Faith for the Future

 Faith for the Future

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

If “all the promises of God find their Yes in [Jesus],” then to trust him now in the present is to believe that his promises will come true. 

Those are not two separate faiths — trusting him, and believing in his promises. Trusting Jesus — believing in Jesus for salvation — means believing that he keeps his word. Being satisfied in the crucified and risen Jesus includes the belief that at every future moment, to all eternity, nothing will separate us from his love, or keep him from working all things together for our good. And that “good” is ultimately seeing and savoring the beauty and worth of God in Christ as our supreme Treasure.

The confidence that this all-satisfying good will be there for us forever is based on all the glorious grace of the past, especially the grace that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32). 

We need to taste now the spiritual beauty of God in all his past achievements — especially the death and resurrection of Christ for our sins — and in all his promises. Rooted in this past grace, our confidence and trust lay hold on all that God himself will be for us in the next moment, and in the next month, and in the endless ages of eternity.

It is he and he alone who will satisfy the soul in the future. And we must be sure of this future, if we are to live the radical Christian lives that Christ calls us to live here and now. 

If our present enjoyment of Christ now — our present faith — does not have in it the Yes to all God’s promises, it will not embrace the power for radical service in the strength that God (in every future moment) will supply (1 Peter 4:11).

My prayer is that reflecting like this on the nature of faith in future grace will help us avoid superficial, oversimplified statements about believing the promises of God. It is a deep and wonderful thing.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10, 2026.

SUBJECT: BECOMING LIKE CHRIST!

Memory verse: "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4 vs 13.)

READ: Ephesians 3 vs 16 - 19:

3:16: that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,

3:17: that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

3:18: may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width and length, and depth and height—

3:19: to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

INTIMATION:

God created us to grow. His ultimate goal is for us to mature and develop the characteristics of Jesus Christ. Becoming like Christ, is neither instant nor automatic; it is a gradual, progressive development that will take the rest of one's life. It calls for an intentional commitment. You must want to grow, decide to grow, make an effort to grow, and persist in growing. 

Discipleship—the process of becoming like Christ—always begins with a decision, the decision to respond when Jesus calls you. Even your response is not automatic, it may take some time. Peter, James, and John were called on three different occasions by Jesus Christ before they eventually got committed (John 1 vs 35 - 42, at the Sea of Galilee; Mark 1 vs 16 - 18, and at the Lake of Gennesaret; Luke 5 vs 1 - 11).

Accepting the invitation is all you need to start. When you accept the invitation, you become a work in progress. Your spiritual transformation commences, and developing the character of Jesus would take the rest of your life. And even then, it won't be completed here on earth. It will only be finished when you get to heaven or when Jesus returns. At that point, whatever unfinished work on your character would be wrapped up.

Sadly, millions of Christians grow older but never grow up. They are stuck in perpetual spiritual infancy, remaining in diapers and booties. The reason is that they never intended to grow. They never allow the world to pass through them while passing through the world. The Word of God they hear, the people they interact with, and the circumstances they encounter in life hardly influence them from shifting their position. 

God is more interested in building your character than He is in anything else. God is more interested in what you are than in what you do or what you have. We are human beings, not human doings. God is much more concerned about your character than your career or any other thing, because you only take your character to eternity. There can be many different careers that could be in God's Will for your life, but His utmost care is that whatever you do, you do it in a Christlike manner: (First Corinthians 10 vs 31; Colossians 3 vs 17; Colossians 3 vs 23.) 

The Scripture in First Corinthians 16 vs 14 says, “Let all you do be done with love.” In becoming like Christ, our actions must be motivated by God’s love, and His love will so permeate our motives that all we do would be for His glory, that is, “doing all in the name of the Lord Jesus." And for it to be our guiding principle, we would always ask, "Is this action glorifying God?" or "How can I honor God through this action?" You endeavor to do things to bring honor to Christ in every aspect and activity of your daily living. 

As a Christian, you represent Christ at all times, therefore, whatever you do, wherever you go, and whatever you say let it demonstrate christlikeness in your lives. Always ask yourself these pertinent questions, "What impression do people have of Christ when they see or talk with me?" "What changes would I make in my life in order to honor Christ?" Regard whatever you do or say as an act of worship or service to God. 

So many people are in love with themselves, and put self before anything else, including God. They have abandoned living for God's great purposes and settled for personal fulfillment and their emotional stability. Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could lead a comfortable, an well-adjusted lives. His purpose is far deeper. He wants to make us like Himself before taking us to heaven. This is our greatest privilege, our immediate responsibility, and our ultimate destiny.

Prayer: Abba Father, I love you. All I have is Yours, Yours I am, and Yours I want to be. Do with me as it is pleasing to You. Endue me with the mind of Christ that I may live a fulfilling life in Christ, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

When Reason Serves Rebellion

 When Reason Serves Rebellion

The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!” (Proverbs 22:13)

This is not what I expected the proverb to say. I would have expected it to say, “The coward says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” But it says, “sluggard,” not “coward.” So, the controlling emotion here is laziness, not fear. 

