“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Pet. 3:9 NIV)

Therefore…

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had.”(Rom. 15:5 NIV)

And do the following

• REJOICE - “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Rom. 12:12 ESV)
• DO GOOD - “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9 ESV)
• BEAR WITH ONE ANOTHER - “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” (Eph. 4:2 ESV)
• BE LOVING - “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant.” (1 Cor. 13:4 ESV)

“The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid.” (Psalm 27:1 NIV)

FEAR: the feeling or condition of being afraid; the loss of courage in the presence or anticipation of danger; dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation.

Fear is a powerful tool of the enemy and God wants us to remain strong and courageous in the face of fear and to know God is present and will strengthen and uphold you. We are told not to fear 365 times in the Bible, one for each day of the year!

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

God has given control over fear

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim. 1:7 ESV)

Cast all your fears on Him

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7 ESV)

Therefore…

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 ESV)

“For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12 ESV)

Because of Jesus we have God’s favor

When Christ was born the angelic host announced to the shepherds that God would send "peace to men on whom his favor rests." (Luke 2:14 ). Another word for favor is grace, which is often defined as “unmerited favor”.

“And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.”

His favor wins battles

“For by their own sword they did not possess the land, And their own arm did not save them, But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence, For You favored them." (Psalm 44:3, NKJV)

He bestows favor and honor

“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11 ESV)

His favor establishes the work of your hands

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17 ESV)

His favor is for a lifetime

“For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”  (Psalm 39:35 ESV)

Because of His favor you have a hope and a future

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Her. 29:11)

Therefore…

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:31-33 ESV)

“And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” (John 1:16 ESV)

More of God?

Sometimes I hear someone say they want “more of God” but, I believe they are asking for what He has already given them through Jesus. The Bible says, “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” (Col. 2:9 ESV) Therefore, if you have received Jesus, you already have also received His fullness! So, rather than asking for “more of God” surrender “more of you” to Him! Then study the Bible to become more enlightened about Him and what you already have in Him.

Know what you have

“Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. (Eph. 1:18 ESV)

Mature through the knowledge of Him

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-13 ESV)

Therefore…

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph. 3:14-19 NASB)

“For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.” (1 Cor. 3:9 ESV)

If you had the power to work closely with anyone in the world you would like, who would that be? Would it be someone famous like a movie star or a top athlete? Or maybe the president of the United States, or the King or Queen of a sovereign country? What if you had the ability to actually work for God Himself? Well, the truth of the matter is you are God’s fellow worker!

We are His workmanship

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10 ESV)

An unashamed and approved  worker

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15 ESV)

Always abound in God’s work

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Cor. 15:58 ESV)

Therefore…

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” (Col. 3:23-24 NLT)

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16 ESV)

The world’s definition of love

It has been said that you can find out how a people group thinks on just about any subject by listening to the songs they sing. The following is a sampling of American love song titles over the years. You’ve probably heard some of them and when you read the titles you will probably remember some of their words.

• Everybody loves my baby (1924)
• Love me tender (1956)
• To know him is to love him (1958)
• Baby Love (1964)
• You’ve lost that lovin’ feeling (1965)
• I think I love you (1970)
• Love Hangover (1976
• What’s love got to do with it? (1984)
• Justify My Love (1991)
• Crazy in love (2003)
• We Found Love (2011)
• Love lies (2017)
• The end of love (2018)

With so many strange songs about love, no wonder there is so much confusion about what love is. Frankly, human definitions about love are inadequate and misleading. The Bible defines love correctly.

The Bible definition of love

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:4-8 NIV)

God alone is the source of love

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:7-8 NIV)

God is love

God does not merely love; he is love. Everything that God does flows from his love.

“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” (1 John 4:8 ESV)

God’s kind of love

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.” (1 John 3:1 NIV)

He shows His love for us

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8 ESV)

Therefore…

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:37-39 ESV)   

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 esv)

Strength is the quality or state of being strong : capacity for exertion or endurance.

God gives strength in times of need

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 NIV)

Those who hope in the Lord will gain renewed strength

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isa 40:30-31 NIV)

Therefore...

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart ,and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-39 NIV)

 “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Psalm 138:8 ESV)

Purpose: The object toward which one strives or for which something exists.

God has made you for His purpose

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10 NASB)

Your purpose is to fulfill God’s great commission

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20 ESV)

Your purpose is to do everything to God’s glory

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor. 10:31 ESV)

Therefore...

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 NIV)

 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NIV)

I had doubts!

After discovering from my aunt that my father had not died as my mother had told me, but had only moved to another state, gotten remarried, and had other children that I finally met, we exchanged much information. All this was exciting.

Accept, I had doubts

I wasn’t totally convinced that I was actually related to them. Yes, I was completely sure they were related to my big brother, David, because the resemblance was unmistakable. But, I didn’t look like any of them; I look more like my mother. And, because David and I were a couple years apart in age, and because my mother and father had separated before I was born, I thought there could possibly have been someone else “involved” after they had split. So, to be absolutely sure, I asked one of them, my new sister Kathie, to take a DNA test and I would, too. We got two DNA kits from Ancestory.com and I sent mine to them as Mike French, from Lynden, Washington, and she sent hers to them as Kathie Swan from Anderson, Indiana. We gave no information other than our names and addresses. Several weeks later the results came back informing us we were closely related to each other! Yes, it was definitely confirmed, we ARE siblings! After that test, there was no doubt left, and I wholeheartedly believed that we have the same father.

God’s kids must not doubt!

My doubting experience reminds me that there are Christians, such as one of Jesus’ own disciples, famously known as Doubting Thomas, who had trouble believing (John 20:26). If Christians entertain doubts and don’t know for sure they are a member of God’s family with promised eternal life, they will be unstable, weak and ineffective in their relationship with Him.

Absolute assurance

God wants us to have absolute assurance of our relationship with Him and said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NIV)

Those who have received Him have the right to become God’s children

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13 ESV)

It’s through faith in Christ

“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Gal. 3:26 ESV)

Therefore...

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)