by Carol Roberts | Jul 20, 2015 | Salvation
Jesus is always the same. We can count on that. There are times we feel His presence in a mighty way while other times it seems He is miles away. No matter what we feel like He never leaves us. Humans drift but we can always rely on God to follow us because He is always the same. When a person drifts so far into the ways of the world and they no longer hear His voice or feel His presence it’s still not too late to turn back. He is still right there waiting. He finds us worth seeking after, even when we have drifted far.
Matthew 18:12-13
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away!
by Carol Roberts | Jul 18, 2015 | Salvation
Jesus saves. We can count on that.
As humans there are no guarantees we will be born in a beautiful body or have a body that will last us a hundred years. Not everybody will be rich, own a fancy automobile or have a cell phone. The club we want to join may not accept us or it may be totally different than what we imagined if we get in. Helping someone along the way does not mean we will always be appreciated or even treated nicely. Life here on earth offers no guarantees but God’s word never fails. God keeps His word. The word of God is the one true guarantee.
Romans 10:9-10
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
by Carol Roberts | Jul 18, 2015 | Love
William Shakespeare made a famous statement: To thine own self be true. His statement sums up a lot of things. When we can truly be honest with ourselves and God without feeling embarrassed or resentful we are free indeed.
By studying the Bible we can learn principles of life that never change. God speaks to us in our hearts and never instructs us to do anything differently than His Word. When discomfort, guilt or convictions are felt as we continue on a wrong path it is God’s way of saying He loves us. He does not want us to face the consequences that are along the wrong paths.
Growing into the likeness of Christ is never easy because we are giving up old comfortable habits to exchange for new ones. As we study His word we learn just how far we are from the truth. The hard part is admitting the truth to our own heart the shortcomings we have and then to make a change. To thine own self be true is difficult at best but rewarding as steps are taken to advance into the beauty of the likeness of Christ.
John 8:31-32
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
by Carol Roberts | Jul 18, 2015 | Encouragement
He knows everything anyway, so why not be honest. The more we are willing to turn over to Him the more He can fix.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends You,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
by Carol Roberts | Jul 16, 2015 | Hope
When people have their own way things get messed up. The most precious thing about God is that He is waiting with loving arms, ready to forgive, ready to forget and ready to restore. He has restored entire nations and made things brand new. 2 Chronicles 7:14 tells us: Then if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
He loves us individually and makes us in His image. Just like He restores nations He restores us. He loves unconditionally if we come just as we are hiding nothing.
Psalm 66:18-20
If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Praise God, Who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw His unfailing love from me.