"For the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
~1 Corinthians 1:18
Have you ever heard someone scoff at the idea of Heaven and hell? Have you ever been told your belief in Christ is ridiculous? Those who do not believe the truth of the Bible are perishing. Those who believe are being saved. Notice that in the above verse, "being" is in the present tense -- it is happening right now and every day in the future.
While we receive salvation when we accept Christ as our Savior, it is also a continuing process that is not fulfilled until we reach Heaven. The converse is true with the word "perishing." Those who do not place their faith in Christ perish day by day until they are completely lost (separated) from God at the time of their death. However, the process of perishing can be stopped by choosing to accept Christ as Lord and Savior. Praise God!
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9)."
God does not want even one of us to perish and be separated from Him for eternity, and has made every provision for us to live with Him forever. That provision was fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
"And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond 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)."
Read
Exodus 16-18
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)."
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
You Can't Change His Mind
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"
~Romans 8:38
Did you know there is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you? His love for us is unstoppable, uncontrollable, without conditions or qualifications. The love of God is the answer to all of the questions about why we're here, why the universe exists, and why we were born.
"Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before Him covered with His love. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And He did this because He wanted to (Ephesians 1:4-5)!"
God was under no obligation to do anything for us, not even creating us. He was under no obligation to give Adam and Eve another chance outside the Garden of Eden. He was not obligated to rescue the Children of Israel time after time. He was not obligated to come to Earth in the flesh and offer Himself up as a living sacrifice for our sins. He did those things for one reason only -- His great and everlasting love for each and every one of us.
There is no way we can earn His love and salvation. We can never be good enough. And we don't have to be, all we have to do is accept the love of God by accepting His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. No one else can give us eternal, everlasting life but we do have the responsibility of saying, "Yes, Lord, I accept You as my Savior and Lord of my life." And then to live out that commitment for the rest of our days. No matter how you've lived your life, it's not too late to live the life God intended for you.
Read
Exodus 13-15
~Romans 8:38
Did you know there is nothing you can do that will make God stop loving you? His love for us is unstoppable, uncontrollable, without conditions or qualifications. The love of God is the answer to all of the questions about why we're here, why the universe exists, and why we were born.
"Long ago, even before He made the world, God chose us to be His very own through what Christ would do for us; He decided then to make us holy in His eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before Him covered with His love. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And He did this because He wanted to (Ephesians 1:4-5)!"
God was under no obligation to do anything for us, not even creating us. He was under no obligation to give Adam and Eve another chance outside the Garden of Eden. He was not obligated to rescue the Children of Israel time after time. He was not obligated to come to Earth in the flesh and offer Himself up as a living sacrifice for our sins. He did those things for one reason only -- His great and everlasting love for each and every one of us.
There is no way we can earn His love and salvation. We can never be good enough. And we don't have to be, all we have to do is accept the love of God by accepting His plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. No one else can give us eternal, everlasting life but we do have the responsibility of saying, "Yes, Lord, I accept You as my Savior and Lord of my life." And then to live out that commitment for the rest of our days. No matter how you've lived your life, it's not too late to live the life God intended for you.
"And it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in the first place. I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said He would, and that He was buried, and that three days afterwards He arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)."
Nothing has changed since God said, "Let there be light." No matter how we've strayed, God has remained the same, and so has His steadfast love for us.
Read
Exodus 13-15
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Monday, February 5, 2018
He Is Exalted
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
~Psalm 46:10
It probably doesn't seem as if Christians or Christianity is popular right now. God seems to be some distant after thought to most people, and being a Christian is something to laugh about and ridicule. But no matter what others might think, God will be exalted across the whole Earth, every knee will one day bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 14:11).
Those who deny there is a God, those who claim to worship mother nature, or believe in reincarnation, or say that there is no power higher than themselves, will one day admit they were wrong and Jesus Christ is Lord of all (Acts 10:36).
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5)."
