Archive for the ‘Christianity’ Category
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Salvation, June 8
… We who first trusted in Christ…
In Him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:12-14, www.solascriptura.com
Father, Paul was a Jew speaking to Jews and here in his letter to the Ephesians, a Gentile area, Paul teaches us that those who love You and obey You are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise”. Father, for this degree of certainty, we are grateful.
We are Your “purchased possession”. Father, we sometimes forget to focus on what You paid for our salvation. Jesus suffered immeasurably, not just at the Cross, but in his descent into the bowels of hades, which removed him temporarily from Your presence. We know You will not allow sin or sinners into Your presence, but that is exactly why Jesus came…to comingle with us and to save sinners and that includes every human being in history. He paid a great price for our personal salvation.
Father, Chuck Smith, one of Your more effective servants offers the following clarification about this complex thought of Jesus being separated from You. “Through the eternity past, He has always been one with the father, never separated. But when God laid on Him the iniquities of us all, because God can not look in agreement upon sin, there came that separation, as He tasted for a moment that separation from God, in order that you would not have to be separated from God eternally. God laid on Him the iniquities of us all. And when the sin’s of the world were laid on Jesus, He was forsaken of God. And thus that cry, that rang out; my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me.”
We are Your purchased possession, cleansed by Jesus. You, Father, are the guarantor of our salvation. Perfect! Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: believed, Christ, Ephesians 1:12-14, glory, Gospel, Holy Spirit, inheritance, possession, promise, purchased, redemption, salvation, sealed, trusted, truth, word
Posted in Christianity, Forgiven, Holy Spirit, Religion, salvation | 11 Comments »
Sunday, May 6th, 2012
Peace, May 6
Flee… youthful lusts… pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
2 Timothy 2:22, Hebrews 12:14, www.solascriptura.com
Father, some of us are far too old to still be pursuing youthful lusts. Will Satan ever stop tempting us? We know the answer. Not only will he persist and we also know that You permit the temptations to come. But, at the same time You promise to get us through the temptations of life, if we will but turn to You and trust You (Go to I Corinthians 10:13 and memorize it!).
There will come a day when Satan is restrained and Your joy will reign in the hearts of men (The Millennium) and there will be an even better day when Satan and his allies are destroyed forever. Then, in heaven, we will find out what is like to enjoy Your peace, happiness and joy eternal.
We seek Your Holiness here, today, knowing that if we are unholy, we will never stand in Your presence. Lord, bestow upon us Your gifts today that we may be like You, now and forever. We pray in Jesus’ Holy name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: Holiness, II Timothy 2:22, Lord, peace, Satan, temptation
Posted in Christianity, Courage, End Times, Perseverance, Religion, peace | 16 Comments »
Saturday, May 5th, 2012
Courage, May 5th
… let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Philippians 1:27-28, Romans 10:11, www.solascriptura.com
Jesus, as Paul toured the area and preached he appealed to his listeners to be diligent, whether he was present with them or not. We know many did faithfully follow his teaching concerning You and some lost hope.
Unlike Paul, who could only be in one city at a time, Your Spirit, Jesus, is everywhere. You are always present, always aware of our thoughts, actions and words. May we bravely proclaim You when we might be inclined to keep silent. Jesus, help us be Your good and faithful servants, constantly.
Empower, us this day, to access the depth of Your presence, Your support and Your love. You are, at the same moment, our Friend, our Lord and our Protector. Bless us as we seek to serve You this day. Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin, TN 37064
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Posted in Christianity, Courage, Perseverance, Religion, salvation | 14 Comments »
Friday, May 4th, 2012
God’s Children, May 4
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
1 Peter 5:5-7, www.solascriptura.com
Jesus, Peter, who was one of the most outspoken of the disciples, after he had received the gift of the Holy Spirit, became one of Your most effective ministers. He says that young people should be humble in the presence of their elders.