But what does laziness have to do with the danger of a lion in the street? We don’t usually say, “This man is too lazy to go do his work because there is a lion outside.”

The point is that the sluggard creates imaginary circumstances to justify not doing his work, and thus shifts the focus from the vice of his laziness to the danger of lions. No one will approve his staying in the house all day just because he is lazy. But they might excuse him if there is a lion in the street.

One profound biblical insight we need to learn from this is that our heart exploits our mind to justify what we want. That is, our deepest desires precede the rational functioning of our minds and incline the mind to perceive and think in a way that will make the desires look right, even if they’re wrong.

This is what the sluggard is doing. He deeply desires to stay at home and not work. There is no good reason to stay at home. So, what does he do? Does he overcome his bad desire — his laziness? No, he uses his mind to create unreal circumstances to justify his desire.

Jesus said, “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). We love the darkness so that we can keep on doing what we want without exposure. In this condition, the mind becomes a factory of darkness — a fountain of half-truths, equivocations, sophistries, evasions, and lies — anything to protect the evil desires of the heart from exposure and destruction.

Consider and be wise.

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

TUESDAY JUNE 09, 2026.

SUBJECT: GOD WORKS ALL THINGS FOR THE GOOD OF THE BELIEVER!

Memory verse: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His porpuse." (Romans 8 vs 28.)

READ: Romans 8 vs 28 - 30:

8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His porpuse.

8:29: For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 

8:30: Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called, whom He called, these He also justified, and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 

INTIMATION:

God works in "all things," not just in isolated incidents, for our good. This does not mean that all that happens to us is good. Evil is prevalent in our fallen world, but God is able to turn every circumstance around for our long-range good. Note that God is not working to make us happy but to fulfill His purpose 

Note also that this promise is not for everybody. It can be claimed only by those who love God and are called by Him, that is, those whom the Holy Spirit convinces to receive Christ. Such people have a new perspective, a new mind-set. They trust in God, not in worldly treasures; their security is in heaven, not on earth. Their faith in God does not waver in pain or persecution because they know God is with them. 

We often cannot see the good that comes from immediate trials and sufferings. Therefore, we must assume that the good that God brings is within our lifetime. God views things from His eternal perspective. The final good of God will come with the reward of eternal heaven. It is in this context that the apostle Paul is asking us to view the final results from our sufferings from the eternal perspective of God. Though there is good that comes from God in the suffering of our lifetime, there is the final good of glory that will come after the end of this world. 

Some believe these verses we read today mean that before the beginning of the world, God chose certain people to receive His gift of salvation. They point to verses such Ephesians 1 vs 11, which says that we are "predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will." Others believe that God knew in advance who would respond to Him, and upon those He set His mark (He chose them). 

What is clear is that God's purpose for people was not an afterthought. It was settled before the foundation of the world. People are to serve and honor God. If you believe in Christ, you can rejoice in the fact that God has always known you. God's love is eternal. His wisdom and power are supreme. He will guide you and protect you until one day you stand in His presence. 

We must not assume that the foreknowledge of God presupposes the individual predestination of individuals to either heaven or hell. God's reference is to those who will be glorified. Before the creation of the world, God foreknew the body of believers He would glorify in eternal heaven. He foreknew the body because He predestined the existence of the church. Therefore, those who would free-morally choose to be a part of this group (the church) by voluntary obedience to the gospel in order to conform to the image of the Son would also be destined to glorification in eternal heaven.

Therefore, the group of believers that God predestined to be glorified, were first justified by the predestined plan of God on the cross. Those who are justified He called through the gospel. At the end of time, He will call these out of the world for eternal glory. Those who will be called out of the world are now predestined because they are a part of the predestined group of believers who will in the end be called out of the world for eternal glory. God foreknew this plan because He foreplanned redemption in Christ before the creation of the world. 

The final "calling" of God of Christians out of the world will occur at the end of time. The finality of all things, therefore, will end for good for the Christian when he is called out of this world into eternal glory. Through the preaching of the gospel, men are also called out of the world of sin through their obedience to the gospel. 

God ultimate goal for us is to make us like Christ (First John 3 vs 2). As we become more and more like Him, we discover our true selves, the persons we were created to be. 

How can we become like Christ? By reading and heeding the Word, by studying His life on earth through the Gospels, by spending time in prayer, by being filled with His Spirit, and by doing His work in the world. 

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for our privilege of election by Your grace, for Your justification of the elect, for Christ's propitiation for our sins, for our redemption in Christ, for our sanctification through Your Word, and for Your preplanned glorification of the elect in Him. I am persuaded that all things are working together for me by privilege of election and my love for You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Prayer Is for Sinners

 Prayer Is for Sinners

“Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11:1)

God answers the prayers of sinners, not perfect people. And you can become perfectly paralyzed in your praying if you do not focus on the cross and realize this. 

