…ye also the called of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:6)
Paul wrote this to the Roman believers and it emphasizes an important part of the Christian’s role. Every believer in Jesus Christ is called by Him. The Greek word translated “called” basically means “invited”, but within the context is better understood as “divinely appointed”. Continue reading
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Fear is a part of life. Some fears are minimal, but others can be debilitating. Regardless, when fear comes upon us, we should seek the Lord. The Hebrew word translated “sought” has a range of meanings including “resort to”, “enquire of”, “consult with”, and “seek with care”. These meanings convey dependence upon God rather than ourselves. It is saying, “I need help.” Continue reading
Scripture memory should be a part of every Christian’s regular disciplines, but it seems to have fallen out of practice with far too many believers. There are many good reasons to memorize verses from the Bible. Here are a few.
Exodus 2:23-25 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried , and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.
In Genesis 12, God made a covenant with Abraham. God promised him a land, a seed, and a blessing. In the remaining chapters of Genesis, God several times expanded and clarified His promises to Abraham and identified his son, Isaac, and his grandson, Jacob, as the ones through whom the covenant would be fulfilled.
In the book of Exodus, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are dead. Jacob’s children (Israel) are in bondage in Egypt and cry out to God, Who remembers His promises (vs. 24).
When the Bible states that God “remembers” something, it doesn’t mean that He forgot about it. It simply means that God is going to act upon something that had been dormant for a period of time.
Verse 25 states that God had “respect” to the children of Israel. As later passages will demonstrate, this wasn’t because the Israelites deserved respect. Rather, this was a demonstration of God’s faithfulness and grace. God had made specific promises to this nation and was intent on keeping them. The covenant was unconditional and Israel would see its fulfillment regardless of their faithfulness to God.
God has shown Himself to be trustworthy because He always keeps His promises.
Colossians 3:1-3 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
In this passage, Christians (i.e. those who are “risen with Christ”) are told to keep their focus on heaven and not Earth. Then we read something rather strange. Paul writes, “For ye are dead…” Huh? I thought we were made “alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:11) What does it mean that we are dead!
When we read the word “dead” in the Scriptures, it needs to be understood as “separated”. Death is always a separation. Physical death is a separation of our spiritual part from our physical body. Spiritual death is the separation of a person from God. We are told in Romans 6:2 that believers are “dead to sin”, which in context means separated from its penalty, and by extension, its power. When one is dead to something, the thing in question has no power.
So in the passage above, believers are dead to the things of this world. Therefore, the things of the world should not be our focus. The life of the believer is “hid with Christ in God.” It is “hid” in the sense that it cannot be found on the Earth. It is where Christ is, and that is in heaven. Christian need to keep looking to Him.