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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 12, 2024, 10:30:21 AM »

It's not really about you. God is longing and willing to use you, but each member of His church is to love and respect one another, without getting into controversy about who is the greatest. Let us keep our focus on the leadership of our Lord and Savior, letting Him lead us by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!

The Saviour did not commit the work of the gospel to Peter individually. At a later time, repeating the words that were spoken to Peter, He applied them directly to the church. And the same in substance was spoken also to the twelve as representatives of the body of believers. If Jesus had delegated any special authority to one of the disciples above the others, we should not find them so often contending as to who should be the greatest. They would have submitted to the wish of their Master, and honored the one whom He had chosen.

When we partake of the divine nature by a full surrender to Christ, applying His word to our lives, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be revealed in our lives as we are empowered to obey God from the new heart. What a blessing it is to realize that the only true greatness is humility blended with selfless service, which we find and experience in Jesus as we abide in Him.

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 11, 2024, 05:27:42 AM »

Sincerity--to truly mean what we say from the heart, and to be who we profess to be as a Christian--that is such a gift from God. Apart from Him, we are liable to drift into hypocrisy and unbelief, but united to Christ in a living faith surrender, we sincerely allow the Holy Spirit to manifest through us all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing! Praise God we can be sincere and honest in our walk with God--by His grace through His faith for His glory for the accomplishment of His purpose--the spreading of the "everlasting gospel" (Revelation 14:6-12) to "all whole world" (Matthew 24:14)!

The religion of Christ is sincerity itself. Zeal for God's glory is the motive implanted by the Holy Spirit; and only the effectual working of the Spirit can implant this motive. Only the power of God can banish self-seeking and hypocrisy. This change is the sign of His working. When the faith we accept destroys selfishness and pretense, when it leads us to seek God's glory and not our own, we may know that it is of the right order. “Father, glorify Thy name” (John 12:28), was the keynote of Christ's life, and if we follow Him, this will be the keynote of our life. He commands us to “walk, even as He walked;” and “hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.” 1 John 2:6, 3.

True obedience to all of God's commandments from the heart is the result of constant union and communion with Christ as we walk in the path He has appointed for us in His service!

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 10, 2024, 05:35:09 AM »

Christ's intentionality is a revelation of His kindness. We see this clearly in how He ministered to the Syrophenician woman whose daughter was demon possessed. He desires to impart that intentional kindness (along with all of the fruits of the Spirit, without one missing) into our lives and characters as His truly converted disciples.

Christ knew this woman's situation. He knew that she was longing to see Him, and He placed Himself in her path. By ministering to her sorrow, He could give a living representation of the lesson He designed to teach. For this He had brought His disciples into this region. He desired them to see the ignorance existing in cities and villages close to the land of Israel. The people who had been given every opportunity to understand the truth were without a knowledge of the needs of those around them. No effort was made to help souls in darkness. The partition wall which Jewish pride had erected, shut even the disciples from sympathy with the heathen world. But these barriers were to be broken down.

The barriers Jesus breaks down open ways for hearts to be reached for His kingdom. Are you willing to let Jesus use you to be a blessing to others, letting God lead you in paths of intentional kindness?

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 09, 2024, 03:19:56 AM »

Christ, the Word (see John 1:1-3), never lessened the importance of the word of God in His life or teachings. He knew that traditions had been put in place of God's word that caused confusion and perplexity to those who really had a desire to serve God, and so He lived and taught in such a way that the word was presented as of unquestionable authority. Thankfully, we can come to God's word in full surrender with a willing heart and let the Holy Spirit fill us with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing. As we apply the word of God to our souls in the experience of true conversion, we are empowered to obey God up to the light we have received. Take God at His word, just as it reads.

Never, by word or deed, did Jesus lessen man's obligation to present gifts and offerings to God. It was Christ who gave all the directions of the law in regard to tithes and offerings. When on earth He commended the poor woman who gave her all to the temple treasury. But the apparent zeal for God on the part of the priests and rabbis was a pretense to cover their desire for self-aggrandizement. The people were deceived by them. They were bearing heavy burdens which God had not imposed. Even the disciples of Christ were not wholly free from the yoke that had been bound upon them by inherited prejudice and rabbinical authority. Now, by revealing the true spirit of the rabbis, Jesus sought to free from the bondage of tradition all who were really desirous of serving God.

What a blessing it is to return our tithe and offering to God's remnant church and also give to further missions around the world! It is a delight to serve God wholeheartedly! "I delight to do Thy will, O my God: Yea, Thy law is within my heart" (Psalm 40:.