I could show it from numerous Old Testament texts where God hears the cry of his sinful people, whose very sins had gotten them into the trouble from which they are crying for deliverance (for example, Psalm 38:4, 15; 40:12–13; 107:11–13). But let me show it from Luke 11 — in two ways:

In this version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2–4), Jesus says, “When you pray, say . . . ” and then in verse 4 he includes this petition, “and forgive us our sins.” So, if you connect the beginning of the prayer with the middle, what he says is, “Whenever you pray, say . . . forgive us our sins.”

I take this to mean that this should be as much a part of all our praying as, “Hallowed be your name.” Which means that Jesus assumes that we need to seek forgiveness virtually every time we pray. 

In other words, we are always sinners. Nothing we do is perfect. As Martin Luther said, on his deathbed, “We are beggars. This is true.” Even if we have achieved some measure of obedience before we pray, we always come to the Lord as sinners — all of us. And God does not turn away the prayers of sinners when they pray like this.

The second place we can see this is in Luke 11:13: “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus calls his disciples “evil.” Pretty strong language. And he did not mean that they were out of fellowship with him. He did not mean that their prayers could not be answered. 

He meant that as long as this fallen age lasts, even his own disciples will have an evil bent that pollutes everything they do, but doesn’t keep them from doing much good as they rely on his grace and power. 

We are simultaneously evil and redeemed. We are gradually overcoming our evil by the power of the Holy Spirit. But our native corruption is not obliterated by conversion. 

We are sinners and we are beggars. And if we recognize this sin, renounce it, fight it, and cling to the cross of Christ as our hope, then God will hear us and answer our prayers.

I Will Not Be Move by ClaudyGod

 I Will Not Be Move. God bless you as you watch!

Every day in the God's Word

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JUNE 08, 2026.

SUBJECT: THE INEVITABLE JUDGEMENT!

Memory verse: "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14 vs 12.)

READ: Second Corinthians 5 vs 10; Romans 2 vs 5 - 11:

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Romans 2:5: But in accordance with your hardness and your impertinent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgement of God, 

2:6: who will render to each one according to his deeds": 

2:7: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 

2:8: but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness-- indignation and wrath, 

2:9: tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

2:10: but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good to the Jews first and also to the Greek.

2:11: For there is no partiality with God.

INTIMATION:

At the end of our lives here on earth we will all stand before God, and He is going to evaluate us on how well we served here on earth with our lives. While eternal life is a free gift given on the basis of God's grace, each of us will still be judged by Christ. This judgement will reward us for how we have lived. 

God's gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement for faithful obedience. We are not saved by good deeds, but when we commit our lives fully to God, we want to please Him and do His Will. As such, our good deeds are a grateful response to what God has done, not a prerequisite to earning His favor.

The purpose of Jesus’ first mission on earth was not to judge people, but to show them the way to find salvation and eternal life. When He comes again, one of His main purposes will be to judge people for how they lived on earth. Christ’s words which we would not accept and obey will condemn us. On the day of judgement, those who accepted Jesus and lived His way will be raised to eternal life, and those who rejected Jesus and lived any way they pleased will face eternal punishment. 

Jesus Christ has been given all power by the Father, including the power and authority to judge all the earth. Although His judgement is already working in our lives, there is a future, final judgement when Christ returns, and everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. This will not be confined to unbelievers; Christians too, will face judgement. Their eternal destiny is secure, but Jesus will look at how they handled gifts, opportunities, and responsibilities in order to determine their heavenly rewards. At the time of judgement. God will deliver the righteous and condemn the wicked (the unbelievers). 

At judgement, the “books” will be opened. The “Book of Life” will also be opened, and it contains the names of those who have put their trust in Christ to save them. The “books” contain the recorded deeds of everyone, good or evil. Everyone’s life will be reviewed and evaluated. 

No one is saved by deeds, but deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with God. His gracious gift of salvation does not free us from the requirement of faithful obedience and service. Each of us must serve Christ in the best way we know and live each day knowing that the “books” will one day be opened. 

Think about the implication of giving account of our stewardship. One day God will compare how much time and energy we spent on ourselves compared with what we invested in serving others and His interest. The evaluation comes with attendant reward. The Bible tells us in Revelation 22 vs 12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." 

At the point of judgement, all excuses for self-centeredness will sound hollow: "I was too busy" or "I had my own goals" or "I was preoccupied with working, attending to my needs, or had a tight schedule, and could hardly find time." To all excuses God will likely respond this way, 'Sorry, wrong answer. I created, saved, and called you, and commanded you to live a life of service. What part did you play or did you not understand?'

Although God does not usually punish us immediately for sin, His eventual judgement is certain. We don't know exactly when it will happen, but we know that no one will escape that final encounter with the Creator. God will pour out His anger and wrath on those who lived for themselves. But for Christians, though they will be saved, it will mean a loss of eternal rewards.

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to lead a life of service; serving You, others, and the interest of Your kingdom, worthy of Your eternal reward, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!