Philippians 3:13-14

April 05, 2025

Today's Scripture

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:13-14

God never consults your past to determine your future. Your potential is not what you have done. That is your history, and there is no such thing as potential history. Your yesterdays are not nearly as important as your tomorrows.

Some destroy their potential by living in the glow of some shining moment in the past. If you are in sales, did you break all sales records last year? Forget it. You can starve to death remembering how great you used to be. Did your business have its finest year last year? Forget it. The economy could plummet this year, and you’ll be looking for a job in the next twelve months. Students, did you make the honor roll last year? Forget it. Go home and do your homework and do it with excellence. The challenge is still in front of you. You didn’t learn all there is to know. Athletes, did you make the all-star team last year? Forget it. That was last year. Turn off the TV, get off the couch, go exercise, lift weights, run and improve your athletic skills or next year you could be sitting on the bench.

Your potential is in the business you can do but haven’t done yet. Your potential is in the grades you can make but haven’t made yet. Your potential is in the souls you can win but haven’t won yet. If you’ve won a soul to Christ, win two. If you’ve won two, win four. If you’ve won four, win eight. If you’ve won eight, win sixteen and thirty-two and sixty-four. Let those multiples run because nothing is impossible with God.

Do you know how quickly America could turn around if we would just realize the power of multiplication? If every Christian won just one soul to Christ each year, in four years we would dominate this country with the glory of God. That’s a fact! But we’ve got to get Jesus out of the church buildings and into people’s homes. The unchurched are suffering. They need to hear the Gospel message of faith, hope and love.

Are you tormented about your past? Out of the pages of Scripture pours joy unspeakable and full of glory, peace in the midst of the storm, and the love of God that heals and unifies. Hope that is unshakeable and unbreakable can be found in the pages of Scripture. With the Lord as your Savior, your sin is made whiter than snow. Your past is buried in the deepest sea, never to be remembered against you anymore.

Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. May we as Christians live to our spiritual potential. May we cause a spiritual revival around us. May God’s name be exalted in every corner of the world. Amen and amen!

Today's Bible Reading:

Old Testament

New Testament

Psalms & Proverbs

Acts 1:8

April 02, 2025

Today's Scripture

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

Acts 1:8

It’s dark out there.

If you had any doubt that our world is broken and fallen, a glance around should relieve you of all uncertainty.

Thus, it’s no surprise that many of God’s people are overwhelmed, pessimistic, and despondent. Some have lost hope and given in to despair. But that is not the appropriate mindset for a child of God. Believers have been given the power to turn things around — for ourselves, for our families, for our communities, and for our country.

I’m talking about heavenly power. Divine power. Supernatural power that changes circumstances and destinies. Power that turns the fate of nations.

Two-thousand years ago, Jesus lived on Earth. He raised the dead, He healed the blind, the lame, and the deaf; He touched the rotting flesh of lepers and healed them. Jesus calmed the violent winds and waves and walked on the waters of the Sea of Galilee.

He ordered demons to come out with a word. He did not interview them or scream at them all night. He spoke a word and they obeyed. He fed multitudes with a boy’s sack lunch and there was enough left over to start a Jewish delicatessen. He turned water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Jesus spoke with such authority that the politically correct crowd was stunned with silence.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of Power. There is power in His Word. There is power in His Blood. There is power in His name. There is power in His presence and in His presence is fullness of joy.

Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you and give you His peace. It is God’s will for believers to walk in power. You have the power to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. Harness His Power as you walk victorious. In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

Today's Bible Reading:?

Old Testament

New Testament?

Psalms & Proverbs

1 John 5:14

March 30, 2025

Today's Scripture

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:14

Jesus created quite a ruckus in the Temple after being hailed with a hero’s welcome when He arrived in Jerusalem. He drove out the money changers. He turned over their tables. He reprimanded them sharply. Afterwards, Matthew 21:14 tells us that the blind and the lame came to Him there in that holy place, and He healed them.

That seems fitting to us, the perfect place for Jesus to perform miracles. However, in Jerusalem, tradition dictated that the blind and lame – anyone who had a physical impairment – were not allowed to enter the Temple. Their imperfection denied them the right to be admitted to the very place where they could receive healing.

Jesus broke through the barriers, tore through the tradition to welcome the hurting. Can you imagine the crush of the crowd? Can you see their eager faces? Here, where they had only found rejection and resistance, Jesus reached out to heal blind eyes and lame limbs. Those who had never seen before received their sight. Those who had never walked went running and leaping and praising God. The Temple walls must have resounded with exuberant shouts. Tears of joy and gratitude must have wet their cheeks.

Throughout Scripture, we see Jesus reaching out in welcome: sharing a meal with tax collectors, pulling a child onto His lap, touching a leper, plucking Peter out of the sea, taking a dead girl’s hand, smearing mud on a blind man’s eyes. He welcomed their questions and their complications, their illnesses and infirmities.

He is still reaching, still welcoming. His arms are open. His eyes are smiling. No fear of rejection here. We can boldly approach the throne of grace with full confidence to obtain mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:16). We are surrounded by the spiritually blind, those who have overlooked the important and cannot see what is needful. We are surrounded by the spiritually lame, those who may see what they need but are too hindered to get to it. We can bring them to the throne, too – with full confidence of acceptance and love.?

Blessing

Jesus, thank You for breaking down the walls that stood between us. I am so grateful that Your arms are open, that Your hands are reaching, that Your heart is welcoming, that I am accepted in the Beloved. May I always extend that same welcome to others. In the name of Jesus…Amen.

Today's Bible Reading:?

Old Testament

New Testament?

Psalms & Proverbs