Thursday, March 15, 2018

Excellent Is His Name

"Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent: his glory is above the earth and heavens."  Psalm 148:13.  All are to praise the name of the Lord.  The whole host of creation is to praise His name.  The Lord has created.  The Lord sustains His creation.  Order prevails.  The Lord has given a decree by which His creation functions.  This decree abides through all generations.  In everything the glory of the Lord is seen.  His glory excels above all.  God's fingerprint is seen everywhere.  Therefore, let the creation of God praise Him. His creation is a testimony to His excellency.  God is above all and over all.  Let every heart sing His excellent name.  Unto the God of heaven and earth, let praises be heard throughout all generations of time.  His name is excellent.  His creation is excellent.  His people is excellent.  Praise Him.  Praise Him now and forever.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Liberty In Christ

"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be entangled again with the yoke of bondage."  Galatians 5:1.  There is absolute liberty in Christ.  Christ does not break the physical bonds that might bind us, but He does break the spiritual chains that enslave us.  Christ has given us liberty from the bondage of Satan through an obedient faith.  This freedom in Christ removes sin.  We are forgiven in Christ.  Therefore, we are made free from the guilt of sin and the penalty of sin.  We can rejoice that the burden of sin is lifted in Christ.  Our minds are then renewed in Jesus as we commit to Him and God's direction for our lives.  Jesus empowers us to overcome the temptations that come from Satan as we live by the strength of the Holy Spirit.  We know a law that provides peace and comfort.  But, we must stand fast in this liberty.  Liberty can always be lost.  We must be vigilant.  We must watch so that the devil does not entangle us in the ways of the world and his deceits.  We are free in Christ.  May we ever hold to this liberty.

Thursday, March 8, 2018

The Way Is God

"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.:  Jeremiah 10:23.  All things are of God, even man.  Man is the product of a divine Mind.  Therefore, he needs divine help.  God has always sought to direct the path of man.  God desires that man fulfill his highest potential.  Man is to please God for therein is the goodness of life found.  Man without God wanders in the darkness.  He is a creature that will make mistakes, and therefore, know sorrow.  God can guide us through the pitfalls.  He can guard us from our greatest enemy.  God can help us to maintain balance in our life.  With God's guidance, we can understand our purpose and our destiny.  God can prevent us from getting caught up in the pursuit of those things that will not satisfy the soul.  Man without God will scar his conscience and ruin his character.  God, as a Father, guides his children to joy and fulfillment.  Man was intended for greater things than earth can offer.  Let us allow God to guide us through this old land to a glorious future.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Praise Him While I Live

"I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.  My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord."  Psalm 104:33-34.  Life is a gift that God has bestowed upon us.  Therefore, we use this gift of life to praise God.  While we have life, let us glorify God as He has intended.  Our opportunity to praise Him can vanish in a moment.  Life is without certainty and guarantee.  God desires our praise of Him.  God's ear listens to our voices of  praise and honor that we give to Him.  As we meditate of Him, let us think of His glory, goodness, and holiness.  Sweet thoughts of God flood our soul.  The very thought of God lifts us above this old world of evil.  Our meditation of God takes us to thoughts that relax and comfort the spirit.  Our hearts are filled with purity.  Our mind can see the light of redemption and renewal.  Indeed, we are made glad in the Lord.  Our journey in this land is tarnished as we face difficulty and sorrow.  But, the Lord makes us glad.  In our meditation of Him, we know His love and mercy.  While we have life, let us flood our being with the gladness of God.

Monday, March 5, 2018

He Is Risen

"And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him."  Mark 16:6.  What great news!  What a glorious announcement!  The tomb where the body of Jesus had been laid was empty.  Jesus had been resurrected from the dead.  Death was conquered.  Jesus became a living Savior.  This news would sound again and again in the gospel message.  This is the gospel--the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  This message is the glad tidings of God.  The empty tomb is a message of victory and hope.  A surrender of the heart to the truth of the gospel provides power over sin and death.  In baptism, we unite in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  The empty tomb is the promise to the believer of our own resurrection from the grave.  As Jesus was raised to go to His heavenly Father, so the baptized believer will be raised to go home with Jesus.  Death and the grave are powerless to contain the believer of the gospel.