People often think their main problem is unhappiness. God knows our deepest problem isn’t unhappiness but unrighteousness and powerlessness. So, in his kindness, he provides us with a Saviour and his Spirit. He provides us with exactly what we need. And this leads to our eternal happiness, and more importantly, the glory of God: ‘… the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us.’ (Romans 8:4)
How good our God is.
Author: John Johnstone
Keep on keeping on
God himself has called us to the ultimate goal; eternal fellowship with him in glory. This means he’s determined that we shall reach our destination. If God calls us to this race, and he does, you can be sure that he will provide all the grace we need to run, and we will finish.
For or against?
Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth and the life. This is an exclusive claim. But it forces us to ask ourselves today, are we for Jesus or against him? Do we love him, or deep down, do we resent his claim over our lives? The Christmas story divides us. On which side do you land? It’s a matter of eternal life or death.
Be wise…
If you refuse God’s greatest gift what are you refusing? You are refuging his forgiveness, grace, peace, love and eternal life. Instead, be like the wise men. Worship the true King.
What’s in a name?
The name Jesus means ‘the LORD saves’. When we pray to Jesus asking him to forgive us, he does just that; He forgives us and we become friends with God. And at this point he comes into our lives and never leaves us. He is Immanuel – God with us both in this life and in the life to come.
Our relationship with God’s law
The law cannot justify the sinner nor sanctify the saint. Only Jesus can empower us to be more like him. So if as a Christian, the law convicts you of sin and you feel the internal struggle of the Christian fight, don’t stay there, but rather run into the arms of Jesus, confessing your sin and asking him to empower you to know victory over sin in your life.
The purposes of God’s law
Sin is a terrible master every single time not least because it always pays us fair wages. The thing is, the wages of sin is death (verse 23). And this is what we deserve by refusing to yield to Christ. But it doesn’t have to be that way. There is a wonderful alternative. Those who are slaves to Christ and to righteousness are not given wages. Instead, we are given a free gift, and that gift is eternal life.
A new identity
As Christians we are ‘dead to sin’ so let’s weed out sin in our lives. Since now in Christ we are ‘alive to God’ the natural thing for us to do is to give the whole of ourselves to God in service. Don’t withhold anything from him. Serve him in your work and in your family and in your community. Yield your mind and your heart and your will to him.
From ruin to rescue
Because Jesus is our covenant head, our representative, our salvation it totally assured. He has already defeated death and he cannot fail. And because he cannot fail, and what happens to him will happen to us, those who trust him are assured of eternal life. We are assured of eternal life. So, if you haven’t trusted him yet, then do so now.
Suffering, doubt and hope
Think of the dimensions of God’s love, dying for us while we were still sinners. Think of the fact that enemies have brought into the very family of God and have a spectacular resurrection to look forward to. Let’s rejoice in God for what he has done, for what he is doing, even in our suffering, and what he will do on the Last Day.