sinful mankind. And the moral judgement that God gives to mankind is that "there is none righteous, no not one. There is not even one that does good. No not one" (Romans 3:10,12). (Every good thing we do is only by the grace of God, not by our own human merit or achievement alone). People don’t want to hear that. That’s one of the reasons they reject Christianity. And not only Christianity in general, but particularly Reformed Christianity because Reformed Christianity talks about the total depravity of human beings. We are born in sin, in original sin." RC Sproul Below are the elements of the Christian worldview. If you ignore any one of them, it will give you a distorted view of the world and of your own life. The metaphysical question: What is the truth? It’s questioning the “is-ness” of something. What is real, ultimately? The theological question: Who is the truth? The anthropological question: How does the truth relate to me and define me? The ethical question: How does the truth command me? The epistemological question: How do you know the truth? Who’s telling the truth? *Epistemology - the theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, validity, and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion. This is why we are all desperately in need of a savior. We all need Jesus. Only a humble and contrite heart can accept Christ as its Savior, see the light of the gospel, and come to true saving faith in Jesus Christ by God's grace. Just as pride is the root of all sin ad what ultimately blinds us from the Truth, humility is the foundation in which all other virtues flow and what helps us accept the Truth with eagerness, like little children. Humility is the very essence of Christianity and of true saving faith, which leads to eternal life with Christ and all the Saints. There is only one road that leads to heaven - one small gate - one narrow path - one difficult way - and that is through Christ, and Christ alone. But there are many roads that lead to hell - a big broad gate - a comfortable path - a fun and easy way, yet in reality, the road to hell is only deceptive and damning. And amongst all of those roads that say heaven but really lead to hell, pride is the basis of most all of them. I once was super blinded by my own pride, and I had no idea I was even being self-righteous in the slightest. It never even crossed my mind to think about whether I was humble or proud. I don't think I even grasped the true meaning of either of those words until I became a Christian. I was just as ignorant as I was prideful. I truly had no idea I was that blind! I had no idea I was even lost. I only knew I was lost for all those years when I was finally found and came to the light of the gospel in Christ. It's seriously crazy how our own pride can be that blinding and keep us away from the only thing that is good, right, and true - the only thing that saves our souls - the Truth of Jesus Christ. Only by God's grace did He open my eyes to see the light. Praise You Lord for choosing me and saving me from what I truly deserve - eternal torment in hell under God's wrath for how sinful I am. Now, I am at peace with God through faith in Christ. I am right with God through Christ. There is nothing to fear anymore! All glory goes to You! Lord, I know You hear my prayers for the lost. I will never stop praying for souls to come to repentance and the full knowledge of God. I have such an angst and a sadness for the lost, the deceived, and the self-deceived. I can relate because that used to be me - all three of those! I am thankful for that angst You have burdened me with because it drives me to share the gospel and share the truths of Scripture for others to find the light. Lord, I pray that You soften their hearts and open their blind eyes to see the light of the gospel. May You call them to repentance and to trust in Christ as their personal Savior and be saved. Lord, just as You shined light into this world, I pray that You may shine in their hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6) Love, Jenna (Notes taken from RC Sproul's lectures on "What is Truth?" and "Who is Truth?" Check out the full lectures below) Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning. C.S. Lewis Atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice, for "The Devils also tremble and believe." - Charles H. Spurgeon They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to their hardness of heart. Ephesians 4:18 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever. Psalm 136:26 God is Eternal God's love is as God Himself is - eternal. When we talk about God being eternal, we are talking about something far greater than the simple duration of His existence. When we say that God is eternal, we are saying God is self-existent or aseity. Aseity is the property by which a being exists in and of itself, from itself; it is the quality or state of being self-derived or self-originated. This means that God's being has no beginning, and He is not dependent on anything outside of Himself to exist. With being self-existent, He has the power to simply be, in and of Himself, with no beginning and no end. The Mind of God He is, He always has been, and He always will be - God is beyond all time and space, and He's beyond what even the most brilliant minds and wildest imaginations collectively put together in all of eternity could ever even begin to grasp. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, (Romans 11:33-34). There is no way anyone could ever comprehend the incomprehensible, inscrutable, unfathomable mind of God, and even if God gave us an explanation for everything, we simply wouldn't have the mechanism in us to comprehend it in this lifetime. God is Love Before God ever created the world He existed. Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). What Scripture makes clear is that throughout all of eternity there was already in His nature the attribute of love. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever. (See Psalm 136). God didn't become a God of love, but He has always been a God of love. God's Son, Jesus Christ is the object of His affection. And we all know who God sent to die for sinners, for rebels, for the ungodly. He sent His beloved, blameless, sinless Son to take all of God's wrath for all the sins ever committed of all the people who would ever come to faith in Christ...all in three hours. That's how much God loves us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). God's love is, God's love has always been, and God's love will always be. For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:16-17). Athiest: If God created the universe then who created God? Christian: If a baker baked a cake then who baked the baker? ;)

