A Deposit Has Been Made

"who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began,"
2 Timothy 1:9 (NKJV)

Everyone likes to have something credited to their bank account, and if a deposit has been made to your account, you need to know about it.  It is possible that you could have some kind of credit made to your account that you were not expecting or possibly not aware of.  Or you might receive the deposit of an unexpected gift and find it hard to believe that the deposit was really made.  Of course, if you checked your bank account and you could see the deposit listed there, you would then be sure that the amount was actually in your account.

One of the biggest problems that Christians have is a lack of knowledge concerning Bible truths.  This is something I have seen over and over again as I have taught God's Word in Bible schools, churches, and other venues.  There have been times where people have literally sat listening to Bible teaching with their mouths hanging open in amazement, as they hear what God's Word actually says about them.  This shocked reaction is often replaced by joy as people begin to understand who they really are in Christ and what God has provided for them through Jesus.

In the Bible, we learn that God has given us each something, He has made a deposit of something into our lives.  As 2 Timothy 1:9 tells us, even before time began, God gave us a purpose, and God gave us grace, the ability to fulfill God's purpose.  If we do not know about the grace given to us, we will not make use of it, and we will not fulfill the purpose of God, the calling, for our life.  By spending time with God through His Word and in prayer, we can discover exactly what this purpose and grace in our life is.  We have an eternal deposit from God, and we need to discover it and use it.

The Best Kind Of Peace

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
John 14:27 (NKJV)

When people think of peace, they generally think of some problem coming to an end and everything becoming calm where things were once in turmoil.  That kind of peace is based on circumstances and an absence of conflict.  But even if there are no problems happening, people can still be at a place where they lack true peace, because there is always the possibility of further problems.  So there is really no peace in this situation, just a lack of problems at the moment, which is not true peace.

Jesus talked about a peace that He gives and a peace that the world gives.  The kind of peace that comes from the world is mainly based on an absence of negative circumstances or problems, but the peace that Jesus gives is something that can be had even when there are negative circumstances or problems.  In Philippians 4:7, Paul talked about a peace that passes understanding, which is really talking about the same thing.  The peace that Jesus gives is a peace that is not limited to just a lack of negative circumstances.

In John 14:27, Jesus told His disciples that He would give them peace, but not the kind of peace that the world gives.  Jesus went on to say that the disciples should not let their hearts be troubled or afraid.  This is only possible with the peace that Jesus gives, because we often face challenges and problems that tempt us to be troubled and afraid.  This requires us to keep our focus on God in faith, regardless of our situation.  Only Jesus can give true heart peace where we can be at rest, even while there are negative circumstances or problems. 

The Best Reason For Doing Something

"By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
Hebrews 11:7 (NKJV)

There are many reasons that we might do things.  We could do something because we had received some good advice from someone, we could do a thing because we saw a lot of other people doing it, or we could do something because of some other reason.  Some reasons we have for doing something are good and some are not.  If we do things for the right reason, it is always a good thing, and it would be especially good if we do something for the right reason that results in some great benefit for us as well.

One thing that is always good for Christians to do is for us to consider why we are doing what we are doing.  There are many reasons that believers will do things, in their own lives, in their churches, and in other ministry activities.  The best reason for us to do things is because it is biblically the right thing to do, and of course because we are led by the Holy Spirit to do a certain thing.  If we are just imitating what someone else has done, doing something because it is a current Christian trend, or even continuing to follow a pattern of something we have always done in the past, we may end up having problems.

Hebrews 11:7 tells us that Noah prepared an ark in faith, because he was following God's direction, not because he had a natural reason to do so.  Noah did not build an ark because it was the popular thing to do, because the weather looked bad, or because the local home improvement store was having a sale on ark building kits.  We need to be like Noah and do what God tells us to, acting in faith, no matter what things look like in our natural lives, and no matter what other people are doing. We need to always follow God's direction, in faith, no matter what we see, hear, or feel. 

