God gives us an excess of comfort in the places where we have suffered. Once we are comforted, we are able to comfort others who have suffered in the same way. Have you been healed of a deadly disease? Delivered from an addiction? Found peace after losing a loved one? Your greatest hurt may now be your greatest gift to others. Let God’s comfort overflow to those who hurt where you once did.
Christ had not yet interrupted history by His death, burial and resurrection, yet Job already hoped for such a “Redeemer.” Job placed his hope in this future Messiah as one peering through a veil. However, we can gaze fully at our Savior with the revelation of the gospel shining as in the light of day. If Job could “know” that his Redeemer liveth, then we should know all the more!
Paul teaches us about the resurrection body. He compares it to sewing a seed in the ground. The seed dies, but a new living plant sprouts from the earth. Jesus is the firstborn from among dead. His resurrection body is the prototype. Someday we will be like Him.
At the core of the Christian faith is the message of Christ’s resurrection. If the tomb is not empty, there is no Christianity. Gospel preaching must include these historical facts: Jesus died on the cross for our sins, he was buried, and three days later he was raised from the dead. This is the message we preach. This is the message we have received and believed.
Have you ever felt like Job? At times like this even well-meaning friends can be a burden. Only God can get us through such seasons. God isn’t afraid of our questions and concerns. Bring them to Him. Don’t stuff or medicate. Pour out your trouble before God. Come to Him as you are and leave changed. He can turn your misery into joy.
God is love. To be “godly” is to express this trait. Perhaps the greatest verse in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave…” To be like God we must have the kind of love that gives. God is a giver, not a taker. Are you a consumer, or a contributor? Are you greedy, or a giver? Do you desire to be godly? Receive God’s gift of salvation through Jesus, and then start loving and giving!
Noted for the absence of God’s name in its text, the book of Esther describes the origin of the Hebrew holiday of Purim. While God is not mentioned specifically, His help and favor are implied between the lines. I wonder how often God is at work in our lives without getting credit?
The Holy Spirit comes to abide in us when we receive Christ as Lord and Savior. Living in us, He gives us spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ. This gifting is not for our own edification. It is to be used to edify one another. As we exercise our spiritual gifting, we grow in their use, and the church is built up. Are you exercising your gifts in the church?
Have you learned to live beneath your means? Wise stewards have learned to pay God first (tithe), pay themselves second (save) and live off the rest (budget). Stop following this foolish consumer culture. Live on less, so that you can give more!
Many parents teach their children: “Do as I say, not as I do.” But Paul teaches otherwise. He invites his spiritual children to follow him as he follows Christ. If you really want to influence others, let your walk match your talk.