We all live in darkness when we live outside a relationship with Jesus Christ. Each and everyone of us need a connection to something bigger than ourselves, yet we choose to connect with useless deities that cannot help, or save us. We try to rely on our own power to make it through each day, and fail in our efforts. We turn to alcohol or other drugs to ease the pain. We turn to a plethora of distractions so we don't have to think about the stresses of life, yet the answer to all of life's questions are in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We may have to live in a world of strife, stress and sin, but we do not have to be part of it. We don't have to participate in this worldly notion of living for self-gratification, and living as if we won't answer for our words and deeds. We will all stand before God one day.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10)."
Life is a choice. Jesus is a choice. Choose wisely.
Read
Exodus 10-12
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~Psalm 46:10
It probably doesn't seem as if Christians or Christianity is popular right now. God seems to be some distant after thought to most people, and being a Christian is something to laugh about and ridicule. But no matter what others might think, God will be exalted across the whole Earth, every knee will one day bow before Him, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Romans 14:11).
Those who deny there is a God, those who claim to worship mother nature, or believe in reincarnation, or say that there is no power higher than themselves, will one day admit they were wrong and Jesus Christ is Lord of all (Acts 10:36).
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:1-5)."
We all live in darkness when we live outside a relationship with Jesus Christ. Each and everyone of us need a connection to something bigger than ourselves, yet we choose to connect with useless deities that cannot help, or save us. We try to rely on our own power to make it through each day, and fail in our efforts. We turn to alcohol or other drugs to ease the pain. We turn to a plethora of distractions so we don't have to think about the stresses of life, yet the answer to all of life's questions are in a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We may have to live in a world of strife, stress and sin, but we do not have to be part of it. We don't have to participate in this worldly notion of living for self-gratification, and living as if we won't answer for our words and deeds. We will all stand before God one day.
"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil (2 Corinthians 5:10)."
Life is a choice. Jesus is a choice. Choose wisely.
Read
Exodus 10-12
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Friday, February 2, 2018
Too Many Broken Hearts
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."
~Psalm 34:17-18
This year is just a month old, yet it has brought heartache to many of my friends. My cousin lost his wife, my friend lost her mother, another friend learned her husband's cancer has returned, and my best friend's mother was found unresponsive, was hospitalized and is now in a nursing home. And closer to home, my father, who has been battling cancer, found he had a new tumor that is inoperable. Life is unpredictable at best, and it is ever-changing, throwing surprises, heartache, and fear of the future our way. It's easy to tell people to be strong, to depend on the Lord, to pray, and to not be afraid, but do those things help, or do they sound like platitudes to the brokenhearted?
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1-3)."
There is something very comforting in the Psalms, and I know I have found peace and comfort there many times. There is nothing wrong with quoting Scripture to help someone through a difficult time either, even Jesus quoted Scripture. However, Jesus wasn't just about quoting Scripture, He was a doer of the Word also. He didn't just tell people to be of good cheer, He helped them in their times of sorrow and need.
While it's true we can't bring the dead back to life, we can help those who are grieving in some very real ways. We can let them know we're there to listen, even if it's a 3 a.m. phone call; or, if they're close enough, coffee before work. We can send cards, flowers, or another thoughtful gift, but listening to the cries of the brokenhearted, and being a shoulder to cry on, and crying with them, is one of the most important things we can do.
After a loss, friends and family are there for a little while but the time comes that everyone else goes home, back to their own lives. Those who are grieving are left to grieve alone, or to deal with an ill loved one on their own. That's when it gets real, when they realize how alone the world can be.
A real friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), and every one of us need a friend like that. Be the brother, or sister, that is there in the silence, the one who doesn't just say the right thing but practices what they preach.
"Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action (1 John 3:18)."
Read
Exodus 1:1-4:17
Weekend Reading
Exodus 4:18-9:35
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit."