Peter goes on to say that pride, the opposite of humility, is resisted by God. It is “under Your hand”, Father, that we are to be truly humble, not some self-imposed portrayal of humility. You promise to exalt the humble in due time, to lift us up.
God, help us today to show our children that our humility, to the extent we have any, is simply a by-product of our commitment to You. Your concern for even our smallest needs humbles us before You. Bless us and our children and grandchildren this day, we pray in Jesus’ name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: God, Holy Spirit, humble, pride
Posted in Christianity, Humility, Religion | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Temple of God, May 1
…do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ephesians 5:17-20, www.solascriptura.com
O’ God, we do pray for wisdom and discernment, we do pray for Your word to penetrate our hearts and minds. We do seek to fulfill your will for our lives.
Here we are taught that being out of control, whether it is from alcohol or drugs, leads to dissipation. Most of us have seen the ugly effects being drunk or spaced out. What we need Father, is to learn from what we see and then to rely on Your Spirit within us to overcome temptation and to present our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.
Your admonition is completely positive when You tell us to speak to each other in psalms and spiritual songs, making melody in our heart, to You and to the world. When that happens, we simply give thanks to You, in the name of Jesus. What a perfectly natural response to joy, sent to us as a gift.
When disappointments come, and they will not cease to come until we are with You, we do not have joy for the pain, but we are able to have joy as we endure the pain by accessing Your peace and comfort. We are Your temple, You will deliver us; of that we are certain. We pray for Your counsel in our lives in Jesus’ name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O. Box 302, Franklin TN 37064
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Tags: dissipation, drunk, Father, heart, hymns, Jesus, Lord, melody, singing, songs, Spirit, Temple, understand, unwise, wine
Posted in Christianity, Forgiven, Holy Spirit, Perseverance, Prayer, faith | 6 Comments »
Monday, April 30th, 2012
Prayer, April 30
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
James 5:13-16, www.solascriptura.com
Father, James, the half-brother of Jesus, seems to be one of the more direct persons in proclaiming Your will for us. He speaks clearly and bluntly and always with a sense of urgency concerning our salvation. May we listen intently to the words You gave him.
Here we are reminded of the power of prayer. Father, we sometimes keep our needs, both spiritual and physical, to ourselves. We know that is not recommended although personal and private time with You is still very important.
When we share our concerns and needs with each other You tell us that is good. How Father can we be blessed if we do not ask? Help us, today, to ask for Your intervention and help us ask our family and friends for prayer, especially when there is a specific need. In asking, we declare our hope in You.
We pray that we will be alert to the needs of others, intervening with sincerity and optimism, believing in the power of Your grace and mercy to us all. Heal the sick and broken-hearted and rejoice with those that rejoice, praising You for Your loving care. We pray in Jesus’ Holy name, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: confess, elders, faith, fervent, healed, Lord, oil, pray, Prayer, sick, sing, suffering, trespasses
Posted in Christianity, Forgiven, Hope, Prayer, Providence of God, faith | 4 Comments »
Sunday, April 29th, 2012
Forgiven, April 29
Now early in the morning (Jesus) came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them.
Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.
“Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”
This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.
So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.”
And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground.
Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
John 8:2-11, www.solascriptura.com
Jesus, You teach us much in these verses. We pray for wisdom and discernment in understanding. You, again, cite, “early in the morning” as the time You went to the Temple to pray and teach. Prime time with the Father seems to be “early in the morning”.
Then You teach us that the scribes (lawyers) and Pharisees (religious leaders) are in the role of accusers. You did not say they accused falsely, Jesus, You said they too commit sins of various kinds and if any of them thought they were without sin, then step up and cast the first stone in the killing process.
You then teach us that everyone has a conscience that either accuses them or excuses them and that we personally know when we have sinned whether other people know it or not.
