Preach The Gospel

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  Mark 16:15.  Jesus has arisen from the dead on the third day following His crucifixion.  He has spent forty days with His disciples, and is now returning to His heavenly Father.  Gathering His disciples together, Jesus gives them this charge.  Jesus had offered Himself so that all of humanity would have the opportunity to be saved.  Salvation is in a message.  That message is the gospel.  This message is conveyed to everyone by preaching.  The disciples were to preach this message to everyone everywhere.  God wants all to be saved.  The gospel must be preached, and must be believed.  The Bible contains this gospel.  One comes to an understanding of God's plan to save by either reading or hearing what the Bible teaches.  No message other than the gospel will save.  One must hear the gospel.  God has chosen preaching to save those who will believe.  This message contains three marvelous truths:  the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The church continues to obey this instruction of Christ.  The church seeks to preach the gospel to every creature.

Scarcely Saved

"And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"  I Peter 4:18.  In the eyes of God, only two classes of people exist.  Those two groups are the righteous and the ungodly.  The righteous seek to obey God and become godly.  Godliness becomes the way of life for the righteous.  The other class, the ungodly, do not seek the way of God.  They have no thought of God.  Their interest lies in sinfulness.  The righteous are saved by grace through faith.  This salvation is a gift of God.  The righteous are not saved because of their own works.  Their salvation is completely dependent upon God and the mercy that He has offered through Jesus Christ.  The ungodly have no salvation.  Since they are sinners, God does not know them and does not own them as His.  Where shall they appear?  The righteous are always within the presence of God.  The sinner is not.  The sinner, or ungodly, is without hope.  Their fate is sealed because of their rejection of God.  They refuse His grace and His pardon from sin.  They are without Him in this world, and will be without Him in the world to come.

May Thy Soul Prosper

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth."  III John 2.  We all desire good health.  We all need a certain degree of prosperity.  But, our soul is far more important than either our health or our prosperity.  Our soul has been given to us as the creation of God.  Our soul is without end.  We will all perish in body.  Age will bring wear to our mortal frame.  While this aging process takes its toll on our humanity, let us strive to insure that our soul is prospering.  The value of the soul cannot be calculated.  God has made a great sacrifice in offering up His only begotten Son for the salvation of our soul.  This shows unto us how valuable our soul is to God and should be so to us.  We want our soul to be secure in the care of God.  As we devote ourselves unto God, we are making certain that our soul is prospering.  As we diligently obey the instructions that God has delivered unto us, we are insuring the prosperity of our soul.  We are securing our soul as we keep ourselves from the idols and impurity of this world.  Our health and prosperity help us in this life.  The prosperity of our soul helps us in this life and the one yet to come.

God, Our Help And Our Hope

"Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God."  Psalm 146:5.  Because God is our help, we have hope.  God conquers the enemies that seek our overthrow.  God sustains us in times of weakness.  God lifts us in times of falling.  God is ever present and always mindful of us.  We know that He will always help us when help is needed.  And, in this world, that will always be a surety.  The world cast a cloud of darkness over us.  The world brings us sorrow and despair.  But, God gives us hope because He is our help.  We know that we will be delivered from the cares and frustrations that life brings our way.  We know that God will uplift our hearts.  God helps us to soar.  God removes our doubt.  God will plant us so that we cannot be moved.  Our future is bright with God as our Lord.  God gives us happiness in the face of sadness.  We can laugh amidst the tears.  Joy is always ours because of an established hope in the strength and faithfulness of God.  Happy are we because of our confidence and assurance in the help of God.

Happy Are The Obedient

"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he."  Proverbs 29:18.  Where there is vision, there is a clear goal and a path that will bring one to that goal.  Vision considers the obstacles, and finds ways to overcome.  Vision looks ahead rather than behind.  Vision is a hope for betterment.  Vision sees achievement rather than loss.  Vision embraces victory rather than defeat.  Vision accepts law and authority.  God has given a law that He desires would establish our vision.  To keep this law will bring happiness.  This is true because God will help us to fulfill our vision.  To keep this law will cause us to accept God's vision as our vision.  A fulfilled life brings happiness.  Keeping the law fulfills our life.  The law gives insight to a better way to live and a higher plane upon which to travel.  A guarded life brings happiness.  The law of God guards us from the evils that seek our destruction.  A successful life brings happiness.  Vision gives birth to success.  The law helps us in our search for success through the direction that the law prescribes.  Let our vision be founded upon the law, and happiness will be our reward.

All Things Through Christ

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."  Philippians 4:13.  Paul, the writer of this passage, is discussing contentment.  In whatever situation Paul found himself, he had learned to be content.  There was a reason for this.  That reason was Jesus Christ.  With the help and strength of Christ, Paul was able to endure those trials of life that came to him.  We, in like manner, fall into temptations and trials.  We must depend upon Christ.  We must trust Jesus for our strength to deal with our adversities.  We must seek the strength that Jesus supplies to aid us in difficult times.  We must not simply depend upon Jesus when all is well and good.  Jesus was able to suffer with God as His helper.  The faithful of God have depended upon Jesus.  We see Him as the One who travels with us and never leaves our side.  By faith, we have access to His power and His willingness to deliver.  Without Him, we are weak.  With Him, we are strong.  Without Him, our way is dark.  With Him, we can see clearly.  This statement made so long ago by one who believed in Jesus and was willing to do all things for Jesus is a statement of confidence and assurance.  I can and I will do all things through Christ.

Obey His Word

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Hear ye the words of this covenant, and speak unto the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel; Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant."  Jeremiah 11:1-3.  God delivered His word through the prophets.  Today, His word is found in a book that is called the Bible.  This book contains His word which we are to hear and to obey.  The word of God is to be obeyed because God is the Lord.  God has all power and authority.  He is able to build and to destroy.  God either saves or condemns.  His salvation and condemnation depends upon obedience or disobedience to His word.  Those who would not hear Jeremiah would be cursed.  Those who will not hear God in our culture of today will also be cursed.  As we hear and obey the words of His covenant, we are saved by His grace and love.  Our lives are enriched by our service to Him.  Our eternal destiny is secured by our obedience to His word.