~Psalm 34:17-18
This year is just a month old, yet it has brought heartache to many of my friends. My cousin lost his wife, my friend lost her mother, another friend learned her husband's cancer has returned, and my best friend's mother was found unresponsive, was hospitalized and is now in a nursing home. And closer to home, my father, who has been battling cancer, found he had a new tumor that is inoperable. Life is unpredictable at best, and it is ever-changing, throwing surprises, heartache, and fear of the future our way. It's easy to tell people to be strong, to depend on the Lord, to pray, and to not be afraid, but do those things help, or do they sound like platitudes to the brokenhearted?
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1-3)."
There is something very comforting in the Psalms, and I know I have found peace and comfort there many times. There is nothing wrong with quoting Scripture to help someone through a difficult time either, even Jesus quoted Scripture. However, Jesus wasn't just about quoting Scripture, He was a doer of the Word also. He didn't just tell people to be of good cheer, He helped them in their times of sorrow and need.
While it's true we can't bring the dead back to life, we can help those who are grieving in some very real ways. We can let them know we're there to listen, even if it's a 3 a.m. phone call; or, if they're close enough, coffee before work. We can send cards, flowers, or another thoughtful gift, but listening to the cries of the brokenhearted, and being a shoulder to cry on, and crying with them, is one of the most important things we can do.
After a loss, friends and family are there for a little while but the time comes that everyone else goes home, back to their own lives. Those who are grieving are left to grieve alone, or to deal with an ill loved one on their own. That's when it gets real, when they realize how alone the world can be.
A real friend sticks closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24), and every one of us need a friend like that. Be the brother, or sister, that is there in the silence, the one who doesn't just say the right thing but practices what they preach.
"Our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action (1 John 3:18)."
Read
Exodus 1:1-4:17
Weekend Reading
Exodus 4:18-9:35
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Thursday, February 1, 2018
If, Indeed!
"And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven..."
~Colossians 1:21-23
Prior to having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I was "alienated, hostile and doing evil deeds" in the sight of God. There is no way humans can be good enough on our own, no matter how we try. Our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and no matter how hard we try, we will never be good enough to step foot into Heaven. But thank God for His unfailing love that His death reconciled us so that we are "holy, blameless and above reproach before Him" (Colossians 1:22)!
There is no other way to approach Heaven except through Jesus Christ. There is no other path that leads us to righteousness. There is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). We might like to think we've got the answers, and we might like to think we make our own path, but that path leads to eternal damnation. The only path that ensures eternal salvation is Jesus.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14)."
It is easy to follow that wide path of destruction. In fact, the world encourages it. Live for today, have fun, don't worry about tomorrow, is the mantra of life in this world but it's end is death. There is only one Life to live that leads to eternal salvation.
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)."
Read
Job 40-42
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~Colossians 1:21-23
Prior to having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I was "alienated, hostile and doing evil deeds" in the sight of God. There is no way humans can be good enough on our own, no matter how we try. Our righteousness is like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and no matter how hard we try, we will never be good enough to step foot into Heaven. But thank God for His unfailing love that His death reconciled us so that we are "holy, blameless and above reproach before Him" (Colossians 1:22)!
There is no other way to approach Heaven except through Jesus Christ. There is no other path that leads us to righteousness. There is no other Name under Heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). We might like to think we've got the answers, and we might like to think we make our own path, but that path leads to eternal damnation. The only path that ensures eternal salvation is Jesus.
"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few (Matthew 7:13-14)."
It is easy to follow that wide path of destruction. In fact, the world encourages it. Live for today, have fun, don't worry about tomorrow, is the mantra of life in this world but it's end is death. There is only one Life to live that leads to eternal salvation.
"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6)."
Read
Job 40-42
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Hope
"According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death."
~Philippians 1:20
Trials either make us or break us. Paul had more than most of us can imagine. But through shipwrecks, prison, illness, starvation, thirst, he never blamed God. He did the opposite, he counted it all glory in Christ (Philippians 3:8).
Life is going to throw up roadblocks, we are going to fall down along the way. Life hurts. We lose loved ones, friends betray us, spouses can break our hearts, our children stray off course, our finances can be lost, along with jobs, houses, and everything we hold dear. Our bodies fall apart, we suffer in pain physically and mentally. The world around us spins out of control and we feel helpless.
