Tag: food

When the Apostle Paul’s ship was about to run aground, he encouraged all who were with him, saying, no one would perish. Soon after, he broke bread with them on the ship and gave thanks to God, for God was the one who would protect them in their time of distress.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

(2 Corinthians 1:3-4)

God’s ways are not our ways; it is not within our nature to give thanks to God. We have a natural enmity toward Him. Yet, because of His Son Jesus’ sacrifice, an act that reconciled us to our Father, now we have a heavenly desire to please Him.

Blessed be God the Father for having given us the longing to do good through the power of His Spirit. By the Holy Spirit, we have encouragement to seek His will and live a life reflective of His own nature, which is pure in character and abundant in charity.

How great is our God to have poured into us His Spirit so that we may enjoy the fruit of His mercy. His grace abounds, His love for us never grows cold and His shield is an everlasting shield. Blessed be God forever.

Do good to others and share in their burden. Be patient and kind; never allow haughtiness to enter your heart. Comfort the sick; minister to them who are lacking health, for the day will come when the Lord will ask for an accounting of all our deeds.

“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)

Encourage the weak, for through our God we have strength. Give to the poor, for as we provide them shelter and warmth, we are doing good to Jesus. Bless those who hate us, for by their own words God will judge them.

Be at peace with one another. Do not let the troubles of this world seek to separate you from the body of Christ. Our salvation is in the Lord. All glory belongs to Him. Let His peace be upon you and upon those around you.

Love those who seek to destroy you, for they do not know what they do. Do not seek vengeance, for the Lord’s wrath will be upon them. Love all, bless all and give to those who ask. Never part with your gifts in anger.

Always do good.

Do we have purpose to our being? By all means! Our purpose in this life is to love, worship and glorify God, whereby through that love, we have knowledge of Him, of His ways and of His relationship with us, as our Father in Heaven.

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

(1 John 4:7-8)

Apart from the Father, we are as a boat adrift without a destination; our lives would be empty, filled with despair and longing for meaning. By loving God, however, He will fill us with His Spirit, impart us eternal hope and bestow upon us meaning to our existence.

Great is our Father who is in Heaven. He gave His Son Jesus as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. By no other name do we have salvation and by no other name are our sins forgiven. Glory to Him in the highest.

Love God and take pleasure by doing His will, for by His will we have purpose and meaning, and by His love, we have knowledge of who He is. Who is God? God is Love. Love, worship and glorify God.

When an earthquake struck the jail where the Apostle Paul was a prisoner, the jailer thought all had fled. Had Paul not cried out, the jailer would have certainly taken his own life. Paul saved him, but even more so, Jesus saved him.

“Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’”

(Acts 16:30-31)

During our darkest moments is when God will reveal Himself to us. We may feel lost, abandoned or utterly empty inside, but God is there to show us the way, to make us feel part of His family and to fill us with the Holy Spirit.

As long as we believe Jesus is the Son of God, we will have salvation. God will forgive our sins and not hold anything against us because we had faith that Jesus died for us in order that we might live. God would not have any of us fall to the penalty of sin.

Christ Jesus is the way, the truth and the light. Through Him we have purpose, we have meaning and our reward, although we may not see it yet, God holds for us in heaven for that day when we will finally receive it in all gladness.

Believe in Jesus.

When the apostle Peter delivered his sermon on Pentecost, he was not the man who had denied Christ three times. His strength came from knowing God had forgiven him, and he had gone to become one of the apostles whom Jesus had used to grow the church.

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

(Acts 2:37-38)

After having repented, Peter had received the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised us also the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father would send in Jesus’ name and would be with us forever. Through repentance and baptism, we would receive Him.

Repentance is recognizing we have done wrong to God by not obeying Him and asking for forgiveness for those wrongs. By this, we open our hearts to Him and turn away from our sins, doing good always and not wanting to commit the same sins any longer.

Let us therefore look to God for the strength that the apostle Peter had when he stood in front of a crowd of thousands to proclaim Christ. Through God, all things are possible and through Him, we no longer ought to be afraid of the penalty of sin.

Repent and be baptized.

The night before Jesus’ death and burial, He took His disciples to Gethsemane to pray. Leaving them behind, He went alone to be with the Father. During His most sorrowful moment, Jesus sought God’s will.

“’Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? “Father, save me from this hour”? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven: ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’”

(John 12:27-28)

During our most sorrowful moment, who do we seek? Jesus made it clear that all power and all glory belong to the Father. No matter what we suffer, it is all for God’s glory. His will ought to be what we seek.

Dark days will come upon us, dreadful trials will draw near, yet, we have God as our redeemer. He will give us the strength to move forward in all tribulation. We ought not to be anxious, for our Lord and Savior will give us rest.

How great God is to look upon our lives and find us befitting of the trial we suffer. For through that trial we give God all the glory and honor befitting Him. Through no other means, other than by God’s will, do we have peace.

May His will be done.

Would that God tomorrow bring us in front of His throne, what would He say? Would He cast us from His presence or would He look at all we have done and grant us a reward for our faithfulness?

“And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’”

(Matthew 25:20-21)

As God is holy, we ought to be holy in Christ Jesus’ holy and righteous name. For as one body, through God’s grace, He has given us individual gifts, according to His will, so that we should bless others with good works.

How great a day it will be when God gives us our reward for all the good we have done; no one can claim it for oneself, but God will give it freely, without limit; for from God, good flows and from God, we shall receive our reward.

Love all so that joy and peace may abide in us. Be patient with one another, allowing kindness and goodness to flow freely. Be faithful to God, showing gentleness and self-control. For one day, God will say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”