Scripture Treasures

For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith” ~ Romans 1:17 God’s plan for us is justification, that is, to declare us just in His sight. Through the blood of Jesus, but also before that, through faith in God such as Abraham had, we are justified, made righteous because God is righteous. We cannot justify ourselves through our works, through how “hard we try” to be righteous, it is a gift from God to an unrighteous people. The law causes people to abide by it, to fulfill being righteous by not swerving from what the law says. The problem is, we cannot abide by the law 100% of the time! What Paul is saying here is we can only be found “not guilty” or “innocent” through the forgiveness of God. It does not mean we did not commit the crime, but by faith in God, our crimes have been pardoned. As human beings, we are far from perfect, but, we are righteous. Matthe

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had ~ Romans 15:5 God doesn’t ask us to do or be more than what He is or does. He has been and will continue to be patient with us. Through our rebellion and sin, He is patient. Through our turning away from Him to the world and the lusts found therein, He is patient for our return. Not only is He patient, but He is also our encourager. When we wander, He leads us back to Him; when we fail Him, He redeems us. He grants to us the adequacy to cope with life through His patience. This is the same mind we are to have for each other. Paul’s desire is that our minds, our feelings, our moral judgments and our temper would all be determined by Jesus Christ, who is the God of patience. He exhorts us to Christian unity and harmony in all circumstances. Our Lord is long-suffering toward us, and we ought to be so with others. We all have our infirmities and errors, and i

Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are the work of your hand ~ Isaiah 64:8 If you have ever gone into a showroom and visited a pottery shop, you would have seen that hand-made pottery is beautiful and lovely, all creatively made one piece at a time. No two pieces turn out exactly alike, even if their source is the same pattern. What the potter can create is limited only by his imagination. And if there is one thing clear, it is that the earthly potter’s work is absent of repetition and monotony. Through the skill of his hands he reveals the fruitfulness of his creativity. If God is our potter, what are we to think of him? To begin, look at nature. My computer screensaver displays landscapes and countries I have never been to, nor ever will, with a visual exploration of unprecedented beauty. No scene repeats the extravagance of another, yet all nature was created by the same Hand. When we look to each other, there are times when we greatly adm

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship ~ Romans 12:1 In the early Bible days, before Jesus Christ became our living sacrifice, the people of God would bring a sheep, goat, or dove as a living sacrifice to God to appease for their sins. It was a way to receive forgiveness. They would bring not just any sheep or goat, but they would bring the best from the flock. Here, we are asked to present our body as a living sacrifice, not to literally give up our life, but to give our whole will and way over to God. To allow Him to lead and guide us, and for us to follow whole-heartedly into wherever and whatever He may call us toward. When we offer our life to God for His use, we consider ourselves no long our own, but we surrender all to Jesus. It is He whom searches the heart of the giver, and so the intention of the sacrifice is known by God, the hear

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised ~ Hebrews 10:35, 36 There are many instances in life where we find perseverance is our only recourse. I have watched people persevere to receive a higher education, or to make a marriage work, or to obtain a better job. Perseverance can be present in any aspect of our life wherein we want and desire something so much that we will do almost anything to receive what we believe is our reward. For perseverance to do its work, there almost always has to be an inherint need. Herein is where our scripture leads us today. Perseverance in doing God’s will in our life must arise from a committed heart, desiring above all, to please God. If my heart is not dedicated to God wholly, doing his will in my life will not be my priority, and I will give up when the going gets tough. The writer of Hebrews tells us to not throw aw

Humility is the fear of the Lord; its wages are riches and honour and life ~ Proverbs 22:4 Humility does not mean that I disregard myself or demean who I am in myself, but it does mean that I will not regard myself on a higher esteem than I ought or have false opinions that I am better than others. To be humble is to have a temperament which will dispose me to cheerful and pleasant acceptance in all the conditions of life God places me in. Christian humility is found in my having a modest but just opinion of myself while cheerfully submitting to God’s will and following in obedience. A truly humble person whom has submitted to God has broken their self-will, a strong urge within us to be sure. It is less about me and more about God within. Barney E. Warrren wrote at hymn called, “I Come to Thee”. Now I come, my Lord and Savior, Humbly kneeling at Thy feet, Sharing in Thy richest favor, Full salvation pure and sweet. Lord, I will be Thine forever, Unto Thee my all

