“’For it is written , As I live , saith the Lord , every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” – Romans 14:11

Many years ago when some of the very first British explorers went to Australia for the first time, they discovered a mammal which laid eggs and spent some time in water. It had a broad, flat tail, webbed feet, and a bill similar to a duck.

This animal, later named the duck-billed platypus, confounded people as it was described. In fact, most people who heard about it felt it was a hoax. Even later when explorers returned with a pelt of the animal, the English populace accused them of sewing together parts of different animals.

In spite of the evidence, the people believed what they wanted to believe. Yet most people would agree that one’s beliefs about a certain thing have no bearing on whether it is truthful or not. You can believe with all your heart there is a pink elephant right behind you, but that doesn’t make it true. Likewise, there are many people dedicated to the belief the earth is flat. And no matter how much they believe it, it’s just not true.

The truth is the truth. And though the claims of Christ may seem farfetched for some, the reality is that we have an empty tomb to validate it all. So don’t be discouraged by the scoffers. Hold fast to the truth of your faith and trust the promise that one day, all will see Christ in His glory.(Copied)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”–Romans 12:1

Pastor Jack Graham said,”It seems like more and more today, I meet people who have a slot-machine religion. You know what I mean… they think of serving God like putting a quarter in a slot machine. So they volunteer at church, pull the lever, and wait and see if God will pay out.

Now you may hear that and think, “That’s preposterous! How could anyone believe something like that?!” But the truth is there’s an inkling of that feeling in all of us. It may not be a blatant as the example above, but we all have that little voice that comes from our flesh that says, “God is really lucky to have me on His team.”

But the Bible gives us a very different paradigm of thinking when it comes to serving God. Instead of elevating ourselves and thinking we’re really helping God out, the reality is that serving God is a privilege for those of us who are in Jesus Christ.

Give cheerfully. Serve humbly. You have nothing to offer God except what He’s already given you – a holy life. Exercise your divine privilege of serving Him every day and thank God for the wonderful blessing of being able to live for His glory!”

Considering all that God has done for us, it is indeed reasonable and a privilege that we should do as He commands. And we should do it without hesitation, reservation, question, or complaint. We should give our all to Him who gave heaven’s best for those who deserve nothing. If we are grateful for His grace we will.

Take the…sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God– Ephesians 6:17

Notice that the Bible, God’s Word, is called the sword “of the Spirit.” Not only is it a weapon, but it is a weapon forged by God himself.

This is why God’s Word is so powerful. Satan only retreats before the Almighty; he has never yet successfully advanced against the point of this sword. The devil is no match for the truth of God. His only hope is to convince you to lower your weapon.

But have you experienced its power to deliver from sin — worry, fear, envy, lust? Although our fallen minds can rationalize any sin, the Word of God cuts through our excuses without bending and delivers us from sin’s deceit and destruction.

And the Bible not only fends off attack, it delivers blows. God’s Word condemns sin, instructs us how to live, matures our foolish hearts, and reveals false motivations. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon that we are given in this spiritual warfare, but it is abundantly sufficient.

However, it is not a superstitious and mere presence of God’s Word that has overcoming power — it is not any help at all if it sits idle and untouched on your bedside table. It is the individual passages of Scripture—read, studied, memorized, and meditated upon—which parries the approaches of Satan.

When we wield God’s Word knowledgeably and with faith, we will find this fencing practice quickly yields astonishing and ground-gaining results in our lives. So, take up the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.–Baptist Bible Hour

We ought to pray as though everything depended on prayer—it does! Although there are other important things to do, we can’t succeed at any of them if we refuse to pray. The daily devotional “Daily in the Word has this to say about the matter:

“Though there is certainly a place for public and corporate prayer, and I have been in some wonderful prayer meetings in my life, there is no substitute for personal private petitions to our Father in Heaven. The praying that we do in public can never carry the depth of emotion and feeling that our private prayers have. The Scottish pastor Thomas Brooks said, “The power of religion and godliness lives, thrives, or dies, as closet [private] prayer lives, thrives, or dies. Godliness never rises to a higher pitch than when men keep closest to their closets.”

Prayer—prevailing, powerful, Bible prayer—is a spiritual discipline. It requires an investment of time, energy and emotion. A few words in a Sunday school class or a church service are no substitute for meaningful and personal time spent with God. We need to make prayer a habit just as Jesus did. Again and again in Scripture we read that He separated Himself from His disciples to spend time with His Father in prayer. Often Jesus was extremely busy with the crowds pressing in to see Him and teaching and healing, so He began the day with prayer. “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). There is no more important priority that we have as believers than to spend time with God in prayer.”

“But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying , Send her away ; for she crieth after us.”–Matt. 15:23

It’s bad enough when others refuse to respond to our cry for help, but it is even more confusing when God seems to turn a deaf ear to our plea. Things, however, are not always what they seem. J. R. Miller explains—–

“Jesus is not so tender-hearted, that he cannot tolerate to see us suffer—when suffering is the best experience for us. He does not immediately lift burdens from our shoulders when it is needful for our growth that we bear the burdens longer. There is a mushy sentimentality in many people’s ideas about Christ—as if he were too gentle to endure the sight of suffering. It is possible to be too tender toward pain. It is possible for parents to be too emotionally kind to their children. Uncontrolled pity is great weakness, and it is ofttimes very injurious.

Christ’s tenderness is never too tender to be wise—as well as tender. He never makes the mistake of yielding to anyone’s entreaties, when denial would be better than acquiescence. He never lets us have what we want—because he cannot bear to say “no” to our tearful cries. He is not so tenderhearted as to allow his own disciples to go unchastened, when only by chastisement can he promote their spiritual growth.

But one thing we must not forget, it is love which prompts his severity. He was silent here, that, in the end, he might give the full, rich blessing he wanted to give this woman—but which she could not receive at the first. He denies us, and is silent to us when we cry—that he may draw out our faith, and give us his best blessings by and by.“