Aches and Praise Five Hundred & Forty One

Posted on 2022-01-21 in English |

January 21, 2022
 
 
Dear friends,
 

For several weeks now, we have looked at assurances that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His disciples: the assurance that those who repent of their sins and trust Christ as their Saviour will live forever with Him in heaven, the assurance that believers in Christ know the Father right now, the assurance that children of God have the privilege of prayer, the assurance that believers have the Holy Spirit, and the assurance that believers in Christ enjoy the Father’s love. The sixth and final assurance that Dr. Warren Wiersbe describes in his commentary on John 14 is that believers in Christ have His gift of peace. Dr. Wiersbe writes: “Shalom – peace – is a precious word to the Jewish people. It means much more than just the absence of war or distress. Shalom means wholeness, completeness, health, security, even prosperity in the best sense. When you are enjoying God’s peace, there is joy and contentment.

The world bases its peace on its resources, while God’s peace depends on relationships. People in the world walk by sight and depend on the externals, but Christians walk by faith and depend on the eternals… Jesus showed His love for the Father (and for the world) by voluntarily going to the cross… His own perfect peace assures us that He alone can give true peace.”

Did you make any resolutions three weeks ago? At the following Internet site – https://www.goskills.com/Soft-Skills/Resources/Top-10-new-years-resolutions – you will find the ten most common (at least, according to the author of this article) resolutions and advice on how to keep them. If you made one or more resolutions and have not been able to keep it or them, you are in good company, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology: “only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. That means over half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail! The study also involved non-resolvers, people who did not make a New Year’s resolution, but had a goal they wanted to achieve that year. Only 4% of non-resolvers were successful at achieving their goals, a far bleaker result than those who did make a New Year’s resolution.”
 

For Christians, our goals should include studying God’s Word so that we can share it with others and grow closer to our Lord. I am very thankful for men like Dr. Wiersbe and Dr. David Jeremiah, who have made their studies available to others, so that we can benefit from their insights. No matter how many times we fall or fail, let’s determine, with God’s help, to persevere and keep our eyes on the Lord.

Scripture for the weekend: “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)   
                                                                                                                                                                                          
Thought for the weekend: “Of the great men and women of faith listed in Hebrews 11, one stands above them all: Jesus. The heroes of chapter 11 help believers to see that in their own strength they cannot live a life of faith, but Jesus makes it possible. Because He has already finished this race, His people can trust that the obstacles have been cleared for them to victoriously finish their race (Hebrews 4:14-16).” –  Dr. David Jeremiah (from his Study Bible)                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
 
By His grace,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
Steve
 
 

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