Beholding Christ

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. —2 Corinthians 3:18

It is crucial for us to spend time in God’s Word so we can connect with the person of Christ. 

Reading about the impact of Jesus’ unconditional love for us compels us to love without demand. 

His mercy and His free distribution of grace to the most undeserving make us ashamed of our tendency to withhold forgiveness and seek revenge.

We find ourselves becoming a more thankful person when we realize that, despite our shameful fallenness, the Lord has clothed us in the beauty of His perfect righteousness. 

His amazing ways and unsurpassed wisdom motivate and transform us. 

It is hard to be content with our lives as it is when in His presence We are drawn to become more like Him.

The apostle Paul calls us to the joy of beholding Christ. 

As we do so, we are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.

Stay close to God and we will never be the same again.

A Willing Heart

Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the LORD’s offering for the work of the tabernacle of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.

—Exodus 35:21

Here we see a spirit of generosity in the Israelites when they gave to build the tabernacle of the Lord. 

When asked to provide materials for the sanctuary, everyone whose spirit was willing brought the Lord’s offering for the work of the tabernacle. 

The Israelites eagerly donated their gold jewelry, colored thread, fine linen, silver, bronze, gemstones, and spices. Some also gave their time and talents.

If we follow the Israelites’ example and willingly donate our resources, we please and honor God with our attitude and offerings. 

The Lord, who sees and knows our thoughts and hearts, loves cheerful givers. 

He Himself is the best example of generosity (John 3:16). 

The Lord Jesus Christ gave everything He had for our sake. 

Let us give with a willing heart so that our gifts will truly honor Him.

I Am Coming Quickly

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” 

Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 

—Revelation 22:20

A “COMING SOON!” announcement often precedes an exciting event.

The goal is to create anticipation and excitement for what is going to happen.

The “COMING SOON” sense of immediacy permeates the entire book of Revelation.

Three times in the final chapter, the Lord says, “I am coming quickly” (Rev. 22:7,12,20). 

How can this be?

2,000 years have elapsed since these words were written.

“Quickly” doesn’t seem appropriate for our experience of time.

Rather than focusing on a date for His return, the Lord is urging us to set our hearts on His promise that will be fulfilled. 

We are called to live for Him in this present age “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). 

Let us live as if the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back today.

My Sister, My Bride

You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride;
you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
- Song of Solomon 4:12 -

Observe the sweet titles the Son of God with intense affection addresses His bride the Church:

"My sister, my bride", one near to Him by ties of nature, partaker of the same sympathies.

"My sister, my bride", by His incarnation, which makes her bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh.

"My sister, my bride", one whom He knew of old, and over whom He watched from her earliest infancy.

The Lord Jesus Christ is not ashamed of us.

He dwells with manifest delight upon this twofold relationship.

His delights are with the sons of men, because they are His chosen ones.

He, the Shepherd, seeks the sheep, because they are His sheep.

He has gone about to seek and to save them who was lost.

The church is the exclusive portion of her Lord.

None else may claim a partnership, or pretend to share her love.

Let every believing soul drink solace from these wells.

The Lord Jesus Christ is near to us in ties of relationship.

The Lord Jesus Christ is dear to us in bonds of marriage union, and we are dear to Him.

"My sister, My bride".

There's Hope For Sinners

"...and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,..."
- 1 Corinthians 1:28 -

Sinners are everywhere.
 

We may find them in every lane and street of every city, town, and village.
 

It is for sinners that the Lord Jesus Christ died.
 

There are hope for sinners; the Lord Jesus Christ comes to seek and save them.
 

Electing love has selected some of the worst sinners to be made the best of men.
 

Redeeming love has set apart many of the worst sinners to be the reward of the Savior's passion.
 

Effectual grace has called forth many of the vilest of the vile to sit at the table of mercy.
 

Let none of us despair and give up hope.
 

Let none of us turn away from our Redeemer. Let us believe in Him and be saved.  

 

Let us trust our soul with Him.  He will bring us to His Father's right hand in everlasting glory.