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 08, 2024, 03:16:47 AM »

WHEN you go through a trial is just as important as the trial itself. Jesus knew that by making plain that He was offering a spiritual rather than a temporal kingdom that it would result in many turning away from Him who were not desirous of the eternal realities His kingdom was based upon. The profound statement, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:35), revealed He was offering the world character transformation, not merely limitless supplies of temporal bread. But He allowed that trial of faith to transpire when He could help His sincere followers through that season by His personal presence. Thank God for His timing!!

When Jesus presented the testing truth that caused so many of His disciples to turn back, He knew what would be the result of His words; but He had a purpose of mercy to fulfill. He foresaw that in the hour of temptation every one of His beloved disciples would be severely tested. His agony in Gethsemane, His betrayal and crucifixion, would be to them a most trying ordeal. Had no previous test been given, many who were actuated by merely selfish motives would have been connected with them. When their Lord was condemned in the judgment hall; when the multitude who had hailed Him as their king hissed at Him and reviled Him; when the jeering crowd cried, “Crucify Him!”—when their worldly ambitions were disappointed, these self-seeking ones would, by renouncing their allegiance to Jesus, have brought upon the disciples a bitter, heart-burdening sorrow, in addition to their grief and disappointment in the ruin of their fondest hopes. In that hour of darkness, the example of those who turned from Him might have carried others with them. But Jesus brought about this crisis while by His personal presence He could still strengthen the faith of His true followers.

The true faith of Jesus is selfless. It is not based on what we can get in this world, but is rooted in love and trust by an intelligent appreciation of the infinite excellence and matchless loveliness of His divine character. When we see Jesus for who He REALLY IS, we can find our walk with God only growing more deeply from some of the deepest trials of our lives. When we live by faith on Jesus as a personal Lord and Savior, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be seen in our lives without one missing. But those fruits of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance are to grow in a character that like a tree needs to be pruned. The desire of the disciples to see Jesus coronated as an earthly king with earthly glory was a branch that had to be pruned off. So our earthly desires and expectations that are not rooted in God's will for us in light of His kingdom, though it may be painful to have them pruned off, will in the end prove to bring about even greater fruitfulness and a more joyful, affectionate obedience to God's holy law of love. We need to trust God's love even in the seasons of pruning and trial. God is still good even when things do not feel good. His love is measureless and eternal. Rest in Him and walk by faith in the path He guides you to travel. He will never fail you.

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 07, 2024, 07:54:49 AM »

Like an open book, Jesus reads your true character. He allows you to go through trials today that, if borne by His grace, will prepare you to stand faithfully when greater tests and trials come. We see this illustrated in the experience of Peter.

Jesus read the character of His disciples. He knew how sorely their faith was to be tried. In this incident on the sea He desired to reveal to Peter his own weakness,—to show that his safety was in constant dependence upon divine power. Amid the storms of temptation he could walk safely only as in utter self-distrust he should rely upon the Saviour. It was on the point where he thought himself strong that Peter was weak; and not until he discerned his weakness could he realize his need of dependence upon Christ. Had he learned the lesson that Jesus sought to teach him in that experience on the sea, he would not have failed when the great test came upon him.

When Peter denied Jesus three times right before Christ's crucifixion, it was because Peter failed to learn the lesson of His continual need of Jesus to do any good thing earlier in his experience. Do we realize our continual need of Jesus, moment by moment? If we do, and we surrender fully to Him, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be revealed in our lives, and we will be enabled to obey God from the new heart that is transformed by His grace, daily bearing greater and greater trials that prepare us for wider service and a fuller reflection of the loveliness of Jesus. "Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which he suffered" (Hebrews 5:. Christ, the sinless Son of God, also grew and learned through trials, but we can praise God that He endured those trials without ever letting go of His Father and sinning through unbelief. The faith of Jesus is PERFECT faith! By faith, Jesus trusted that the Father was preparing Him to become the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world; but it was still a struggle for the Father and the Son; we see this struggle in Gethsemane and at Calvary; in Gethsemane, Christ chose the Father's will that led to His crucifixion and resurrection, making salvation accessible to us. Though we are sinners and have fallen short of God's glory of character, the moment we come to God in true repentance and let Jesus be Lord and Savior of our lives, He will live through us by the Holy Spirit, so we can start "walking on water" so to speak, and live in His supernatural victory. Will you let it become reality in your life today? He can keep you and me from falling, but if we do fall through unbelief or neglect of Him, we have an advocate with the Father to help us get back up and walk faithfully with Him in preparation for His glorious, soon second coming!

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 06, 2024, 02:16:56 PM »

Happy Sabbath! Are you willing to let God use you to bless others? In the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, Jesus gave the disciples the distinct privilege of parenting with Him in mission to bless the hungry multitude! As we surrender the whole heart to Christ, all of the fruits of the Spirit will be revealed in the life; we will be empowered to obey God's law of love up to the degree we understand its application in our lives, and we also will become channels of blessing to help others in experiencing God's blessing--whatever God knows they need!