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 Dear Lord, You are such a good God. Even in the most difficult times, You are always good. In the darkest times, You are always light. And You are always with me wherever I go. My hope, my peace, and my joy is in You, Lord. I want to praise You through a song I heard that touched my heart. I pray that this song can be a blessing to others too! “Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul; Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole. Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God; Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load. Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace; Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase. No other work but Yours, no other blood will do; No strength but that which is divine can help me safely through. Your work alone, O Christ, can erase my weight of sin; Your blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within. Your love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee, Can rid me of this dark unrest, and set my spirit free. I am blessed in Christ, the Son of God; I rest on His love divine; And with an unfaltering voice and heart I call this Savior mine. Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb I praise the Lord for His grace; I trust His truth and might; He calls me His, I call Him mine, My Lord, my joy, my light. ‘Tis He who saves me, and freely pardon gives; I love because He loves me, I live because He lives.” - Horatius Bonar All glory belongs to You, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name, I pray Amen. Love, Jenna

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 God Looks at Your Heart This passage goes to the heart of Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (See Matthew 5:3:12 below - the Beatitudes). Most people in Jesus' audience grew up believing that what was most important to God was their performance - their actions, behaviors, and words spoken. The pharisees were considered highly spiritual by others because they were strict and rigid in their religiosity and traditions. However, Christ teaches that God cares about what's in a person's heart. Righteous behavior and actions are only truly righteous when supported by a devoted, loving heart to Christ and others. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Do Not Lay Up Treasures on Earth Jesus applies this perspective to money. He teaches us not to stockpile riches or hoard money and earthly possessions. (Yes, we are to be thoughtful and save for a rainy day, provide for our families, and be good stewards of what God has given us. However, we are not to be greedy or tied to perishable money or earthly treasures in any way). They are all temporary things and easily lost. Everything on earth belongs to God anyways, and these things are not for us to keep in this temporary world. We will all leave our money and possessions behind us when we die, and we won't even care one iota about them! We will finally be in the presence of Christ, looking forward into the eternal glory that has awaited us, with the best always yet to come. We will finally be home with our Lord, in perfect peace, joy, and love. Lay Up Treasures in Heaven Instead of laying up treasures here on earth, Jesus says to lay up treasure for yourself in heaven. Store up rewards in eternity for yourself by expressing your true love and devotion to God and others while you're still here on earth. Every kind, selfless, loving act done from the heart here on earth will be rewarded to us as treasure in heaven; likely it'll be rewarded tenfold in a way that our minds can't even comprehend. The point Jesus is making is not that Christians should not have wealth or possessions, but we are to have only one ultimate priority and treasure; and that is Jesus Christ, who will be our treasure for an eternity. Our attitudes towards wealth matter because our hearts are owned by whatever we consider our treasure to be. The treasure of our hearts, whether perishable or imperishable, proves to be the real foundation of our thoughts, affections, desires, and hopes. If we focus all or most of our time, energy, and effort on building our wealth, managing our money, storing up piles of money, chasing after jewelry, art, gold, handbags, shoes, cars, houses, etc, it shows that wealth and possessions are what our hearts are focused on. Rather, if we focus on treasuring Christ in our hearts, our hearts will glow with the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - and we will lay up treasure for ourselves in heaven through displaying those fruits as Christians. These treasures will be forever, where moths and rust can't destroy and thieves can't break in and steal them. These treasures please the Lord and are safe with Him for an eternity. Have an Eternal Perspective on Your Life I encourage you to develop an eternal perspective on your life, and live your life in the light of eternity. Even though this eternal perspective is future directed, it creates peace and joy in the present and helps you cherish the present all the much more. This perspective also helps you to endure your present sufferings and glorify God through them. If you don't know how to find or develop this perspective, pray to God and simply ask Him for it. He loves when you ask Him for things according to His will! I am also glad to pray for you too. Feel free to send me a prayer request. You do not have, because you do not ask. (James 4:2) The Beatitudes: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil things against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:3-12 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 1 Peter 3:9