Then, in Your mercy, you teach us that adultery is not a sin unto death if one confesses and repents (changes direction). You forgive the woman and you encourage her. O’ God, if we could but have that kind of mercy and hope when we see sin in action. Help us today to be part of the healing process, not one of those who accuse. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: adultery, condemned, Conscience, convicted, Forgiven, Jesus, law, Moses, pharisees, scribes, sin, stone, stoned, Temple, woman
Posted in Christianity, Conscience, Fidelity, Forgiven, Hope, Providence of God | 7 Comments »
Saturday, April 28th, 2012
Salvation, April 28
… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:12-13, www.solascriptura.com
Father, You continually teach us that we each bear our own responsibilities in relation to You. Our relationship is personal. It is not a relationship we are able to inherit or claim as a member of an organization or as a member of a Christian family. We come to You as individuals, seeking to do Your will, knowing that it pleases You immensely when we do so.
What things would you have us do to “work out” our salvation? We know the answer. We only are able to develop that which You have given us, the potential you intended when You extended Your grace to us. It is Jesus who is now our Master Teacher, who by the power of the Holy Spirit, illuminates our path.
We must look to Your words, Your heartfelt guidance and Your unending spiritual resources, which are readily available to us. Help us today to be part of the solution in bringing words of reassurance to those we meet.
Bless us this day as we draw near to You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: fear, God, salvation, trembling, will, works
Posted in Christianity | 4 Comments »
Friday, April 27th, 2012
Hope, April 27
… we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:3-7, www.solascriptura.com
We thank you Father for sending the Holy Spirit, a constant source of Your Holy presence in us. O’God, Your thoughts toward us exceed number. That is a reality we have a hard time grasping. Can we do any less but to look to You, all day, in every circumstance. We truly never need to walk alone.
You came that we might have abundant life. Thank You Father for helping us understand that it is Your desire that we experience goodness and mercy, at Your hand, even if others try to discourage us. Help us to be an encourager to such people, we pray.
May we draw near to you, constantly, even in the midst of earthly disappointments? We know that we can if we but shift our focus from that which is transitory to that which is eternal! Help us today to notice the flowers, the clouds, the animals and all of your wonderful creation, provided for our pleasure and use. May we dwell “in Your presence”, even today. In Jesus’ Holy name, we pray, amen
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: deceived, disobedient, envy, foolish, God, hateful, hating, Holy Spirit, Hope, kindness, love, lusts, malice, mercy, regeneration, renewing, saved, Savior
Posted in Christianity, God's Gift, Hope, Inspirtation, Perseverance, faith, joy, peace, salvation | 7 Comments »
Thursday, April 26th, 2012
Temptation, April 26
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
”but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
”For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
Genesis 3:1-7, www.solascriptura.com
Father, thank You for sharing this account of “original sin”. Some blame Eve for enticing her husband Adam to eat and some say Adam was responsible for being obedient, enticement or not.
You have taught us that it is from this point forward that all men are guilty of sin, born of the flesh; none, no not one, is perfect. You have taught us that it is only in Jesus’ perfect atonement that our sins are forgiven and our spirit is witnessed to by Your Spirit. Yes Father, we are no longer in the Garden of Eden, but You have told us of Your plan to restore the Garden of Eden, in heaven.
We now realize our sinful state and our need for redemption from our sin. If we have confessed our sin with a humble and contrite heart, and have asked You for forgiveness and cleansing, by the grace of God, salvation is promised. It is by Your grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, that we are saved.
Because of the presence of the Holy Spirit, we need never lose the battle to sin again although perfection remains ahead of us. We seek to apprehend perfection but we find it is a race, all the way to the end. You remind us that is critical that we “finish well”. We pray for Your strength in us, constantly. In Jesus Holy name, we pray, amen.
Bruce Caldwell
The Sola Scriptura Project, P.O.Box 302 Franklin, TN 37064
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Tags: beast, die, evil, fig leaves, food, garden, God, Lord, naked, serpent, temptation, tree, woman
Posted in Christianity, Law of God, Perseverance, Satan | 6 Comments »