Looking to God

Be thoughtful towards one another, for the days are short, and when Jesus Christ comes back, He will ask us to give an account of all our doings. No manner of riches will save the sinner who has flaunted grace in Christ’s name.

“See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.”

(1 Thessalonians 5:15)

Bless all, give heed to the Holy Spirit and love others despite their outward appearance. Christ will save the poor of spirit and the pure of heart. He will judge the world according to their works. Those who love God, keep His commandments, and love others, will live.

Take care of the aged among us, for they do not have the strength to look after themselves. Provide shelter to the homeless, for we do not know what their plight was before seeing them on the street. Give to the poor, for they will have rest in Christ.

Look to God for strength. Have mercy on those who are blind to the truth. Let your light shine in a world where deception reigns. God will remember your deeds and He will reward you for all that you have done. Do good to others.

Let us not mistake Jesus’ love for us. Through Adam, we all have sinned, but through Christ, who died on the cross for us, we are all alive. He died for us while we were still sinners and His sacrifice glorified His love.

“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)

Would we die for a friend? Even more so, would we die for a friend who had done us wrong? Our friend may have hurt us in word and in deed, may have besmirched our name, or may have hated us. Jesus calls us friends, and He died for us while we were yet doing wrong to Him.

How great is God’s love for us that He would consider us friends and want to give up His Son so that sin would not claim our lives to the fiery depths of hell. As great as the tallest mountain is, so is God’s love for us.

How great is Jesus’s love for us that He would endure the stripes of affliction, the heated words of His persecutors and the suffering of the cross so that we would have salvation. As wide as the universe is, so is Jesus’ love for us.

Jesus loved us so much that He did not want to see any of us perish. Through sin, we were all dead, but through Christ dying on the cross for us, we are now alive; for God extended His mercy upon us and forgave us of our sin so we might live.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

(Galatians 2:20)

When we repented and were baptized, God’s gift to us was the Holy Spirit. Christ now lives in us, His righteousness is manifest and by faith, we are justified. No longer do we have the penalty of sin hanging over our head, but instead we have eternal life.

God is good. His pleasure for us as a church is to live an abundant life, filled with joy and love toward Him and our neighbor. His plan is for mercy and goodness to follow us all the days of our life and for us to dwell in His house forever.

God is merciful toward us because He loves us. He wants all of us to experience the fruit of His Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The only way He could have done that is if Christ lives in us.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus Christ our Lord died, was buried and rose on the third day to sit at the right hand of the Father. As Christians, our hope is in Him through whom we have salvation by His sacrifice on the cross for our sins.

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.’”

(Matthew 28:5-6)

How great is our God to have given His Son so that we could have eternal life. No other event throughout all ages compares with what He purposed from the beginning, to redeem us from death so that we would have redemption.

As Christ rose from His grave, He defeated Death and Hades, after which there were no more enemies to conquer. His majesty is sure, the breadth of His domain is without end and His kingship over all things will last forever.

O wonderful is He; Jesus Christ our Lord, for His name is holy and pure. Through Him, we have eternal life, and through Him, we have salvation, which God has given to us freely because we believe He is the Son of God.

Blessed are those who believe Jesus, as we will one day rise, for He is risen!