100 Things to be Thankful for-Part Two

My gratitude list, continued:

51. God alone made the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1: 1)
52. He created man in His own image. (Genesis 1: 27)
53. He makes everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
54. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13: 8)
55. God is faithful in calling us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ. (I Corinthians 1: 9)
56. God's agape love is not like man's kind of love. (I Corinthians 13)
57. Three things will remain forever: faith, hope and love. (I Corinthians 13:13)
58. He wants to reward for what He Himself does in us. (Philippians 2: 13)
59. He who began a good work in His children will complete it to the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1: 5)
60. If we are faithless, He remains faithful.(II Timothy 2: 13)
61. Jesus came into the world as a light so that anyone who believes in Him will not walk in darkness. (John 12:46)
62. A bruised reed Jesus Christ will not break. (Isaiah 42: 3)
63. By His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 5)
64. Christ's dying sacrifice satisfied God's justice once for all without need of repetition. (Hebrews 10: 12)
65. Christ has made believers kings and priests. (Revelation 1:6)
66. He has washed our sins in His own blood. (Revelation 1:5)
67. God is not willing that any should perish. (I Timothy 2:4)
68. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. (Ezekiel 18:23)
69. God had to bare His own arm for us by sending His own Son. (Isaiah 52:10)
70. God's righteousness is an everlasting righteousness. (Psalm 119:142)
71. There is no other God like our God. (Deuteronomy 4:39)
72. His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 136)
73. We just need to Look upon Christ to be saved. (Isaiah 45: 22)
74. When Christ gave the Sermon on the Mount, He gave "Be-attitudes" and not "do" attitudes. We are transformed without travail by looking in the mirror of the Word. (II Corinthians 3: 18)
75. Moses had to cover His face to go into the presence of God, but we do not have to cover our faces. (II Corinthians 3: 16-18)
76. In the Savior are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3)
77. Salvation is the gift of God, so no man can boast(in and of himself). (Ephesians 2: 8-9)
78. But we are allowed to boast in the Lord. (Psalm 34: 2)
79. We are free indeed in Christ. (John 8: 32-36)
80. The Lord of the Universe humbled Himself to be "born in a barn" among animals. (Luke 2: 7)
81. The Greatest became the least and our ultimate example of humility. (Philippians 2: 5-8)
82. Therefore God has given Him the name which is above every name. (Philippians 2: 9)
83. The Lord knows them that are His. (II Timothy 2: 19)
84. Our names our engraved on the palms of His hands. (Isaiah 49: 16)
85. Not one hair of ours will be lost even if we are hated for His name's sake. (Luke 21: 17-18)
86. Our sins are thrown into the deepest depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19)
87. Through Christ (and Christ alone) we have access to the Father. (Ephesians 2: 18)
88. Overcoming believers in the church of Laodecia will be able to sit with Christ on His throne. (Revelation 3: 21)
89. Whosoever will may come and believe in Christ and appropriate His saving work on their behalf. (Revelation 22: 17)
90. Whosoever may take of the water of life freely. (Revelation 22: 17)
91. There is no other way to enter the Kingdom of Heaven but through Christ. (John 10: 1-3)
92. He calls His sheep by name. (John 10:3)
93. The Church Age will not be over until the "fullness of the Gentiles has come in." He will wait for the very last believer of the Church Age. (Romans 11: 25)
94. He does all things well. (Mark 7: 37)
95. The believer's times are always in God's hands. (Psalm 31: 15)
96. Precious in His sight are the death of His saints. (Psalm 116:15)
97. For the believer in Christ, living is Christ. (Philippians 1: 21)
98. For the believer in Christ, dying is gain. (Philippians 1: 21)
99. For the unbeliever in Christ, it is never too late to change your mind as long as you have breath, because God does not mark our iniquities, there is forgiveness with Him if you seek it. (Psalm 130: 3-4)
100. That He begs us seek Him while He may be found, and to call upon Him while He is near!(Isaiah 55:6)

If you have read this long blog post, I thank you. If you do not have the assurance of salvation as a free gift through Christ, I urge you to look up these beautiful promises from the Word of God, these wonderful gifts freely given through the grace of Another. You do not have to sweat or strain to get to heaven, and no matter what you have done in the past, you can be forgiven. All that work was already done for you, courtesy of the Lord Jesus Christ! No other religion or god can promise you these things. Today can be the day of your salvation!

What is true love?

Since we are in the month of February and Valentine's Day is just around the corner, let us think for a minute about true love described in I Corinthians 13. These are the verses you hear at every marriage ceremony. They are read, but how many really think that the definition of agape can be carried out in real life?

"Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous, love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, it does not seek its own, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...."(I Cor. 13: 4-8a)

If you and I are honest, we have to admit that we just do not have what it takes in and of ourselves to love others the way Paul described above. If we are honest with God, He will not condemn us. He knows we are but dust anyways.(Psalm 103:14) Once we admit that we can't, He can whisper to our hearts, "But I can inside you" "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Phil. 4:13

Once we know that only He inside us can love like that, we can look to the only One who ever lived that love perfectly, without failing once. He is Perfect Love.
"...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:2 This perfect, giving Saviour lives inside us and wants to live His life through us.

Here is agape:

A bundant life freely

G iven at Calvary

A ccomplished perfectly and

P aid in full for

E veryone who believes.


Lord Jesus, I ask you to teach me the way of agape so that I can truly love others the way you want me to. In Your Blessed Name, Amen.

Jesus calls us to love one another...

I have a little habit of visiting Christian message boards. Often, I admit that I waste precious time visiting these sites. Time after time, though, one thing comes through. Christians can be unkind to one another, sometimes downright vicious. It does not edify and build up the Body of Christ.

Often unbelievers visit these sites. And often they turn away from Jesus because of what they see there. They see us acting no different than they do. They are searching....searching for the God of the Universe and we turn them away by our lack of love for one another. Jesus said very plainly: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this ALL MEN WILL KNOW that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
(John 13: 34-35).

I have to admit that one of my goals in this new year, indeed for the rest of my life,is to learn and apply what agape love truly is. First to my husband, my family, to the Body of Christ, and finally to all the world. Have you read what true love does in I Cor. 13? I admit that I fall way short of this every single day. But I am starting to get a taste, just a tiny taste of God's agape love toward me. And sometimes it will bring me to tears. That is what will give me the ability to love others, by viewing "what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge..." (Eph. 3: 18-19).

Even the Psalmist knew this when he told us the importance of loving our brethren. He writes an entire Psalm about it.

Psalm 133
1"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing--life forever."

God commands a blessing upon us loving our brethren. I ask the Lord for the rest of my life to truly show me what this means and for the grace to apply it daily.