Put others first. 2-29-16

Who you are in Christ.#23

I am a living stone in Christ.

1 Peter 2:4-6 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
“Behold, I lay in Zion, A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

This is a great word for the followers of Jesus. We are not dead rocks with no hope. We are living stones, being built into a spiritual house for the purpose of offering sacrifices to God through Jesus. Jesus is the head stone! As we follow Him, we will not be put to shame. 

Is your life a living sacrifice for the Lord is mentioned here and taught in scripture?

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

As a stone, we offer ourselves to Jesus, a living sacrifice. Think on that. Time, energy, love, worship, money, God wants it all to be sacrificed to him for his glory and honor. To leads others to himself so they to can be a stone, a living sacrifice.

Our Chief Stone, Jesus, sacrificed all for us, and as his stones he expects us to do the same.

I am a living stone in Christ. How about you?

Tom

Are you alive? 2-25-16

Who you are in Christ.#22

In Christ, we are aliens and strangers in this world!

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

You ever feel like you don’t belong on this earth? There is a reason....you don’t if you are a child of King Jesus. This world is not our home. As followers of Jesus we are citizens of heaven with our brother and sister saints.

Ephesians 2:19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,

Remember this verse brothers and sisters:

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

As aliens and strangers let us not do as the world does but let us do what Jesus did!

In Christ, I am an alien and stranger in the world just passing through to my heavenly home! Praise the Lord!

Tom

Thank you Lord Jesus. 2-24-16

Where will you go? 2-23-16

Who you are in Christ.#21

In Christ, I am an enemy of the devil!

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

As a follower of Jesus we must be on our toes at all times. As the Word of God said above the devil is after us, seeking to destroy us. He loves nothing more then to have us sin and hurt our relationship with God. If we are true followers he can’t take away our eternity with God but he sure can hurt our day to day walk with God if he can get us to sin before our holy God. This is why it is so important to deny ourselves daily of sinful activities and if we do fall to confess it up to God immediately so as to keep our relationship with God as spot free as possible. Remember God says “Be holy for I am holy.” 

So be ready, the devil is active and on the prowl as he knows his time is short before he meets his final destination of hell but as for the follower of Jesus heaven is coming soon!

In Christ I am an enemy of the devil but am a victor in Christ!

Tom

We will serve the Lord. 2-22-16

Who you are in Christ.#20

In Christ I am a disciple. What is a disciple anyway? A disciple as defined by the dictionary is a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower:

So when you give your life to Jesus and follow Him you become a disciple. In doing so you are committing yourself to a life time of studying, learning, and obeying the teachings of Jesus. If you are not doing this from what I understand of a disciple you are not being a faithful follower.

What does the bible have to say about being a disciple?

Matthew 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.

Keep in the forefront of your mind, we follow Jesus, He doesn’t follow us!

Matthew 10:42 And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

As a disciple, we take care of others!

Matthew 12:49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!

Our family is other followers not the people of the world.

Matthew 19:23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven.

As a disciple we must not hold on to the things of the world, Jesus is to be our everything!

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As a disciple, we are to tell others about Jesus! The we are to disciple them by teaching them the Word of God. 

Mark 8:34 And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Being a disciple means being disciplined by denying self to follow Jesus the way He desires.

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

When we are trained fully, we will be like Jesus is the way we live our lives. Wow! Think on that!

Luke 12:22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

As a disciple we do not worry about what the world worries about because we know God is in control and place all things into His hands.

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

Obviously we don’t hate anyone especially our family but our love for Jesus in comparison to our family should be like hate!

Luke 14:33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Is there anything in your life more important that Jesus? If so you can’t be a disciple.

John 8:31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,

A key teaching of Jesus....if you are in His word, not just a lazy glance here and there, then your are a disciple. Think on that one!!!

John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Hmmmm love for others? Remember this includes our enemies. How many does this disqualify?

John 15:8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

If you want to know the fruit to be bearing look up Galatians 5:22-23. Bear the fruit of Jesus as a disciple!

So we see as a follower/disciple of Jesus we have some responsibilities that prove we are in Christ Jesus. Don’t get that confused, works do not save us, only faith alone in Jesus saves us, but works prove we are saved!

In Christ I am a disciple of His!

Tom

Who you are in Christ.#19

I am one spirit with the Lord. 