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God ~ 2 Corinthians 7:1 The promises Paul is referring to are found in the previous chapter, verses 17 and 18 which promise God would be a Father to you, that He would protect you, and be your friend. He would do this for you and in return, you must remove anything which may be offensive in His sight. It sounds as though this purifying is something we are responsible for, and this is true. We cannot, nor do not save ourselves, that is God’s work, done on the cross. And, we do have God’s help in purifying ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit which dwells within us, but there is an effort from our own power which leads us away from doing or acting in ways which contradict God’s character in which we must be diligent. We have to resist evil desires, but we resist with aid from God. What contaminates our

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful ~ Hebrews 10:23 God is a promising God. I have had times wherein I clung to His promises and have seen them come to fruition. The hope I profess is found in this God, and in the Gospel message of eternal life, and for life in its fullest here on earth. I cling to the salvation found in Him, to the redemption of my soul through His saving grace, and to the precious promises found in His Word which give me strength and courage and hope. His promises are free and unconditional. His promises include provision for my daily needs, that I shall not want, and that all my afflictions will work for good because I love Him. That is one I have deeply held fast in my heart, for afflictions can tear us down, but knowing that what I encounter will eventually be for good helps me keep running the race set before me. My God is a faithful God. He is unchanging, and my faith rests in this knowledge. God is true, and

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn ~ Isaiah 60:3 There is no other light but the light of Jesus Christ and his Word. The Gospel message, since His advent, has spread to every nation, for if only one nation had enjoyed His light, it would have been of no advantage to those outside the Jewish people. The Gospel message shines so bright that when people hear the Good News and receive it, they are transformed by its light. We live in an age when many people and nations are beginning to reject this message, yet still people are receiving and coming into the light of Christ. Still there is power in the message and one day, all people will recognize Jesus Christ as Lord. Today in church, we are going to sing, “This Little Light of Mine”. When we have Jesus in our heart, we let Him shine so the world can see and know the brightness of living in His light. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine! Hide it under a bushel, No! I’m going t

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal ~ Isaiah 26:4 We cannot trust unless we have the confidence that the one we place our life in loves us and will not harm us. When there is trust in a relationship, there is unity, but when trust has been destroyed, division, hurt and destruction follow. Once trust has been destroyed, it is hard to re-enter believing that other has our best in mind and will protect our relationship. Our trust in God, though a spiritual relationship, is based on having confidence in God’s wisdom, power and love. Trust and love go hand-in-hand. We trust in the Lord when we take His promises and we cling to them, believing in them. In doing this, we are connecting the faith talked about yesterday with holding fast to what God says and does in His Word and His acts.   We have a God who is a “forever” God, for He is immortal and we are mortal, He is the beginning and the end while we are a fading flower. In His eternal str

For we live by faith, not by sight ~ 2 Corinthians 5:7 Having faith is an exercise! If I want to be fit physically, I need to put my body on a strict regime of lifting weights, doing stretches, putting pressure on my muscles and ligaments to enable them to carry me further with less stress, to make me stronger so that I won’t injure myself when lifting; to generally help my body stay healthy. Faith is strengthened through spiritual training. Faith is believing in what we cannot see. We know tomorrow comes because it is on the calendar and because we have lived to see a great many tomorrows. Though we know we always have the chance of not seeing a tomorrow, we know it will come, nonetheless. Faith is seeing how God can transform a situation, or how what we pray for will come to be, and both are dependent upon faith, exercised faith. It is believing in the impossible because we serve a God of the impossibilities. We believe in the existence of the invisible! Faith is to live in t

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them ~ Hebrews 7:25 Jesus is our Great High Priest, our Intercessor, and the sacrificed Lamb which paid for our sins, and as such He is able save us from our guilt and punishment of sin to the utmost! He lives forever, and He lives within, and therefore understands our plight. We are a work in progress and everyday the Lord’s Spirit works in us to redeem us and free us, and He continues the work He began in us. He undertakes our cause, He helps us overcome our foes, and enables us to live a holy life, worthy of Him and His sacrifice. As our intercessor, He stands in our stead before the heavenly Father and does whatever is necessary to obtain grace and strength, mercy and justice, and to secure any aid we might need against our enemy. Every obstacle we face we can depend on Christ’s salvation to save us through them. He reveals for and to us the Father’s love. Whe

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time ~ 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” We cannot know God without knowing Him through Jesus. God is mystery, He is beyond our understanding, and though we desire to draw near to Him, without Jesus Christ is it difficult. The God of the Old Testament revealed himself to certain people, leaders and priests and prophets. We have a revealed God through the work of the New Testament and the Jesus found therein. He reveals himself to all people now. We have One whom now stands between us and God; One who can understand our frailty, our pain and sorrow, the limits of our capacity as humans. Through our mediator, Jesus Christ, we see a man who lived as we live, and whom we can model our lives after. We also see One who stands in defense of us and our condemned nature,