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 Dear Lord, May you give me the grace to boldly share the Truth with others when opportunities arise. I know that people cannot come to faith by me giving my own personal testimony or from any of my own cleverness or persuasiveness with the gospel. Rather, people come to faith from hearing the Word of God, by the power of God. Lord, help me to simply be the messenger of Your Word and know that You are the only One who can work saving faith into the minds and hearts of people. So faith comes through hearing and hearing through the word of God. (Romans 10:17) Faith Comes Through Hearing the Word of God In Romans 10, Paul writes that when someone does come to faith, it is through hearing what the Lord says through the words of Christ. There are steps that must occur to bring a person to the point of faith. God sends out a messenger to preach the gospel. When the gospel reaches a person's ears, he or she has the opportunity to believe the Truth or reject it. Those who believe are the ones who call on Christ as their Lord and Savior. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" (Romans 10:13-15) Choosing to Receive or Reject the Gospel Paul explains that not believing what God says amounts to disobedience. According to Scripture, this is the root problem when people hear the gospel and do not accept it. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:39-40). In reality, they are disobeying God in their unbelief. Those who disbelieve do so because on some level, they do not want to believe. They choose not to believe. Please Lord, soften their hearts so that they may come to saving faith in You. All glory belongs to You, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. In Jesus’ Name I pray Amen. And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of me but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2 John MacArthur on Sharing the Gospel My favorite pastor is John MacArthur, and I have learned so much from him. He is a faithful pastor and true to God's Word. He tells us the parts of the Truth that are sometimes hard to hear, but absolutely necessary for us to know. Even when it offends, the Truth is the most loving thing there is. Here is John MacArthur on sharing the gospel from his sermon, "Bold Proclaimers of Gospel Truth - 2 Corinthians 4:1-6" (Check out the link below for the full sermon). “Paul knew the truth had such a self-evidencing power that even where it was rejected and hated, it commended itself to the conscience as true. And those who are sincere and declare the truth simply as how God has revealed it, commend themselves as truth tellers when they speak to the consciences of men. I’m not missional because I preach on sin. Look, people aren’t going to get saved unless you talk about sin. That’s why Paul said I’m not ashamed of the gospel. If you’re not willing to take the assaults you’re going to fail, and you’re going to lose heart. You can’t overcome consumer resistance. This is not a marketing exercise. People think it’s a marketing exercise because they have the product, the gospel, and you have to figure out how to sell the product to the consumers; how to overcome consumer resistance. You can’t do that. Consumer resistance is too profound, too deep. They’re blinded by Satan. You don’t save anybody. You can’t save anybody. Preaching is the sacrament of salvation, but only God does the saving. Certainty about the gospel is what drove Paul that kept him faithful. Certainty of the superiority of the new covenant. Ministry is a mercy of a pure heart. Have certainty about being accurate with the word of God, and expect hostility. Paul is certain that salvation is the sovereign work of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it’s veiled to only those who are perishing. The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel, which is the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4). We do not have the power to overcome the sinner’s resistance. There’s no amount of cleverness, no amount of manipulation, there’s no amount of oratory that can cause repentance and salvation. We can’t fight this battle with human weapons. Why is this true? Because they are the perishing. That’s a category of people. In other words, they’re in a category of people who can’t respond. They have no mechanism. They don’t understand the things of God because they are foolishness to them. Secondly, they’re blinded by Satan. They have been deceived by Satan. They’re of the father the devil who believes his lies. They love darkness rather than light, they’re under the wrath of God, and their minds are corrupted by their perishing status and the double blinding of Satan so that they cannot see the light of the gospel. So that’s the level of consumer resistance we have to attack. So what do we do? We do not preach ourselves, but we preach Christ Jesus as Lord and ourselves as our slaves for Jesus Christ. We preach Christ crucified. Because we know this; the same God who spoke in Genesis 1:3 - the light of world into existence - is the same God who has to speak spiritual light into the heart of a perishing satanically blinded person. Salvation is the sovereign work of God. We then do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord. We just preach Him. We’re not looking for gimmicks to overcome consumer resistance. The only way that you can commend yourself to the sinner is to hit his conscience and activate the law of God that strikes his conscience and makes him feel guilt. And that guilt validates the truth about what you’re saying about his sinfulness. And then you come to the saving good news of the gospel. But even with that, you have no ability to save the sinner. The sinner is too profoundly locked down by being in that category of a perishing person, one already being devoted to destruction and being blinded by Satan. Salvation is a creative miracle of God, just like the light He spoke into existence in Genesis. Don’t preach yourselves, don’t preach your ideas, don’t preach your insights, but preach Christ Jesus as Lord. Spiritual results don’t come from us. We preach Christ. That’s sufficient. That’s our calling. We preach Christ as the only hope for the sinner to escape judgment and hell. He who speaks from himself speaks his own glory. Listen to the preacher who gives all the glory to Christ.” - John MacArthur Check out the full sermon here: