John 3:16-17 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.” John 3:16 is the most widely known, famous, popular (whichever way you wish to say it) verse in the Bible. We know it by heart and even those who don’t read the Bible are familiar with it. But do you make that verse personal? Have you ever stopped to think about those words, I mean really think about them and how they affect you? Sometimes we read something without stopping to think about what we’ve read and how it applies to us on a personal level. I admit I’m guilt of doing that. So, let’s try this a little differently, let’s change the wording a little to help us really consider what this means for us. Instead of reading it as written above, try looking at it in the following context: “For God loved me so much that He gave His one and only Son so that I could have eternal life because I believe in Him. He came not to judge me but to save me. He died for me!” Tell yourself that over and over again – He died for me. Now let’s take this to another level. Close your eyes, well don’t close them yet, wait until you’ve read the next few sentences. Close your eyes and picture Jesus on the cross, you’re standing in front of Him, looking up at Him. Jesus makes eye contact with you, looking straight at you He says “I love you; you are My child. Because I love you so much, I’m willing to die for you. I’m willing to take on everything wrong that you have ever done, every bad and mean thought you have ever had, every angry or hateful word you have ever spoken, I have taken on every sin that you have committed – past, present and future. I’m paying your debt, so you won’t have to endure death upon the cross.” Now close your eyes and picture that. Feel the love in His voice, understand what He has done for you, place that image deep into the recesses of your mind and your heart. And every time you think about doing something you know you shouldn’t, every time you think about saying something you shouldn’t, every time a thought comes into your head that shouldn’t be there – remember that picture and hear His words “I love you”. Remember the power and strength that comes from knowing Him. If there ever comes a time in your life when you feel you have lost everything, when you are feeling overwhelmed and devastated by life’s events, when you are just not sure how you will get through something and move forward – just think of Him on that cross, looking at you and saying “I love you; you are My child.” He will give you the strength you need to get through anything and to move forward, just listen to His voice and feel the comfort of His arms surrounding you with His love. Let’s start looking at God’s word in a personal way, applying it in our lives. Read His word and remember He is speaking to you. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

Hebrews 12:18-19 “You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking.” Another translation says His voice and message was so harsh that the people begged Him not to speak. God has always treated His people with honesty, and there have been times when His honesty and discipline may have seemed harsh to the Israelites. But just as we must discipline our children, He also saw the need to discipline His people. We live in a time when lies and dishonesty run wild, and at times (I hate to say it) even in the Christian household. But that is not the way of Christ whose name we bear. Jesus was honest with people, but He knew how to speak with love. For instance, in Mark 10: 17-22 it tells of a rich young man who asked Jesus how he can obtain eternal life. Jesus of course tells him to obey all the commandments which the young man says he has been doing all his life. But Jesus knew what held this young man back, it was the importance he placed on his possessions and money, so Jesus said to give it all to the poor. This was probably the last thing the young man wanted to hear, so he walked away. And what about the story in John where Jesus exposes the sinful life of the Samaritan woman? Or in Matthew when Jesus tells Peter he will deny Him three times? Peter’s fear of man made him feel it was necessary to do this. When Jesus was resurrected, He asked Peter three times “Do you love me?” This forces Peter to confront his weakness and see his need for change. In each of these cases, Jesus knew their weakness and knew without change their journey would end without eternal life. It was out of love that Jesus spoke the truth of their weakness. When we speak truth to others it should be tempered with love not cruelty, that being said there will be times when truth is not taken the way it was intended, and this is unfortunate. I’ve always believed that the way we say things is as important as what we say, Jesus knew the importance of honesty spoken with love. Jesus spoke truth in order to save others, this is a love that is so deep, so enduring that words cannot even begin to describe it. How much more love can a person have then to be willing to take on the sin of another and suffer death, let alone to take on the sin of all men and suffer death on the cross? So, do we not owe it to Him to speak honestly with tenderness and love when we see someone heading down the wrong path? And if we are the one traveling down the wrong path, do we not owe it to Him to take this honesty with the love it was given in? No matter which side of this conversation you are on, it is difficult because we are imperfect. Our feeling get hurt, we get defensive, we try to justify our actions or words, we say things that come across harsh and maybe even a little vengeful. Both sides of such a conversation need time, time to choose their words carefully and time to consider the correction that is being given. Give with love and receive with love – keeping in mind that we all have weakness and are imperfect, and there will be times when each of us needs someone to guide us back to that straight and narrow path. Proverbs 27:6 tells us “Faithful are the words of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Remember God’s words to the Israelites, don’t cover your ears and beg Him to stop, don’t ignore the things you don’t want to hear, we all have things we need to work on. It doesn’t matter if you were raised in the church or if this is the first day you are opening your Bible, none of us are perfect. Often times it is easier for others to see our imperfections, our weakness, our mistakes – then it is for us to see them. That’s why honesty is so important, it is one way of expressing deep love and affection for others provided that the honesty is seasoned with love. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

2 Peter 3:18 “…you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” In this letter from Peter, he talked about false teachers, the last days and Christ return. At the end of his letter, he warns us to be on guard so we would not be fooled by those who would attempt to mislead us. So how do we do this? How do we protect ourselves against those who would attempt to mislead us? We do this by growing in grace and knowledge. Peter says we MUST grow in grace and knowledge, think of this as not a simple suggestion but as a command. There are some professions where you are required to take continuing education courses in order to keep your job. So why are we willing to continue to learn for work, but we are a little less enthusiastic when it comes to our faith? Is your life more important than your paycheck? Yes, I know we cannot live in this world without money, but without God we cannot live at all, with Him we find eternal life. With knowledge comes understanding and growth which leads to change. Unfortunately change has gotten a bad rap over the past couple decades, many see no reason why they should change. But just as with growth comes change so change comes with growth. If you are in a relationship and one of you is growing and changing but the other remains the same, this will eventually cause division. How many times have you heard someone say their divorce was because they simply “grew apart”? In other words, one person was growing while the other was satisfied with standing still. Are you the same person that you were at 5 years old? How about at 11 or 16, 20 or even 30? Hopefully your answer is no because otherwise you have learned nothing in life. Just as our life is filled with growth, so should our Christian walk be filled with growth. Not all of us will grow at the same rate, some of us will have to work hard for that growth and understanding while others will find it less difficult. The important thing is we don’t give up; we don’t stop learning; we don’t stop growing. Peter saw the importance of spiritual growth, he knew it was an ongoing process that would help us to develop a deeper appreciation of God’s word and a closer relationship with Him. Don’t be the person who is standing still, don’t be the one who “grew apart” from God because you were unwilling to grow and to change. Others wrote about growth: 1 Timothy 4:15 tells us “Practice these things; immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” In Jeremiah 12:2 we read “You have planted them and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit.” We need to be intentional with our spiritual growth, we often hear about the transformation that takes place when we accept Christ – but it cannot not stop there. As we grow and mature in faith, we will begin to take on the qualities of Christ; His love, compassion, forgiveness and empathy will begin to manifest in our personalities. We will begin to apply all He has taught us, to understand and use the difficult times as tools to learn and grow, to find true peace and joy through His word. Finding a church, a group or even just a friend that encourages our spiritual growth is important because have no doubt, once you start moving forward, once you make that commitment to learn and to grow, the enemy will do his best to discourage you. Rob him of that joy, if he knocks you down, get back up; remember when God is with you no one will ever be able to keep you down. He is our strength. OK, so my last few posts have been on growth, but next week we are moving forward and hopefully growing as we do. Until then may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

My last post was about the importance of personal spiritual growth for us all. This time I would like to talk about steps we can take to encourage or enhance our spiritual growth. First of all, the fact that we recognized the need and are willing to take steps towards spiritual growth is a major step in the right direction. We all need the guidance and direction that God’s word provides but sometimes it’s difficult to know how and where to start. Going to church on Sunday is a good starting point, but there is more to it than that. If we endeavor to put Him first, He will provide a way for us to grow.

Often times when I’m writing up this post, God will lead me in more than one direction. Sometimes I see the connection right away, other times, as is the case with this post, I find myself searching for the connection. So here goes: A new year often signals a new beginning, a time of renewal, commitment, promises and contemplation for the future. God has laid on me the need and the importance of personal spiritual growth for myself and for each and every Christian. Whether you call yourself Baptist, Pentacostal, Non-denominational or if you are Messianic Jew, it does not matter, what matters is we are following in the footsteps of Christ and remain true to His word. This year, 2025, we need to ask ourselves how strong we are in God’s word and if we think we are strong then it is time to stop, back up and realize we are at our weakest when we THINK we are at our strongest. Because that is when we start to read God’s word less, when we begin to think that certain things don’t apply to us, that His word is outdated, and we can pick and choose what we want to follow, and we start to lean on our own understanding. This is when we begin to pray with less conviction and prayer becomes a ritual instead of a conversation. And this is when we begin to have fewer conversations with others about God’s word. This is when we need to pray for wisdom and understanding, to pray for a humble heart that will allow us to see just how little we know. This is a time to go deeper into His word and look at the things we may struggle with. This year could be a year of great change for us all, whether that change is for the better is up to us. If we resolve to grow stronger in His word, to deepen our relationship with Him and to help others grow in His truth then chances are the changes will be good. Whether you are someone who was raised in the church or are just beginning your journey there is always a great deal you can learn. If we are stagnant, if we believe there is little left for us to learn, then the consequences could be devastating. In 2 Timothy 3:1 it tells us that in the last days there will be difficult times, what if this is the beginning of your difficult year? Will you have the strength and courage to go on? Do you rely enough on God? Do you put Him first in your life? Right now, I imagine many of you jumping up and down yelling “I do! I put God first!” And that very well may be true, but consider this: do you have the strength and courage to endure what Jesus described in Matthew 24? You may read verses 6 and 7 about wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes and say, “Oh yes! I could handle that.” But read on. And as you read think about this: could you endure the hatred and persecution that Jesus endured? If you were place upon that cross and told that all you had to do to save your life was to deny Christ – would you be strong enough to endure? Would you be strong enough to watch someone you love go through that? Or would you cave in and deny Him in order to save your life or the life of a loved one? It has happened in other countries and continues to happen; we just aren’t likely to hear about it. Just because we have not personally seen it or experienced it does not mean you will never experience it. My intention is not to frighten anyone, but instead it is to follow God’s direction and to encourage. To encourage you to commit to spiritual growth, to encourage you to develop not only a deeper relationship with God but to develop a deeper dependence on Him. To encourage you to depend on Him for wisdom and knowledge, for strength and courage and for the ability to maintain your integrity even if the world around you falls apart. Jesus never sugar coated His message, and it may be time for us to understand that we should not sugar coat it either. There are many who believe Christians will not see much of what was spoken about in Matthew 24, and they may be right – but what if they are not? Personally, I think we will see much of Jesus prophetic words take place, and while there are things in life we can change – we cannot change prophecy. If He says it will happen, then we can count on it happening. In Matthew 24:22-23 and in verse 31 Jesus mentions the “elect”, and while there is some debate on exactly who the elect consist of, there is agreement on the fact that these are God’s people. Some of you may be thinking this post is a little on the discouraging side, but it is not, because when Christ is involved, there is hope. Look at the example of Paul, all he suffered through, yet he found strength through his knowledge and his love for Christ. Whether your future is filled with sunshine and roses, or with turmoil, the key to having peace is in Christ. Let us make 2025 the year we begin a new journey. A journey that will allow us to maintain our integrity towards Christ, to find peace no matter what we are faced with. A journey that will help us to grow in our relationship with God. A journey that will strengthen us and those around us. Resolve to look at every part of our life through the eyes of Christ, to improve, to grow, to help others grow and to use Him to turn our weakness into strength. Let this year be a new beginning.

Luke 2: 10-11 (NLT) “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” This time of year, it is easy to get caught up in all the glitz of the holiday season. The bright lights, the buying of presents, the parties and family get togethers often distract us from what Christmas is all about, and that is the birth of Christ the Lord. Now admittedly we don’t know the exact day Jesus was born, and there are many theories as to why December 25th was chosen to celebrate His birth, but if we are going to celebrate the birth of the Messiah then we should remember why He came and how He lived His life. Christmas is not about the presents we give or receive, it is not about the parties we attend, it is not about the songs we sing or the food we eat, it is about the baby who was born for a purpose. We don’t know much about His early years, but we do know about the man He grew into. I would like to think that not only did Jesus come to take on our sin and pay a debt we could never repay, but to set an example of how we should live our lives. I’ve often heard people say, “Life is short, live life to its fullest!” but exactly how do we do that? When we’re young we think traveling, making lots of money, having fun will bring us satisfaction, but those things are temporary, they vanish like dust in the wind. How do you want to be remembered, or will you even be remembered and for how long? Until those who knew you forget or pass away? Maybe we need to ask ourselves “How will God remember me”? I guess the point I’m getting at is maybe, during this season when we are celebrating the birth of Christ, we should start thinking more about living our lives in a way that honors Him and brings glory to His name. I’m not saying we shouldn’t keep the traditions past down to us from our family or buy presents or get together with those we love, but maybe we need to start adding to our celebrating the thought of serving others. Maybe this would be a good time to teach our children about compassion, kindness, forgiveness and love by doing things for others. I knew a woman who every year during the holiday season didn’t just donate money or items to the needy, but she would take her son to hand out blankets, socks, soap and other items to the homeless. There was a time when she was in need, and she knew how it felt to be forgotten and alone, she wanted her son to understand how blessed they truly were and the importance of helping others. She was in no way, shape or form wealthy, but she was so grateful for what she had that she was compelled to give to those who had little. There are many ways to serve others and teach our children the importance of giving, even if it by giving time to the lonely. There are groups who have giving trees where you can select a name and buy presents for that family or child. I remember adopting a patient at the nursing home to buy presents for, believe it or not there are many who don’t get visitors. The elderly are often forgotten and overlooked at this time of year; you should see how their faces light up when children come to visit or sing Christmas carols to them. Even if you don’t have money to spend there are things you can do to serve others, spending time reading to the young or old in the hospital can brighten their day. But don’t let it end once the season is over with, there are those in need throughout the year. That baby that was born thousands of years ago, He spent His life helping others, He paid the ultimate price sacrificing His life so we might live. So, during this season, let’s take the time to honor and glorify Him, to make a commitment to live our lives, each and every day, in such a way that reflects how He lived His life. Don’t make Christmas all about the lights, the parties, the gifts – instead make it all about Him. With that being said, I pray that He continues to bless all of you throughout the years to come and bring you the peace of heart, even during difficult times, that only He can give.

Colossians 3:23-25 “Work willingly at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the master you are serving is Christ. But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.” I remember when I first moved to Florida, I went in for a job interview and at the end of the interview, the person said to me the job was mine even before the interview. Why? Because the area of the country I was from was known to have a strong work ethic. It was ingrained in us at a very young age that you gave your employer 100% while you were on the job. Times have changed, but as Paul said, we should be willing to do everything as if we are doing it for the Lord. He created us to work hard, in Genesis 1:28 it tells us “God blessed them and said to them ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” Adams job – multiply, grow, rule and care for everything. People tend to feel better, they are more satisfied when they work hard. Even if the work you do is more mental than physical, it still gives you satisfaction when you feel you have done your job to the best of your abilities. Paul is not telling us to simply “work hard”, he’s telling us to put our whole heart and soul into whatever we do, and admittedly that isn’t always easy. We are to work as if we are working for the King of Kings, not for human bosses. As the quoted scripture says, we need to remember “that the master you are serving is Christ”. As Christians, these verses should really hit home for us because we represent Christ, we identify ourselves through Him. Our behavior, our attitude, our work ethic should all speak in a positive manner, reflecting His values and love. We need money to live on this earth, but that should be a secondary reason for working hard, our primary reason or thought should be we are working to please God and to glorify His name. The reward we will receive from Him cannot be bought with money and is of far more value than any possession on this earth. So, on those days when your boss is getting on your last nerve, or you are wondering if your job is really worth all you are putting up with; think about these verses in Colossians. Picture in your mind Christ standing in front of you, smiling and nodding His head because you are putting your whole heart and soul into your work, you are working for the Lord rather than for people. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

2 Peter 1:7 “…and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.” Vocabulary.com defines brotherly affection as “a kindly and lenient attitude toward people.” In 2nd Peter brotherly affection is referring to a love between fellow believers. We have a common bond with other believers and that is our love for Christ, that is one reason we often refer to each other as brothers and sisters. But just like our biological brothers and sisters we don’t always find it easy to get along. That is why this theme is repeated frequently in the New Testament, Romans 12:10 says “Love one another with brotherly affection”; John 13:34 “…love one another just as I have loved you” and in 1 Peter 1:22 “…you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters…” And we are given examples in Acts 11:27-30, Galatians 6:2 and Philippians 2:3-4. We have to cultivate this love, pursue it in a conscientious manner, this is a word of action and is often a sign of spiritual maturity. Remembering we are all individuals with different personalities helps us to understand that we may instantly be drawn to some people more than others. Having a respect for our differences will also help us to become a blessing to all our brothers and sisters, not just those whom we are drawn to. But it is our love of Christ that binds us, and after all, love covers a multitude of sins. Which brings us to the eight and probably considered the most important trait of a Christian – and that is love. This love is “agape”, it is a selfless love considered to be the highest form of Christian love. It is a love that you extend towards others without expecting anything in return, it is a sacrificial love. And while brotherly love refers to a love extended towards other believers, agape love is extended towards everyone, believers and non-believers alike. If you think about what God did for us (John 3:16), this was an agape type of love, He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us. In Matthew 5:43-48 we are told to love our enemies because when it comes to love we are “to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect”. But even agape love is not automatic for us, we will find it is necessary to cultivate it, to feed into it, to encourage it to grow, and as we do, we grow not only closer to each other but to God. God has given us everything we need to develop these eight Christian characteristics, it is up to us to put them into action, to develop them fully. And when we do, then God will give us more and more grace and peace as we grow in our knowledge of the Father and Son (2 Peter 1:2). So, which of these eight traits do you need to work on? Some of us have more work to do than others. Being aware of our shortcomings brings us a step closer to working on the areas where we fall short, and as we work on these areas, we will develop a deeper relationship with those around us but more importantly with God. Until next time may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

2 Peter 1:6 “…Supplement … with patient endurance and patient endurance with godliness…” Life can definitely have its challenges, and we tend to like things to be easy. I admit I get tired of the constant struggles in this life, but sometimes I wonder if it’s God’s way of getting me to depend on Him more and on myself less. If you ask someone who has a deep faith, how they made it through the most difficult times in their life, how they endured that which brings many people to their knees, they will tell you they did so by relying on God. Endurance is defined as having the power to tolerate or hold up in an unpleasant process or situation without giving way or compromising. Revelation 1:9 says, “I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us”. John, like all the apostles endured much by putting God’s will before their own. On a daily basis they depended on God to get them through every situation, they trusted that in His time, He would make the truth known and they would be vindicated. With patient endurance they would get through the suffering, the persecution and the pain. When we endure then we are blessed through God’s compassion and mercy. It is patient endurance that enables us to continue seeking out and striving towards these Christian traits even when we are suffering. And we are to supplement patient endurance with godliness. Dictionary.com defines godliness as “the quality or practice of conforming to the laws of God; devoutness and moral uprightness”. So simply put, the way we live our life should be consistent with the way Christ lived. Our actions and behaviors should be pleasing to God. But it is not enough to “pretend” like the Pharisees did, as spoke of in Matthew the 23rd chapter. Some people know all the right things to say and do and that is the person you see in public, but behind closed doors they are totally different. These are the people that Paul described in 2 Timothy 3:5 who have a “form” of godliness or they “appear” to be godly, and he warns us to stay away from them. God knows when we truly carry His word in our heart. When we become believers, we are to put away our old way of life and put on the new. Changes don’t always happen overnight, but when you consistently begin to live your life in a way that is pleasing to God then you begin to adopt the qualities of godliness. With the celebration of Thanksgiving only a few days away, I know many will be busy preparing for the gathering of family and friends. Let us all take time, not just one day a year but every day, to reflect on all the blessings the Father has bestowed upon us. I hope you will join me a week from today as we look at the last characteristics of a Christian. Until then, may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.

2 Peter 1:5-6 “…Supplement … moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control…” Knowledge is next on our list. Knowledge is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as: facts, information and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. In Proverbs 1:7 we are told “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” This type of fear is actually a great respect for God, His knowledge is flawless and there is no end to His knowledge. God wants us to have a deep respect for His law which will cause us to obey it. We know that God exist, that He is the creator of all, but is that knowledge enough? The more we read God’s word the more we understand and gain knowledge of Him who created us. 2 Peter 3:18 says to “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord”. Knowledge apart for God is said to be foolishness (1 Corinthians 8:1). In John 8:32 Jesus told His disciples that they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. As our knowledge of Christ grows our minds become transformed leading us to grow in appreciation for Him, we develop the desire to do what is right in His eyes and also to recognize the truth from false teachings. Knowledge of what is acceptable in God’s eyes will also help us to have more control over our own bodies and minds. Back in September we talked about self-control, so I will just briefly touch on this subject. If you look up the definition of self-control it is the ability to control one’s emotions, desires and behavior. If you think about it, these are all things that the world allows to control them, and it would seem that in this current atmosphere it has become not only acceptable but encouraged. As Christians we strive to master these things instead of becoming a slave to them. If we have no self-control, then we will fall into sin again and we set ourselves up for destruction. From the beginning of creation God gave us free will, it is up to us to choose whether we will give into our emotions and selfish desires or take control of them. Some churches have moved towards making God’s word more attractive to man by watering down His word. But God’s word is truth, He does not change, He is the same now as He was in the beginning. I hope you will join me on Monday as we once again look at enhancing and building on our faith. Until then may God bless you and bring peace to your heart.