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

If you are a follower of Jesus you are one spirit with Him. Now that is a close relationship. You can’t get any closer that that. In marriage God says the man and woman become one flesh which is very close but becoming one spirit is as close as two can get.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

When we are one spirit with Jesus we have the holy spirit power in us all the time. What a blessing that is! That means we can live godly lives because we have to power to over come evil and do good at all times. 

So today think about what you are as a follower of Jesus...you are one spirit with the Lord! Wow!

Tom

Chris Tomlin - Good Good Father ft. Pat Barrett

Oh what an awesome God we have who is our Heavenly Father. Listen and worship!

Share you past! 2-18-16

Who you are in Christ.#18

One of my favorites of who I am in Christ:

Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Galatians 3:29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Ephesians 3:6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

Titus 3:7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

If you are a follower we are joint heirs with Jesus of the Kingdom of Heaven!!!! If that don’t make you want to shout nothing will! Do you comprehend that? Do you understand what an heir is? Look at the definition: a person who inherits or has a right of inheritance in the property of another following the latter's death. Being an heir with Jesus is a little different than this definition because Jesus died but He was resurrected but His death enabled us to become heirs with Him in heaven! Thank you Lord Jesus, we thank you!

So take some time this morning to think on being a joint heir with Jesus in the Kingdom of heaven this morning. I am pretty sure our minds can not comprehend what all that means!!

Tom

Don't be held captive. 2-17-16

Who you are in Christ.#17

If you are a follower of Jesus you are a reconciler.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

So what is a reconciler? It is one who brings another into agreement or harmony.

Jesus brought us to himself and God by His death on the cross. When we become followers we are then to bring others to Jesus as we become reconcilers for Jesus. We have been entrusted with good news of Jesus are we upholding our end by sharing this good news? It really in not an option for the follower of Jesus:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

When God says “GO”, we are to go and do! No excuses!

So this morning we see we are reconcilers in Christ! The most important job in the world!

Tom

Willingly surrendered! 2-16-16

Who you are in Christ.#16

Who I am in Christ that we look at today is hard for us sinners to grasp sometimes. But we must realize who are in Christ after being saved from our sins not what we were before Jesus! 

In Christ I am righteous and holy! 

That’s right, when we are followers of Jesus awe are righteous and holy in the eyes of God, if this was not true we could never go to heaven and be in God’s presence for He is Holy! Look at this verse:

Ephesians 4:24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

The new man we put on is Christ. He is righteous and holy. This also brings to mind the importance of keeping our sin confessed up to God when we fail. Strive for perfection but when we do sin confess it because God is faithful and just to forgive as it says in 1 John 1:9.

So this morning we see we are righteous and holy all because of the shed blood of Jesus. Give Jesus some praise this morning and live for Him! Glorify His name!

Tom

I do not like your Christians! 2-15-16

Who you are in Christ.#15

These verses today tell us we are four things in Christ! So let’s take a look!

1 Peter 2:9-10 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

1. Chosen Generation-We are very blessed people to live in the grace and mercy time frame of God’s working and not under the law! Can I get an amen on that! Thus all who follow Jesus are a chosen generation to follow Him in all we say and do! What an honor!

2. Royal Priesthood-As a follower of Christ you are royalty, after all you are a son or daughter of God now. With that privilege comes the responsibility of being part of the priesthood, doing the works of God as we proclaim Him to the world!

3. A Holy Nation-as a group of follower, otherwise known as the church, we are to be a holy nation dedicated to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Noticeably serrated from the world by individuals living godly lives. Sadly as a whole our great nation is not living up to this!

4. His Own Special People-what an honor to be His! God’s! When we give our lives to Christ we are His special people and no one can do anything about that! We are His, His, His! Dwell on that for awhile! Later in the verses we looked at it says we were once not the people of God but now are...thank you Jesus for giving us that opportunity!

So today we see in Christ we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and His own special people! If you are a follower of Jesus that reminder should get your Monday off to a great start!!!

Tom

Do you care about people going to hell! 2-12-16

Who you are in Christ.#14

In Christ, I am a member of His body! It is very important to understand this aspect of who you are in Christ. Many folks will say I don’t need to be a part of the church to follow Jesus. I will argue that point tim the day I die because the bible says different! 

When we say we are followers of Jesus then we are also saying we are a part of the church and active participant because Christ created the church and says His body is the church and thus we are to be a part of His body. Read these verses:

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

Ephesians 5:30-32 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Now it is clear from God’s Word, followers of Jesus are a part of His body, the church. Each of us have a purpose and to serve Him and the people with that gift He has given us. It is a picture of a beautiful marriage between each believer and Jesus. Serving one another out of love!