More To The Story

"This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John.
So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue.  When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately."
Acts 18:25-26 (NKJV)

Years ago, there was a magazine that would publish condensed versions of popular novels.  When you read the condensed version of the book, you had the basic story, but you did not always have all of the details from the story.  The condensed version of the book published the main, and most important parts of the novel, but there was still more to the story.  And while it was true that you had the necessary facts to understand the story, in the condensed version, there were actually more details available in the regular version of the book.

The Bible is an amazing book, and it is something that we can continue learning from for our entire lives.  No matter how many times you read the Bible, there is always more to learn and understand from God's Word.  Because of that, we also have to realize that there can be more to what we know about the Bible than we already know.  This is why it is good to be a part of a good church, to hear good Bible based teaching, and it is why we should take advantage of all of the good teaching that is available to us in various forms today.

In Acts 18, we read about Apollos, who was teaching correctly, but he did not have all the available information, there was more that he needed to know.  Then we read how Aquila and Priscilla met Apollos and "explained to him the way of God more accurately."  In the same way, we too may know a lot about God's Word, but it is possible that someone can give us more understanding of the truth than what we already know.  We need to grow and develop spiritually, be ready to learn from others, and understand that no one knows everything, so there may be "more to the story" from God's Word than what we already know.

It Already Happened

"giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins."
Colossians 1:12-14 (NKJV)

What would you think if you met someone who was talking about how great it would be for a person to land on the moon one day?  Would you agree with them and say that it would be a great achievement, or would you tell them that it has already happened?  And what if you met someone who said it would be nice to be able to fly over the ocean in some type of a vehicle, instead of crossing the ocean on a ship?  Would you think that person was a great visionary, or would you wonder what was wrong with them, because they were looking for something to happen that had already happened?

One of the biggest areas we need to grow and develop in spiritually is learning about who we are in Christ.  Because of Jesus, we can become a child of God, we become a new creation in Christ, the righteousness of God in Christ.  If we do not understand what Jesus did for us and live in the reality of what has already been done, we will never really grow and develop spiritually.  If we are trying to earn a position with God or do something to be good enough for God to bless us, then we do not understand what has already happened through Jesus.

In Colossians 1:12-14, Paul talked about giving thanks to our Heavenly Father, because He has already qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, God has already delivered us from the power of darkness, and we already have redemption and forgiveness of sins through the blood of Jesus.  These are not things that we are looking forward to happening some wonderful day, but these are things that have already happened!  Instead of looking forward to something great happening for us sometime in the future, we need to understand what has already happened through Jesus and live in that reality. 

Faith Or Feelings?

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

There is something I have noticed in some news reports.  A reporter will talk about something that took place, and then they will talk to some person about that situation.  The reporter will usually give the person the basic information about the story, and then they will ask the person what their reaction is to what has happened, and how they feel about the situation.  I have often thought that how someone feels about a news story is not really relevant to what actually happened, so just asking someone about their feelings is not really noteworthy.

We all experience things in life, and having feelings and thoughts about the things that happen is normal.  But, if we only evaluate things by how we feel, or just by what we might think about a situation, we will not really go from the place of experiencing the situation, to being successful in dealing with that situation.  Our thoughts and feelings are not always correct, and if we stay in the place of just our feelings and thoughts about a situation, and we do not look at what God's Word says about it, we will have problems.

When something happens in our life, we have a choice to make, we can consider how we feel about it, we can contemplate what we think about it, or we can find out what God's Word has to say about it.  Just dealing with our life situations through our feelings and thinking is a road that leads to nowhere.  We need to live our life by faith, and faith comes through God's Word, not our feelings.  The next time you are confronted with some problem or a life circumstance, don't just check with your feelings or thoughts, check what God's Word has to say about it, and walk by faith into victory! 