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it ~ John 1:5 Isn’t it amazing when we turn off the lights a room is engulfed in darkness, but when even a little match is lit, the room is illuminated? It is the same with our soul. Before Christ enters our heart, we live in darkness, in ignorance of His great love and sacrifice for us. We live in darkness in regards to our redemption and the forgiveness of God, totally unaware of the freedom from sin we have due to the Cross and Jesus Christ! But, oh, when He comes to live in our heart and the Holy Spirit power illuminates our soul, praise be to God, the Light of Christ shines within! Lies which are hidden in our heart are illuminated too when Christ’s light shines in our heart. The darkness has to leave when Christ Spirit arrives. It is said, and I believe it, God is to the human soul, what the light is to the world. Without light the world is dismal, dreary, uncomfortable. Darkness is imperfection and miser

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things ~ Philippians 4:8 Paul recommends mind and thought control, for ultimately, if we think the good qualities above, we will also speak them. The values placed above are given the highest respect by Paul as to how our minds and what our minds are to dwell upon. He has given us eight adjectives of Christian ideals to live by: truth, honour or noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable or of good report, virtue or excellent and praiseworthy, and we are to think about such things. If we are living the life God wants us to live, these ideals will be imbedded in our character. We are to be true in our speech as we talk to and with each other. Honesty in our actions transcends to others feeling we are trustworthy and reliable. If we live in righteousness, we live by justice in our

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 I know that I can do these three because of how God has revealed himself to me in the past. He is a God who saves, He is a God whom has set things in my life in order when there seemed to be no order, and He is a God in which all things come together. Whatever my trial, my eternal life is safe with Him. Whenever I find myself in danger, He is my strong tower and protector. I have joy in my life because I belong to God, today and tomorrow, and forever. I have been pardoned of all my sin and in Jesus Christ I find my spiritual joy, and that my name is now included in the book with the great list of names. I know I can come to Him with all my requests, my hurts, my struggles, my praise and my worship, and I know all my conversations are heard by Him. Life has many ups and downs, they are natural. But behind every one is a faithful God who des

But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high ~ Psalm 3:3 God is our shield, in him we can trust at all times, not just in what may be our present danger, but in all dangers. When our dangers are thick around us and we feel the peril of life closing in, we lift our eyes and they rest on Jesus, our defender and protector. David would have known the use of his shield, for it was a piece of armor used to deflect the sword or spear or arrow sent his way. His shield would automatically, through his reflexes, be thrown before his body to deflect the enemy’s means of harm. The shield then, is a natural way to speak of God as his protective power. As such, God then is the source of our glory, for it is due to him that we are bestowed all the honour we may have. There are men and women who earn their honour by serving the world, and they are recognized by the world. The best honour is one which is bestowed upon us by our God, and the glory of him rests

As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do ~ 1 Peter 1:14-15 It is hard to ignore the world around us for the pressure it puts upon us, it is always beckoning us into its lures and temptations. I am not advocating here that we totally separate ourselves from the world like a hermit, but we do have to be so careful that what the world deems as good and right is what God deems as good and right. We have to have a balance point so we can make correct judgments about our actions and thoughts. This is what God’s Word gives us, a stable formula by which to base life. Our model and example is Jesus Christ. It is by submitting to His will and His way we find life in its fullest. Our former principles, and the principles of the world cannot, nor should not, conduct our model. We live in a generation which says, “If I like it, that’s good, and if I don’t, then that is my dec

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one ~ Deuteronomy 6:4 Some render Moses was referring to the Holy Trinity here, and he may have been doing so, but, whether he was or not, the following verses render God as The God to worship, to obey and to teach our children all about. Just as in our time, there were many gods the Israelites would encounter in the countries they would both inhabit and conquer. Often times, just as we are, they were led astray by those other gods and deserted the God whom had led them out of Egypt. Moses’ warning to follow the One True God is one we need to repeat in our day. God is one, and as One God, we are led to trust, to hope, to know there will be a new tomorrow. Faith in one God brings peace, for our emotions are not scattered first this way and then that. That our God is one grants us the wisdom to acknowledge His supreme Being, that He is incomparable and unrivalled in His supremacy. As the one God, He has ultimate right to our praise an