 

In Christ Only

"I will stretch out My hand against Judah, And against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off every trace of Baal from this place, The names of the idolatrous priests with the pagan priests-- Those who worship the host of heaven on the housetops; Those who worship and swear oaths by the LORD, But who also swear by Milcom; (Zephaniah 1:4-5)

There are believers who think they are safe because they are with both parties: they are followers of Christ, and bow at the same time to other gods.

But duplicity is abominable with God, and God hates hypocrisy.

The penalty pronounced here is terrible, but it is well deserved.

How can divine justice spare the sinner, who knows the right, approves it, and professes to follow it, and all the while loves the evil, and gives it dominion in his heart?

Let us search ourselves today, and see whether we are guilty of double-dealing.

Do we truly love Jesus? Is our heart right with God? 

Christ will be all or nothing.

God fills the whole universe.

There is no room for another god.

There is no space for another reigning power.

Let us rest alone on Jesus crucified, and live alone for Him.

Who is Jesus?

Matthew 16:15-17 gives us the best starting point, confirmed by Christ Himself, in answering the question, "Who is Jesus?"

Jesus said to His disciples:
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

The God-revealed answer is that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the literal Son of the Supreme Being of the entire universe.

Of course, He is a great deal more than this.

But these two facts are the most foundational to our spiritual understanding of this wonderful Being.

They give us the basis of His relationship to us and our future, as well as His relationship to Deity, fixing Him as the bridge between man and God.

From this foundation, we can begin a deeper consideration of the biblical Jesus.

Until You Are Full

I am the bread of life.

He who comes to Me shall never hunger,
and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
- John 6:35 -

The good news can satisfy our hunger for inner peace, forgiveness, hope, love, joy, faith etc.

Jesus Christ, the bread of life, invites us to come to Him for His feast for the soul, urging us to eat until we are full.

Have we eaten until we are full?

There is a longing in every heart that only Jesus can satisfy.

Let's feed until we are full.

Ultimate Source Of Peace In The Lord Jesus

Mark 6:45-51

He Addressed Their Fear

Storms Are Under His Control

The disciples were terrified.

They were struggling.

They were afraid that they were going to die.

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The Lord Jesus demonstrated His control over the situation by walking on the water and later by calming the storm.

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Storms Are Part Of His Plan For Our Lives

The disciples were in the boat in the middle of the storm simply because they were in the will of God.

They were in the storm because the Lord Jesus sent them there!

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Storms are to be expected, but not feared.

They have been sent to us to help us grow more into the image of the Lord Jesus.

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Storms Are Always Of Limited Duration

The disciples thought that they were finished.

It appeared to them that they would perish in its fury.

When the Lord Jesus came on the scene, He put an end to the storm.

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He Addressed Their Faith

When Jesus came to the disciples walking upon the water, they thought He was a spirit and cried out in fear.

However, when He spoke to them, He addressed their fears.

Then, He gave them ample reason to believe that help had arrived.

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When the Lord Jesus got there, He quickly identified Himself to the disciples.

He said, "It is I."

It meant:

• He is all powerful.
  He is the Almighty God! He has the power to help!
• He is all present.
  He is with His children at all times, in all places, through all the difficulties of their lives.
• He is all perceiving.
  He knows all things. He knows exactly what we are facing as we journey through life. And He is able to help us in our time of need.
  

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He Addressed Their Future

When the Lord Jesus came to the disciples that night, they were certain that their lives were over.

They were preparing to die.

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Yet, when the Lord Jesus came, He let them know that He had a plan for their future.

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It was He who had told them to get on the ship and go to the other side.

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He knew where they were.

He was responsible for where they were.

And He had a plan for them when they reached the other side!

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When the storms of life are raging, always remember that the Lord Jesus is there for us.

He longs to comfort our heart and replace our fears with His perfect peace.

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To do this, we must first be willing to cast our cares onto Him and to come to Him by faith.

As our life unfolds, do not make the Lord Jesus our last resort, rather make Him our first resort.

Turn to Him quickly and fully and He will bless us abundantly.

The Preaching Of The Amazing Servant

Mark 1:21-22

Between verses 20 and 21, Mark passed over a span of time without comment.

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During those several weeks, the Lord Jesus Christ carried out His ministry in Nazareth.

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He preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).

He called the rest of the 12 disciples.

