He is faithful, so hold fast!

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised.)” (Heb. 10:23 KJV)

This promise is so simple and direct that you’d have to get some help in order to misunderstand what it says!

Do not waver!

Hold fast to the profession of your faith, without wavering, because, He that promised is faithful! How simple is that!

How wonderful that We never have to worry about God’s faithfulness to His promises, ever! We just need to mix our faith with them (Heb. 4:2) and then expect (believe) them to work for us! And they do, every single time!

Therefore…

“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV)

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33 ESV)

“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:4 ESV)

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Press towards the mark!

“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:14 KJV)

There’s an old story about a kid who grew up in the back hills of Tennessee many years ago. While walking through the woods one day, he saw a big tree with something carved into its trunk. When he got closer he could clearly read what it said.

“Daniel Boon killed a bear clear up to there!” And next to Daniel’s message was a mark to indicate the size of the bear.

The odd thing, was that beneath Daniel Boon’s mark were a few other marks put there by other bear hunters. Apparently, Daniel was very famous for killing such a huge bear and therefore, whenever anyone else killed a bear in the area after that, they would drag it up to Daniel’s tree and press it up towards his mark to see how theirs compared with his. They would then carve their own name there and put their own mark under his to indicate the size of their bear. 

I don’t know if the story is actually true, but it does illustrate a great point about living for Jesus.

Jesus is the mark we must press towards!

We are told to “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ.” (Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT)

When you do this, you will be pressing towards the “prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” And, that’s a great promise!

Therefore…

“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6 ESV)

“You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13:13-17 ESV)

Quotes:

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” – Apostle Paul  (1 Cor. 11:1 ESV)

“Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion - it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.” – Billy Graham

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God comforts us to comfort others

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Cor. 1:3-4 ESV)

When God gives us His generous comfort, as sometimes is needed, He gives it to us in such measure that we are able to not only be comforted ourselves, but there is plenty comfort left over for us to give the same kind of comfort to others.

A lesson from sourdough 

As a youth, I lived in a log cabin in Rabbit Creek, Alaska. We were without indoor plumbing and really roughed it in many ways. We got our water from the creek and used an outhouse out back. Cooking was also very basic, but it was delicious. Mom made a special homemade bread out of sourdough. The sourdough was made from a small batch of  “starter” she kept in a bag of flour as a small lump. Mom had originally gotten her sourdough starter from another Alaskan who had kept theirs for many years. Each time mom made a batch of bread, she would take a small lump of the sourdough from it and put it into a sack of flour to use the next time. She continued to use that technique year after year and often gave some of it to friends when they came to visit, so that they could make sourdough bread, too.

In the same way

The “comfort that God” gives, is like the sourdough starter and can be used over and over and be shared countless times for others as needed! “God comforts us so we can comfort others with the same comfort.” And, it will never run out!

Therefore…

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 2:1-4 ESV)

“For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.” (2 Cor. 1:5-7 ESV)

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” (Isa. 40:1 ESV)

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Be still and know He is God!

“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10 NLT)

No need to worry!

When something negative happens to you (anything!), pause, take a deep breath, and say to yourself, “I do not have to worry about this thing, because He is God! There is nothing greater than Him, and He is able and willing to help me!”

“‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.’” (Jer. 32:17 ESV)

Have confidence!

We serve a great big, awesome, powerful, wonderful, loving and caring God, who is more than able and willing to help you with and through ANYTHING! So, with confidence you can be still and know that He is God!

Therefore…

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

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28 ESV)

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,” (Eph. 3:20 ESV)

Quotes:

“Pray, and let God worry.” – Martin Luther

“We must cease striving and trust God to provide what He thinks is best and in whatever time He chooses to make it available. But this kind of trusting doesn't come naturally. It's a spiritual crisis of the will in which we must choose to exercise faith.” - Chuck Swindoll

“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith,and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” – George Mueller

Mike Frenchbible promises
How to bear much fruit

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” (John 15:5-7 NIV)

You get to choose! 

This promise has both positives and negatives, and you get to choose what part you get. Jesus says He is “the vine” and you are “the branches”. If you will abide in (receive, obey, follow, adhere to) Him, something wonderful will then happen, you will “produce much fruit”. But, on the other hand, (the negative part) if you do not abide in Him, you will wither, die, and you will be thrown into the fire and burned! So, it’s a no brainier, remain!

And another wonderful promise is added at the end of this passage!

Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” This promise tells you how important it is to have the Word of God within you and what it will do! It will allow you to “ask whatever you desire and it will be done for you.” Wow, what a promise! Another no brainier about what to do.

Learn to cling!

Understand that what Jesus is saying to do here is not really difficult! Simply, abide in Him (cling to the branch, so to speak) and then have His Word abide in you.

No downside! 

Actually, when you think about “abiding in Jesus,” there just isn’t a downside to it! Fruit is produced in your life, when you sow, and what you ask for, you will get! Not a bad deal at all.

The old oak tree!

As I was pondering this passage about abiding in the vine, I remembered an unusual old oak tree that grew near where I lived as a child. It did not drop its leaves in the fall like other trees did. Instead, its old dead leaves just hung onto that tree all winter long. But, not to worry! Because, in the Spring, when new life started to flow up within and through the trunk of the tree into all the branches and into every twig on the tree, the old dead leaves just fell off and were replaced with beautiful new buds and leaves! In exactly the same way, as we abide in Jesus, those old, hard-to-budge sins that we sometimes deal with as human beings, just like those old dried leaves on the oak tree, just fall away as the Holy Spirit flows into and through us and produces “the fruit of the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:22-23). And, I cannot think of a better way to deal with such things.