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them ~ James 4:17 On September 22, 2019 a linebacker for the New Orleans Saints was fined for wearing a headband under his helmet. It had engraved on it the words, “Man of God.” His fine was for $7,017. His headband violated a ruling under uniform violations as it was designated as a “personal message.” Demario Davis posted a picture of himself and his headband on Instagram and received 11,000 likes and 3,800 comments. In his own words, Demario stated there was a silver lining in the fine, for if God is brought up in a conversation and if He can get the glory from it, it was worth it. God will sometimes ask of us challenging actions. Whether it is to wear a headband under a helmet, or to feed a stranger on a corner step, or to aid in some way which is out of our comfort zone, if we follow through on God’s invitation, we are blessed. Our criminal act comes in the ignoring. It is often our pride, lu

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus ~ Philippians 2:5 Be one in spirit and one in love, says Paul. How joyous is that home or that church where there is unity, love, respect, and humility. It is the home where all are valued, where all come before themselves, where all come together to build each other up and not tear down. This was what Jesus stood for, and it is what Jesus proclaimed. All He did was done for God’s glory, that He might do the will of His Father. For Jesus, that meant going to the cross and undergoing a humiliating and torturous death. For Jesus, it meant that He left his heavenly home and took on the flesh of mankind. He did this to benefit us. And, when He left this earth, He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us in how to love and live together. Paul reminds the Philippians, and through his word, reminds us too, the only way to secure unity is through humility. Jesus is, as always, our perfect example. Devotion by Pasto

Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise ~ Proverbs 15:31 There are two ways to correct another – one way is destructive and condemning, the correction is in fact a character decimation and only leads to feelings of total dejection or rebellion. When this type of correction is used, it will never make the other wise, for the example of the correction giver is faulted. The second way to correct another is through words which are constructive and, in the end, encouraging. These are life-giving reproofs. The ear that hears these words spoken will then take note of what is amiss and gain spiritual life. They will in fact, be made wiser by the hearing. I found this quote, which I will post here, as I thought it would bring this all together… “A wise man learns by the experience of others. An ordinary man learns by his own experience. A fool learns by nobody's experience.” Source Unknown. Enough said. Devotion by Pastor Julia

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it ~ Luke 9:24 This is an interesting verse, for the last time I lost something, I did not choose to willingly surrender it to the abyss of wherever. In fact, the last time I lost something, I searched diligently to reclaim it. In this verse, to lose one’s life is a complete giving up, a total surrender, but it is not done out of carelessness or mismanaging that life, it is given up with the will of the one losing it! It is a willing and deliberate act to lose one’s life. So, in giving up my life, what exactly am I giving up? First, I am surrendering to Jesus Christ my body for His use. Where He leads, I will follow, what He asks me to do, I will do. My body is no longer mine. Second, I give up my love of the world and its rewards and accomplishments, and instead I take up thinking about things above – it’s the acronym, WWJD, (What Would Jesus Do) of my life. To lose my life means t

Since we all live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit ~ Galatians 5:25 There is a continual battle within me, the spirit against the flesh, and it is one we all have as waging a war within. Sin, our “old man”, is always at the ready to rear up and show his ugly face in our words, deeds, and actions as we spiritually strive to become more like Christ. It takes dedication and discipline to walk in the Spirit, while at the same time, we do not walk that path alone. We do have the strength of the Spirit to help and assist us fight that “old man” of our flesh. Faith is our first step. But we have to exercise our faith, we have to step out and trust God in our situations, thereby developing our faith. And when we are aware of the fruit of the Spirit we can manifest these more and more in our life. When we live in love, joy, peace, patience, faithfulness, self-control, kindness, goodness, and gentleness our old man is not permitted to open his foul-tasting fruit and bri

Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment, and the second is like it: ’Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39) Love is active, it carries us forward to the object we wish to enjoy, the one we are content with, the one we are completely at rest and our own self with. Love is a preference of one over all others, whether they are present or absent; it is a surrender, which is pleasing. This is the love by which our soul clings to God, for in Him we find our portion. In Him we rest, it is Him we admire, it is from this love we act from Him, and call Him Master and Friend. How we love Him with all our heart, soul and mind is found in our willingness to give up our life for Him, though that may include torment, deprivation, and comfort. The body is used for God’s business and our strength is employed by God for His glory. And our mind is occupied in knowing God and

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience ~ Colossians 3:12 There are good people all around us in our world. Philanthropists which make large donations to help the impoverished, or third world countries. They are good people. There are good and compassionate people in your workplace, and where you volunteer, people always ready to help someone in need. One does not have to be a Christian to be “good”. But what we are called as Christians is to be clothed in this goodness, to not put the garment of compassion on every now and again, or when we are in the limelight, but to be dressed this way every hour of every day. And we are to take it further than the world. We serve out of love for our Lord, and it is His compassion, His kindness, His humility, gentleness and patience we serve with. We are filled with His Holy Spirit which grants to us the patience of Job, the humility of the Cros