He suffered rejection at the hands of the people of Nazareth who even tried to kill Him (Luke 4:16-30).

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As a result, He and His men left Nazareth and moved their ministry to Capernaum.

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As the Lord Jesus Christ taught and ministered in Capernaum, the people there were caught up by, and carried away with, His message.

They were astonished by the things they heard and saw.

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Let us see why they were astonished and amazed by the word and works of the Lord Jesus.

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The Context Of His Preaching

The Lord Jesus Christ and His men went to the synagogue on a Sabbath Day.

The Lord Jesus Christ came preaching the Word of God.

And when these people heard Him preach, they were amazed!

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The Character Of His Preaching

The Lord Jesus Christ spoke as One having authority.

He knew what He was talking about.

He spoke with power and understanding.

When He preached, He used the Word of God as a sharp sword.

When He spoke, hearts were pierced, souls were saved and lives were eternally altered.

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The Content Of His Preaching

The people were astonished at His teaching.

It was something they had never heard before.

It left them speechless and amazed!

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When the people heard the Lord Jesus Christ, they were dumbfounded.

The Lord Jesus Christ knew what He was talking about.

He preached a message of life, liberty and hope.

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The Lord Jesus Christ was an amazing preacher.

And He preached an amazing message.

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He preached a message of hope.

Sin may have beaten and battered our lives.

But the Lord Jesus Christ can set us free!

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The message of the Lord Jesus Christ is an amazing, life-changing message.

Let us heed His message and come to Him today!

The Baptism Of The Servant

Mark 1:9-11

The Lord Jesus Christ came when John the Baptist had completed his work.

He came at God’s appointed time for Him to be revealed.

Let us consider the events surrounding the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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The Appearing Of The Son (9)

The Lord Jesus Christ came to present Himself for baptism.

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He Appeared In Declaration

In His baptism, Jesus made a public declaration of some important facts.

• He wanted to identify Himself with John the Baptist’s ministry.
  
• He wanted to let John the Baptist know that He was the Messiah.
• He wanted to signal the beginning of His public ministry.
  

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He Appeared In Dedication

In His baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ accepted the mission He had been given by His Father.

He was to redeem sinners.

He was to offer His life on the cross as a ransom for sin.

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He Appeared In Demonstration

In His baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ identified Himself with the people He came to save.

His baptism pictured His Own death and resurrection.

He demonstrated His solemn resolve to lay down His life on the cross for our sins.

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The Anointing Of The Spirit (10)

When The Lord Jesus Christ was baptized, the heavens opened and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove.

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A Picture Of Sacrifice

Doves were associated with sacrifice.

The Lord Jesus Christ came to live a life of self-sacrifice.

He came to die for others.

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Doves are also associated with peace, gentleness and humility.

The Lord Jesus Christ came as the Prince of Peace.

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A Preparation For Service

The Lord Jesus Christ came to live His life as a perfect man.

While He was here on earth, He laid aside His glory and His divine prerogatives.

Everything the Lord Jesus Christ did, He did as a Spirit-filled man.

As a Spirit-filled man, He lived a perfect life.

He satisfied the just demands of God’s Law.

He perfectly kept every rule and regulation.

Then He went to the cross to die so that He could shed His innocent and perfect blood as the atonement for our sins.

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A Perfection Of The Scriptures

The Spirit came on the Lord Jesus Christ to fulfill the ancient prophecies concerning the Messiah.

The Old Testament prophets said that the Messiah would be a Spirit-filled man (Isa. 11:1-5).

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The Approving Of The Father (11)

When the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized, the voice of the Father came out of Heaven and approved Him as His Son.

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It Was A Public Approval

The Father let everyone know that He was pleased with the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ.

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It Was A Personal Approval

The Father spoke of His personal approval of His Son.

He had observed Him for 30 years and He was well pleased!

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It Was A Profound Approval

The Father also voiced His approval of everyone who is in the Son.

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Many things took place the day the Lord Jesus Christ was baptized by John the Baptist in Jordan.

The greatest thing was the beginning of a ministry that would end with the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross dying for our sins.

The Lord Jesus Christ had died for us and we can be saved if we will come to Him.

Are we living our lives under the control of the Holy Spirit?

Then we should serve Him well.