Say What You See

"Then said I: "Ah, Lord God!  Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth."
But the Lord said to me: "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak."
Jeremiah 1:6-7 (NKJV)

There are many things that we talk about, and often we talk about what we see.  We might see something beautiful, something interesting, or something unusual, and when we do, we usually talk about it.  We also talk about what we think and feel, but talking about what we have seen and are currently seeing is very common.  It would be strange for someone to see something noteworthy and never talk about it, and that rarely happens, because most of the time we like to talk about, and tell others about, what we see.

One of the most important elements of the Christian life is faith.  Faith is not based on what we see, faith is based on God's Word.  Faith can be seen through someone's actions, and faith is something that can be expressed with our words.  Most often, we exercise our faith through our words, and this is why it is important to know what God's Word says, so that we can build our faith and speak our faith.  Our faith is released through our words, and we need to say what we see in God's Word to exercise our faith, and not wait until we see some natural evidence of something before we say something.

When God told Jeremiah that He had called him to be a prophet, Jeremiah's reaction was that he could not do it, because he was so young. Jeremiah based his faith, and his words, on what he saw in himself naturally.  But God told Jeremiah not to talk about what his natural situation was, but to say what God told him to say.  We have the same choice as Jeremiah, we can say what we see, naturally, or we can say what God says.  When we say what we see naturally, we are not always speaking in line with God's Word.  We need to see what God's Word says, and then say that.  

You Cannot Overpromise The Gospel

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

One thing that can hurt a business, and the product that it sells, is to overpromise anything about that product.  If a company is selling toothpaste that they say will make your teeth whiter, then that toothpaste cannot make your teeth any darker.  If a company claims that their new mobile phone network has better coverage than their competitor, but the coverage is actually worse, they have overpromised what their product can do.  This same principle works in many situations, and it is always better to be honest and not make any claims about something that cannot be proven.

The word gospel means, "good news."  Usually, when people use the word "gospel" today they are referring to either the four books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John or they are referring to the message that Jesus came to deliver.  The writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell us about Jesus and how He came to bring the good news to people that He was the Way to God, and through Him people could be restored to a right relationship with God.  That is definitely good news and something that once someone takes advantage of can change their life for the better, and that is not overpromising anything!

Jesus came to bring us abundant life through a relationship with God.  Jesus' message of hope and freedom is something that is available to everyone, it is good news, the Gospel.  In Romans 1, Paul said that the Gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation, and the good news is that today we can be set free from a life of sin and shame because of Jesus.  The Gospel message of how Jesus came to die for our sin and to enable us to become the children of God is something that can truly change a person's life.  This is not hype, over stating or overpromising anything, but it is the truth that will set people free!

A Good Habit Jesus Had

"So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up.  And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read."
Luke 4:16 (NKJV)

A habit is something that can be described as a regular practice or a routine behavior that someone engages in on a consistent basis.  A habit would not be something that a person only does one time, or once and a while, but a habit is something done repeatedly and often.  People can have good and bad habits, and while we certainly want to eliminate bad habits, we should develop good habits.  By developing good habits and avoiding bad habits, we can build a routine in our life that is positive for ourselves and those around us.

In the Gospels, we get a picture of who Jesus was and what He did.  We can see the kind of life that Jesus lived, and that can be a great example for us.  Of course, we know that Jesus lived a sinless life and fully did the will of God.  This can make it seem impossible to follow in Jesus' footsteps, but there are some things that Jesus did that are a pattern for us to follow.  And of course, if Jesus did something positive, and it is possible for us to do it, then we should follow His example in that thing.

Jesus is our example of how to live and serve God.  Luke 4:16 tells us it was Jesus' custom, His practice, His habit, to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.  This would be similar to Christians attending a church.  Some Christians say they do not need church or to interact with other believers, because if they are in a relationship with God, then that is all they need.  But even Jesus had a habit of meeting with other people who believed as He did.  Being a part of a life-giving, Word of God believing group of people and being involved there is a good habit that Jesus had, and every believer should have that habit too.

