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Philippians 1:21

Thursday, February 13, 2014

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

Let's break this down for a message of encouragement:

"For to me"

This tells us of personal responsibility like when Paul told Timothy to "Take heed to yourself ..." (1 Timothy 4:16). Joshua saw this personal responsibility when he challenged the people of his day: "And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15).

"To Live"

We are not isolationists, we are to LIVE!. As we live in this world we shine as lights and our shining light gives glory to God. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16).

"Is Christ"

Christ is most important in all things. He is our purpose in living. "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18).

"To Die"

This is a day we all must face. "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment," (Hebrews 9:27). We must live knowing we will die and face judgment.

"Is Gain"

Death is not the end. The faithful can look forward to an eternity with God in Heaven. "But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

Let us live for Christ that we might have the gain after death!

~Paul Adams

Comfort

Friday, February 07, 2014

I find great encouragement in this passage:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too"

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Notice 3 brief points

God is a God of comfort. He is concerned with us and our heartaches. He cares when we hurt. He is able to help.
Those who have received the comfort and consolation which God provides also provide comfort when we are hurting. When we are terribly distressed there are brothers and sister in Christ who have, in their lives, received comfort, and they are ready and able to help others.
We must be ready to serve others in their time of need. When we receive care from Almighty God, and from other Christians, we become equipped to help others who are in need of comfort.

We need God and we need each other!

~Paul Adams

Sunshine

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

This morning I went out to warm up the truck and defrost the windows. It was 6 degrees. One side of the vehicle had the sun shining on it and the heavy frost melted right away. I turned the truck around so the sunshine was hitting the other side and the ice also melted very quickly on that side too. The sun was a tremendous influence. This caused me to think about a couple of meditations:

When we turn to God, He is the greatest influence in our lives.
"But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall." (Malachi 4:2)

We are to be a powerful influence in this world. God will not forget us.
"Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 13:43) This was Jesus concluding statement of the teaching of Jesus that we generally call the parable of the tares.

There is a great day coming when we will no longer need the sun, because we will be in the presence of God the Father and Our Saviour, His Son. "And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb." (Revelation 21:23)

Enjoy the sunshine today and walk in the light of God.

~Paul Adams

Support

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Consider today two scriptures and some thoughts:

First consider 1 Corinthians 12:26. This is a passage that is comparing the church to a physical body: "If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together."

Second read Romans 12:15. This is a reference that is in the middle of many short commands about Christian living: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

In recent days there has been so much to celebrate as well as heartbreaking things. We are to support one another. We must look for ways to share these wonderful joys while upholding those who are at a time of weakness.

When we serve one another, we serve the Lord. "And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" (Matthew 25:40)

God gave us a great blessing, and showed His immense care for us, when He gave us one another in the church.

~Paul Adams

Our Resources

Friday, November 01, 2013

We live in an uncertain world. There are real dangers and tragedies. There are also possibilities of what could happen that trouble our minds.

I just wanted to remind us of some words of the prophet Isaiah when he speaks of those who are truly the Lord's people.

"... fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

This passage shows us that:

When you are afraid, the Lord is there to protect you!
When you are discouraged, Almighty God is on your side!
In weakness, He is your strength!
In desperation, He is your help!
In devastation, He is your support!

A faithful Christian has tremendous resources!

~Paul Adams