But for those who know the Lord, it is all a temporary condition that we know is intended to bring us closer to the Lord. Our dependence is on God and His provision, on what we know to be true of Him alone, not on what the circumstances and world around us say. It is in Christ we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
For those who are not Christians, the world looks grim. Life is a daily struggle. Hope is gone. But for those whose hope is in the Lord, the future is bright and glorious!
"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him (Psalm 62:5)."
Read
Job 38-39
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~Philippians 1:20
Trials either make us or break us. Paul had more than most of us can imagine. But through shipwrecks, prison, illness, starvation, thirst, he never blamed God. He did the opposite, he counted it all glory in Christ (Philippians 3:8).
Life is going to throw up roadblocks, we are going to fall down along the way. Life hurts. We lose loved ones, friends betray us, spouses can break our hearts, our children stray off course, our finances can be lost, along with jobs, houses, and everything we hold dear. Our bodies fall apart, we suffer in pain physically and mentally. The world around us spins out of control and we feel helpless.
But for those who know the Lord, it is all a temporary condition that we know is intended to bring us closer to the Lord. Our dependence is on God and His provision, on what we know to be true of Him alone, not on what the circumstances and world around us say. It is in Christ we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
For those who are not Christians, the world looks grim. Life is a daily struggle. Hope is gone. But for those whose hope is in the Lord, the future is bright and glorious!
"Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him (Psalm 62:5)."
Read
Job 38-39
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Are You A Light?
"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."
~Revelation 2:7
Lately, I have been struck by how much of the the Bible is directed at Christians and the churches. While the Bible is generally thought of as the book that tells you what you've done wrong, it addresses God's people more than it does sinners. That sounds strange because we think of the Bible telling us to repent, to become Christians, to stop sinning, and follow God. While that is true, God does tell us those things, a great portion of what is said is actually directed at those who have already proclaimed themselves to be Christ's followers. Even Christ Himself begins by admonishing the churches in the Book of Revelation.
In the New Testament, we read Paul's letters to the churches at Rome, Corinth, the province of Galatia, (which was the North Central area of Asia Minor), Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, Thessalonica, and many others. The lack of love for one another, the immorality and sin that continued among the church members ran rampant, and Paul spent much of his time trying to impress upon the churches the importance of godliness in both word and deed.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27)."
We are the Church that is to be presented to God without spot or wrinkles. The words Paul wrote so long ago addresses Christians today and how we are to act. As followers of Christ, we are to be His light for others to see, and an example of the love of God for others to follow.
"If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6)."
Let us all be doers of the word and not just hearers (James 1:22) so that we will be the light on the hill that others follow to Jesus (Matthew 5:14).
Read
Job 35-37
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
~Revelation 2:7
Lately, I have been struck by how much of the the Bible is directed at Christians and the churches. While the Bible is generally thought of as the book that tells you what you've done wrong, it addresses God's people more than it does sinners. That sounds strange because we think of the Bible telling us to repent, to become Christians, to stop sinning, and follow God. While that is true, God does tell us those things, a great portion of what is said is actually directed at those who have already proclaimed themselves to be Christ's followers. Even Christ Himself begins by admonishing the churches in the Book of Revelation.
In the New Testament, we read Paul's letters to the churches at Rome, Corinth, the province of Galatia, (which was the North Central area of Asia Minor), Ephesus, Philippi, Colosse, Thessalonica, and many others. The lack of love for one another, the immorality and sin that continued among the church members ran rampant, and Paul spent much of his time trying to impress upon the churches the importance of godliness in both word and deed.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25-27)."
We are the Church that is to be presented to God without spot or wrinkles. The words Paul wrote so long ago addresses Christians today and how we are to act. As followers of Christ, we are to be His light for others to see, and an example of the love of God for others to follow.
"If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:6)."
Let us all be doers of the word and not just hearers (James 1:22) so that we will be the light on the hill that others follow to Jesus (Matthew 5:14).
Read
Job 35-37
A Year of Blessings by Marie McGaha
©2018
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