Good And Bad Doctrine Both Do Something

"Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
Matthew 16:12 (NKJV)

Leaven is something you can put into dough that will cause the dough to rise, the leaven will cause a reaction in the dough.  If you put air into a balloon, the balloon will inflate, the air will cause a reaction in the balloon.  You could put some food coloring into some dough, and that too will cause a reaction, but it will not be the same thing as putting leaven into the dough.  And you could put water into a balloon, which will also fill the balloon, but this will cause the balloon to act in a completely different way than if you had filled it with air.

One thing we are warned about repeatedly in Scripture is false teachers and false teaching.  There are a lot of ways for us to receive teaching today, but not all of it is good.  For example, anyone can post something on social media to say whatever they want to say, but that does not make what they are saying correct or good in any way.  Good teaching based on biblical principles will help us in our life, but bad teaching will harm us.  We need to be sure the teaching we hear is good, Bible based teaching, and we have to be careful to avoid the wrong kind of teaching that will harm us.

In Matthew 16, Jesus warned His disciples about the "leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  At first, His disciples thought Jesus was talking about natural bread, but Jesus was actually warning them about the teaching of those religious leaders.  Jesus compared their teaching to leaven, because just like leaven will create a reaction in dough and cause it to rise, the teaching we hear will cause a reaction in us and have an effect on our life.  Good Bible based teaching will help us in our life, but bad teaching will harm us.  We need to be sure the teaching we hear is good, Bible based teaching.

Something "Old" In The New Year

"For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.
Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,"
2 Peter 1:12-13 (NKJV)

When a "New Year" starts, people often think about making changes and doing something different in their life.  But the New Year is not really new, we just change the number of the calendar year that we are in.  We still have the same 12 months, we still have the same 52 weeks, and we still have the same seasons, so nothing is really new.  Making changes and adding something new to improve our lives is a good thing, but we often already have much of what we need, and it is not that we need something new, we just need to make use of what we already have.

At the start of the New Year, and sometimes at the end of a calendar year, Christians will talk about what they believe the emphasis of the New Year should be.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes Christians get the idea that something new and different is needed to improve their life and relationship with God.  No matter what the year is according to the calendar, there are some things we have now that we will still need each and every year, and one of those things is the Bible.  No matter the year, we need to read and study God's Word again and again.

In 2 Peter 1:12-13, Peter made a great point when he told the people he was going to continue to remind them of something, even though they were established in that truth; Peter was talking about God's Word.  We have to be careful that we do not fall prey to the idea that there has to be some new thing in our life to make the New Year better.  We need to keep doing the same "old" things of spending time with God in His Word and through prayer, putting God's Word into practice, and being led by the Holy Spirit.  These are the things that we need to keep on doing in our "New Year," and every year.

How Can You Finish Your Race?

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)

There are many different kinds of races: races that people run, car races, horse races, and other types of races.  While there may be different things involved with a specific race, every race has some things in common.  No matter what type of race, there is always a starting point, there is a specific course, and there is a finish line for the race.  But what is probably the most important part of the race is the start.  If you do not know where to start, or you never actually start the race, you certainly cannot finish the race.

Our life is similar to a race.  The Bible refers to a race we must run (Hebrews 12:1), and Paul said he had finished his race (2 Timothy 4:7).  Paul was no different from the rest of us in the sense that we all have a race to run, for God, and we all should want to finish our race and do what God has called us to do.  But to finish the race, we first have to start the race.  Starting the race is done first of all by being born again and getting into a relationship with God, and then by discovering and following God's plan for our life, which is our race.

God has a plan and purpose for our life, which is what Paul meant when he talked about finishing his race in 2 Timothy 4:7.  For Paul to finish his race, he had to start his race, and so do we.  While we may not be where we should be, or want to be, we need to start moving forward, from where we are now, doing what we know to do, and allow God to direct us in any course corrections we need for our race.  God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to help us know and understand what He wants us to do, to find and run the race He has called us to.  With God's help, we can successfully finish our race.