Therefore…

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Gal. 5:22-23 ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:6-8 ESV)

“You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:16-20 ESV) 

“Filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Phil. 1:11 ESV)

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You are empowered by Him!

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-7 KJV)

Rich in mercy! 

This promise starts off by saying God is rich in mercy and loved us even while we were “dead in our sins” and he “quickened” us (quickened means, to be made alive) together with Christ. And he saved us by His grace (“grace” means undeserved favor). And, on top of that, he has “raised us up, together with Jesus, in heavenly places”. You can read back one chapter to understand that Christ is seated far above all authorities and powers (and, so are you in Him!) (Eph. 1:22), “Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else-not only in this world but also in the world to come.” And, when you understand this truth, you can have great confidence! 

“Greater is He who is in you (Jesus) than he who is in the world (the devil).  “…for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4).

 And, “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13). 

Any way you look at it, you are empowered by Him! And, He even explains why, “That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”

Therefore…

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:19-20 ESV)

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How to shine like a star!

“Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” (Phil. 2:14-15)

Everything means exactly what it says!

The passage above starts off with a command to “Do everything without grumbling or arguing”. That’s a tall order, actually, because “everything” means, well, it means everything! And, that includes a lot of possibilities!

Small and large things! 

Everything includes little things like traffic annoyances, or someone being a little rude to you on the phone. And it includes big things like major automotive repairs, dealing with difficult family members, being pulled over for a traffic violation, or even having to work for a difficult boss.

Blameless and pure without fault!

But this command comes with a wonderful payoff promise: “so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.'”

It makes you stand out and shine!

When you live a self-controlled life, and you resist the temptation to react negatively to life’s difficult and challenging situations, you stand out from the crowd, many of which are part of “a warped and crooked generation”. “Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky.” 

That makes it all worth it! And, that’s a great promise to aspire to!

Therefore…

“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Eph. 5:8 ESV)

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Cor. 4:6 ESV)

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16 ESV)

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You are free!

“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36 NKJV)

Hiroo Onoda, was a Japanese soldier who didn’t know the Japanese had surrendered and that World War II was over, so he hid in the deep jungle and continued fighting it for a full 29 years more! He didn’t have to! In October 1945, he came across a leaflet from the local islanders saying “The war ended August 15th. Come down from the mountains!” But, he didn’t believe it. He decided that it must be Allied propaganda trying to get him to give up.

We marvel and shake our heads at stories like these, but many Christians are doing exactly the same thing! They are continuing to fight a spiritual war that has been fought and won for them by Jesus over 2,000 years ago. The enemy has been completely defeated by what Jesus did for you on the cross! Jesus said, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He completely paid for your freedom!

However, the enemy rages on as though the battle has not been won! But, the only “tools” he has left are deception and lies! He is a liar, a deceiver, and a thief, and he continually tells God’s people that they are not free! And, unfortunately it works when people believe his lies! Even though they are free they continually behave like prisoners of sin!

Our promise today says it very clearly, “Whom the Son sets free, is free indeed!”

What does this “freedom” mean to God’s kids?

Because of what Jesus fought and won for you, you get: (just a short list here, there is actually much more!)

  • Freedom from the Old Testament law

“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Rom. 3:28 NIV). And, “Through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.” (Acts 13:39 NASB)

  • Freedom from guilt

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1 NASB)

  • Freedom from condemnation

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Rom. 8:1-2 ESV)

  • Freedom to come boldly to God in the time of need

“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16 NKJV)

  • Freedom to call God your father and Jesus your brother

“God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (Gal. 4:4-7 ESV)

  • Freedom from fear and anxiety

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. (1 John 4:18 ESV). And, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7 KJV). And, “Be anxious for nothing.” (Phil. 4:6 NASB)

  • Freedom from eternal punishment (hell)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 NKJV).  And, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:23 NASB)

  • Freedom to serve God

“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” (1 Peter 2:16 ESV)

  • Freedom to claim and apply all His thousands of promises found throughout the Bible

“For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ.” (2 Cor. 1:20 NIV)

Therefore…

You are free and victorious! You don’t have to do anything except to continue to stand firm in the truth! 

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Gal. 5:1 NIV)

Mike Frenchbible promises, free, you are free
Celebrate to the Glory of God!

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

This “do all to the glory of God” also includes when you are celebrating!

Today is July 4th and we in the USA celebrate our Independence Day with much fanfare and fireworks

And setting aside time for celebration is good! The Bible is filled with lots of celebrations and much praise to God.

“Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!”(Psalms 150:1-6)

Here is what our country’s founders had to say when they were drafting, signing, and defending the Declaration of Independence:

 Samuel Adams, during his signing of the Declaration

“We have this day restored the Sovereign to Whom all men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting of the sun, let His kingdom come.” 

 John Quincy Adams

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” 

 Noah Webster

“The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all of our civil constitutions and laws…All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.” 

 William Penn

“If thou wouldst rule well, thou must rule for God, and to do that, thou must be ruled by him… Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.” 

“The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Where, some say, is the king of America? I’ll tell you, friend, He reigns above.” (Thomas Paine)

 George Washington

“It is impossible to account for the creation of the universe, without the agency of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to govern the universe without the aid of a Supreme Being. It is impossible to reason without arriving at a Supreme Being.”

 Daniel Webster

 “If truth be not diffused, error will be; If God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy, If the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will; If the power of the Gospel is not felt throughout the length and breadth of the land, anarchy and misrule, degradation and misery, corruption and darkness will reign without mitigation or end.” 

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