God wants his children to take life seriously. In writing to a young Timothy concerning prayer in the assembly, the apostle Paul said, I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity(1 Timothy 2:1,2 ASV). 

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The works of Jesus Christ may be divided into two classes: The finished and unfinished work. In prayer he said, “I have glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do.” (John 17:4).

We pray for forgiveness. Help us, dear Father, to be forgiving. May the mercy we ask of thee emanate from our own heart. Thou art not far from any one of us: for in thee we live, and move and have our being. At every moment and in every place, may we be aware of thy blessed nearness. When we come to the end of the journey and lay the burdens down, lift us to thyself. In thy presence is the fulness of joy. There may we abide. Through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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At the beginning of a new year, many are motivated to make positive changes in their lives. But after a month, that motivation is usually nowhere to be found. What really makes lasting change in people's lives is not motivation, but discipline.

God's will is that everyone will respond appropriately to His sending of His Son:  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29). However, God has left the choice up to us. Belief in Jesus is more than a mental assent (James 2:19). It is an obedient faith (Romans 1:5) that fully relies upon Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Pentecost was the beginning of the New Testament order. Colossians 2:14 states that the old law was nailed to the cross, or abolished, when Christ died. Peter, in Acts 2:33, stated that Christ was raised from the dead and that he is now seated on the right hand of God, thereby indicating his position as Lord and Christ. After Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, and his ascension to the throne in heaven; Christ began his reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Pentecost was the day on which Christ’s reign began.

. “O my God, my soul is cast down within me: . . . Yet Jehovah will command his lovingkindness in the daytime; and in the night his song shall be with me.” (Psalm 42:6-8). “I call to remembrance my song in the night.” (Psalm 77:6). “Let the saints exult in glory: let them sing for joy upon their beds.” (Psalm 149:5). “But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25).

Jesus made a surprising statement about Sodom when he rebuked certain unrepentant cities in Galilee: And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day (Matthew 11:23). The Lord reveals to us that Sodom could have avoided the rain of fire and brimstone if they would have repented. This point is hammered home when Peter later wrote, But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God cares about the righteous, but He also cares about every soul.

A study of the context shows that Paul has reference to the philosophies of men which set themselves against God and/or the revelation of His will (study both the first and second chapter). The wisdom of the world is man’s effort to learn the truth about God, about man, about man’s duty and man’s destiny and to learn it not only apart from divine revelation but in repudiation of divine revelation.

We can get discouraged in our work for the Lord thinking no one else cares enough to contribute. If we are not careful, we ourselves may give up on the Lord's work. When you find yourself thinking this way, remember that God always has other people working in his kingdom.

The psalmist had little scripture for his guidance and inspiration; yet he says, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Compared with our full-orbed blaze of revelation his was the twinkle of a star. Yet he found his way through life and experienced great joy in his pilgrimage.

Can you imagine living in a place where you would never see the sun again, or enjoy a nice day? There are places on this earth where the weather is always cold, and there are even some places where the sun doesn't shine for long in the winter. But that doesn't last for long as the seasons change and the sun shines for hours. God made a promise to all flesh after the flood, saying, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22 NKJV). Even those who do evil enjoy nice weather, as Jesus said of our heavenly Father, "He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45b).

How can we explain the mysterious, bewildering, fearing, hoping, dreaming, dreading life of ours? Only can it be explained by the fact that Jesus came and said God is not far from any of us. We are weak, restless, and wicked because a thin veil of blindness rules in us, and our lives are untouched by His guidance. We are not alone in this world though many people so think. It is God’s unseen presence that haunts and disquiets us.

 To applaud by clapping hands would be a response of praise directed toward the person. This act implies that the person did something meritorious. But we know that we could never do anything that merits our salvation. Jesus said, regarding obedience, does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise, you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do’ (Luke 17:9,10). We must obey God to be forgiven, but Jesus is the one who earned our salvation, and thanks belongs to Him.

 7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. 8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

The Bible says, “Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (Psalm 32:9 NKJV). 

 Have you ever thought about the importance of the blood of our Savior? God had always been approached through the medium of blood. This was so even in the Old Testament days. Every animal that was ever sacrificed portrayed in type the shedding of the Savior’s precious blood. The red line of sacrifice extends from the garden of Eden to the cross of Calvary, and every sacrifice offered then found its complete fulfillment in the offering of the body of the Son of God.

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what  shall we do (Acts 2:37 KJV)? These people had just heard Peter proclaim that the man they crucified about fifty days earlier was now sitting at the right hand of God. Much more than the physical pain of a finger prick, these folks felt the sting of their guilt after hearing these words by a man through whom the Holy Spirit spoke. 

Since before the turn of the twentieth century, track participants had been striving to run the mile in the shortest possible length of time. In 1886 Walter George ran the mile in 4 minutes 12.75 seconds. A series of runners reduced the time until in 1945 a Swede, Gunder Haegg, ran the mile in 4 minutes , 1.4 seconds. The world acclaimed the new record.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a miraculous event that occurred only twice in the New Testament: In Acts 2 with the apostles, and in Acts 10 with the household of Cornelius). By the time Paul wrote the book of Ephesians, he stated that there is one baptism (4:4), that is, water baptism which Jesus had told His followers to do in making disciples (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). This is important because some believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit still takes place today. Since God is not the author of confusion, let's look in the Bible so we can know what God commands us to do.