Aches and Praise Five Hundred & Twenty Five

October 1, 2021
 
 

Dear friends,

 

Well, today is the first day of a new month and an opportunity to learn more about the God who made us and revealed His love for us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In my blog post last week, I looked at John 9 and the account of a man who was blind from birth. After declaring “I am the light of the world” (verse 5), Jesus brought light to this man by healing him. If you haven’t read the gospel of John recently, I urge you to do so. It is filled with great spiritual truths as the author sought to inform his readers about the life, death, and resurrection of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16).
 

When I was a teen, I read the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke before asking God’s forgiveness for my sins. I am thankful for brothers and sisters in Christ who set up an organization – “Christian Direction” – to share the Good News of Jesus Christ at the world’s fair in Montreal in Canada’s centennial year – Expo ’67. It was at the “Sermons from Science” pavilion that I received a card offering me a Bible correspondence course that helped me understand that God loved me and proved His love for me in many ways. I am also thankful for Jim Yorgey, who corrected my lessons and prayed for me before I came to a personal relationship with Christ.

In his Study Bible, Dr. David Jeremiah writes: “It is almost as if John wrote for those who were already familiar with the facts of Jesus’ life and ministry and might want additional reflection and perspective.” On Tuesday, I had the joy of studying chapter 10 of John’s gospel with friends on Zoom. It is one of the most interesting chapters in the New Testament, with three great declarations: Jesus is the Door, the Good Shepherd, and the Son of God.

In his Bible Commentary, Dr. Warren Wiersbe observes: “Jesus has a threefold relationship to His sheep. He has a loving relationship because He died for the sheep, a living relationship because He cares for the sheep, and a lasting relationship, for He keeps His sheep and not a one is lost.” How comforting it is to know that all believers in Christ Jesus are secure in the hands of the One who created the heavens and the earth, and all therein. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian believers, Jesus “is the image of the invisible God” (v. 15) and “in Him all things consist” (v. 17).

If you are not sure that you are a Christian, you can make sure today. Turn from your sin and invite the Lord Jesus Christ to be your Master. As Jesus declared to Thomas: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). If you are a believer, ask the Lord to guide you into all truth and help you share His Word with others.

Scripture for the weekend: “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Colossians 1:19-20 (NKJV)

Thought for the weekend: “If Christianity is true, it is not a religion. Religion is man’s effort to reach God. The dictionary describes religion as a ‘belief in God or gods … or worship of God or gods.’ Religion can be anything! But true Christianity is God coming to man in a personal relationship.”  – Dr. Billy Graham (from his book “How to Be Born Again”)

 

By His grace,
 

Steve


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