The disciples were the channel of communication between Christ and the people. This should be a great encouragement to His disciples today. Christ is the great center, the source of all strength. His disciples are to receive their supplies from Him. The most intelligent, the most spiritually minded, can bestow only as they receive. Of themselves they can supply nothing for the needs of the soul. We can impart only that which we receive from Christ; and we can receive only as we impart to others. As we continue imparting, we continue to receive; and the more we impart, the more we shall receive. Thus we may be constantly believing, trusting, receiving, and imparting.

Keep sharing what God gives you, and it will just keep multiplying! What a mighty God we serve! Hallelujah!

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 05, 2024, 06:28:22 AM »

To just be quiet and still--are we willing to take the time? God has precious things to speak to us if we will but put Him first and allow His word to speak to our hearts, preparing us for His plans for each day! All of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be revealed in a life that is surrendered and in harmony with God's law of love. Let us daily choose to come aside and rest awhile in the loving presence of Jesus!

In all who are under the training of God is to be revealed a life that is not in harmony with the world, its customs, or its practices; and everyone needs to have a personal experience in obtaining a knowledge of the will of God. We must individually hear Him speaking to the heart. When every other voice is hushed, and in quietness we wait before Him, the silence of the soul makes more distinct the voice of God. He bids us, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10. Here alone can true rest be found. And this is the effectual preparation for all who labor for God. Amid the hurrying throng, and the strain of life's intense activities, the soul that is thus refreshed will be surrounded with an atmosphere of light and peace. The life will breathe out fragrance, and will reveal a divine power that will reach men's hearts.

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 04, 2024, 04:12:32 AM »

What a blessing it is to behold Jesus and trust that He is able to make us like Him in mind and character to go forth in His service as true missionaries! By His grace each soul that surrenders fully to Him is imbued with all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing and is enabled to obey the law of God up to the light He has revealed to the soul! May we daily choose to walk closely with Jesus in His purpose of giving the gospel to the world!

The followers of Christ are to labor as He did. We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the suffering and afflicted. We are to minister to the despairing, and inspire hope in the hopeless. And to us also the promise will be fulfilled, “Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.” Isaiah 58:8. The love of Christ, manifested in unselfish ministry, will be more effective in reforming the evildoer than will the sword or the court of justice. These are necessary to strike terror to the lawbreaker, but the loving missionary can do more than this. Often the heart will harden under reproof; but it will melt under the love of Christ. The missionary cannot only relieve physical maladies, but he can lead the sinner to the Great Physician, who can cleanse the soul from the leprosy of sin. Through His servants, God designs that the sick, the unfortunate, those possessed of evil spirits, shall hear His voice. Through His human agencies He desires to be a Comforter such as the world knows not.

Praise God that the greatest joy we can ever know will come from sharing the gospel with souls who need to know Jesus' loveliness of character and the truths of His word that give clarity and confidence in a world of confusion, suffering and pain. We can help hasten Jesus' return by being converted missionaries who love to do God's will and cheerfully step into His plans, led moment by moment by the Holy Spirit!

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The Life of Our Savior / Re: The Glory of God

« Last post by Sean James on January 03, 2024, 07:10:41 AM »

Do you have hope? It is amazing how much hope in God changes a situation. When the woman who was afflicted with an issue of bleeding for 12 years got closer to Jesus, she began to despair, but Jesus had planned to pass by where she was to heal her according to her need. Whatever you are facing right now--whether it is physical, financial, mental, emotional, relational, or spiritual, just know that at the point when you are tempted to despair, Jesus is drawing very near. Go to Him. He will NEVER cast you away. "All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37). He yearns to bless and save us to the uttermost!

On the way to the ruler's house, Jesus had met, in the crowd, a poor woman who for twelve years had suffered from a disease that made her life a burden. She had spent all her means upon physicians and remedies, only to be pronounced incurable. But her hopes revived when she heard of the cures that Christ performed. She felt assured that if she could only go to Him she would be healed. In weakness and suffering she came to the seaside where He was teaching, and tried to press through the crowd, but in vain. Again she followed Him from the house of Levi-Matthew, but was still unable to reach Him. She had begun to despair, when, in making His way through the multitude, He came near where she was.

Thankfully, when Jesus comes into the fully surrendered heart, all of the fruits of the Spirit without one missing will be seen in the life, for His presence kindles faith that works by love making true obedience to all of God's commandments a delight! Jesus brings us joy over our temptation to despair. There is hope! "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Romans 15:13).