So are you a member of the body of Christ? I am and pray that you are too! 

Tom

I got satisfaction! 2-11-16

Who you are in Christ.#13

I am a temple of God. God dwells in me! Take some time just to think on that!

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

When you put your faith in Jesus and become a follower of Him, you immediately receive the Holy Spirit to dwell in you that Jesus promised to send back when He ascended into heaven.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

How awesome is that? We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us to be faithful followers of Jesus. We have no excuses for sinning other than our own ignorance as we have the power of God to overcome any sin that comes our way!

So today I say I am the temple of God in Christ! How about you?

Tom

Who you are in Christ.#12

Today I want the followers of Jesus to see in Christ they are.....put in suspense music....a citizen of heaven! Praise the Lord!

Ephesians 2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,

When you are a follower of Jesus it is a fact that your a citizen of heaven and we are just awaiting the return of King Jesus to bring us home! If that don’t make you smile I don’t know what will! However, if you are not a follower of Jesus, you do not have this citizenship but you can if you want to put your faith in Jesus as Savior of the world and allow Him to be Lord of you life. Please consider it, you won’t regret it!

So today brothers and sisters rejoice for you are a citizen of heaven!

Tom

Good Good Father

Worship your heavenly Father this morning. Sing it out to Him in prayer for He is worthy!

Ephesians 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

Clay pot you are! 2-8-16

Who you are in Christ.#11

One of my favorite aspects of being a follower of Jesus...I am a new creation in Christ!

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

The old man is gone!

Romans 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.

Ephesians 4:21-23 assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

This is a process to become like Christ. Some sins and old habits may leave quick and some may take some time. The power of Holy Spirit will help you grow in Christ if your are surrendered to Him!

Isn’t it great to know you are new in Christ! Whooooo hoooooo! Thank you Lord Jesus!

I am a new creation in Christ! Are you?

Tom

Give God the glory He deserved! 2-5-16

Who you are in Christ.#10

I am chosen by Jesus to bear fruit!

John 15:16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

So what is the fruit we should bear?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

All these are traits of Jesus. So as a follower of Jesus, we should have or be developing the same traits. The book ends of the traits, love and self-control, are key to the other traits. For if you can love like Jesus and exercise self control all the others are doable!

So if you are in Christ, you are chosen to bear fruit! Are you?

Tom

Who you are in Christ. #9

I am a saint. God is clear in His word that when we become followers of Christ we are then saints!

1 Corinthians 1:2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

Philippians 1:1 Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

Colossians 1:2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-12 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,

Psalm 30:4 Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

Romans 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

So what is a saint? One separated from the world and consecrated to God; one holy by profession and by covenant; a believer in Christ. So in short a follower of Jesus!

You may say well I don’t feel like a saint! Feelings don’t matter! Truth matters and Jesus tells us if we are a follower of Him we are a saint! Case closed.

Praise God I am a saint in Christ Jesus!

Tom

Do your possessions honor God? 2-3-16

Who you are in Christ.#8

I am a friend of Jesus.

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

In life I have read, and heard how people will say “I have no friends.” While that is terrible to feel like that, if you are a follower of Jesus it is not true! You see with your own eyes Jesus is a friend and to be honest He is your best friend who will never let you down and always be there for you! Jesus is the only friend you need! Look at what our friend Jesus says about His friendship:

Proverbs 18:24 A man who has friends must himself be friendly,
But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

The friend closer than a brother is Jesus!

Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When times get tough some friends leave not Jesus!

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

How many friends will willing die for you? Jesus did! Proving how much He loves you.

So you need a friend? Their is no better friend than Jesus! I am living proof! He saved me!

You are a friend of Jesus!

Tom

Childish ways 2-2-16

Who you are in Christ.#7

So what else does the Word of God tell us followers of Jesus we are in Him? 

Matthew 5:14-15 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

You are the light of the world! Think about what that means. Light represents Jesus, dark represents the devil. We are light. As a follower of Jesus, how much light are you putting off? Are you like a light house shinning your light out great distances to the lost ships of the world or are you like a flashlight whose battery is just about gone?

God’s Word says above we are light to the world! Let is shine, let it shine, let it shine! Don’t hid it as the Word says reminds me of this verse:

Mark 8:38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Ouch!!! So my brothers and sisters Let your light shine!!!!!!!!

Tom

Give me Jesus!!!! 2-1-16

Start your Monday off right with this song and make it your prayer for life!



Tom