Being Led In The Little Things

"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
Romans 8:14 (NKJV)

There are many decisions that we all make every day.  Some decisions we make are big decisions, and some are not.  Deciding what subject to study at a university, what job to take, or the best way and place to educate your children are all big decisions that require some serious thought and may take some time.  But decisions like what color shirt to wear, what to have for breakfast, or what to watch on television are not big decisions, but they are still decisions.  Making the best decision, in every situation, is always a good thing.

One of the best things about being a Christian is having a living relationship with a God who cares about us and wants what is best for us.  It is good to know that God is aware of what we are facing in life, and that He wants to help us deal with the situations we face and the decisions we need to make.  God has given us His Word, and He has given us the Holy Spirit to help us live the life that God has planned for us.  God is not just interested in helping us make the big decisions in life, but God even wants to help us with what might seem to us to be the little things.

Some Christians think that God's help is mainly, or only, available to us for the big decisions of life.  Of course, there are many "little decisions" we can make on our own, but God is interested in every decision we have to deal with.  As it says in Romans 8:14, the children of God are to be led by the Spirit of God, in every area of our life.  The good thing is that this is not limited to just the "big" decisions in life.  God loves us and wants the best for us, and He wants to be a part of our decision making process, in both the big and small areas of our life.

Work Until He Comes

"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."
Titus 2:11-13 (NKJV)

In many places that I have worked, there was a bell or whistle that would sound at the end of the work day.  Like most people, it was a sound that I was glad to hear, because it meant my time at work was done for the day.  One thing I never had to do was to worry that the bell or whistle would not be sounded.  And no matter what job I was doing that day, the bell or the whistle would sound regardless of how hard I had been working.  My job was not to look at the clock all day waiting for the bell or whistle to sound, my job was to keep on working until the end of the day.

One of the most controversial areas in Christianity is what is known as the end times, which includes the return of Jesus.  There are many ideas and opinions that people have about what is happening in the world today, what those things mean for Christians, and what it might mean concerning the return of Jesus.  The fact that Jesus will return is biblically without question, because Jesus Himself said He was coming soon (Revelation 22:7), and there are many other references to that in the New Testament.

In places like Titus 2:13, the Bible talks about how we look for the blessed hope of the return of Jesus.  Although there may be different views about how and when Jesus returns, our work here needs to continue until He does return.  No matter what anyone believes about how and when Jesus comes again, our time on earth is limited, and so is our time to do the things God has called us to do.  We need to make the most of our time here, doing the will of God in our life, because Jesus will return, and our time on earth will come to an end; we need to be busy working until He comes.

What Are You Waiting For?

"Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."
2 Peter 1:2-4 (NKJV)

Imagine standing in front of a door to some room, and inside of that room is something you need.  While you want to go into that room to get what you need, the door is locked, and you are waiting for someone to bring the key to open the door.  That would not be good, because you have to wait to get into the room to get what you need.  Then imagine that you already have the key to the door.  It would be foolish to keep waiting at the locked door then, because you can open the door right away.  All you need to do is take the key you already have and open the door to get what you need.

In all my years as a Christian, especially when teaching in Bible schools and churches, I have met and talked with many Christians.  One thing that I have repeatedly seen is that many Christians are waiting for something.   They are waiting for a special message, as special meeting, or someone special to pray for them, so that they can overcome some situation or get what they need, to do what they see God wants them to do.  The problem is that these people are waiting for something that they already have, but they just do not seem to know it.

Christianity is a relationship with God, based on what Jesus did for us.  But do we really understand that, or are we waiting for something to happen to help us get what we need and do what we are supposed to do?  Do we really understand 2 Peter 1:3, where it says that we have already been given all things that pertain to life and godliness?  We need to know the truth of what Jesus did and take hold of it in faith to be partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).  The real issue is not that we need to wait for something else to happen, but we need to act in faith on what God has already provided for us through Jesus.