Since we are in interesting, and unprecedented times, allow me to share with you a devotional thought today from the text I had selected from 1Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefined, and unfolding, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” In these days of uncertainty and constantly changing information, it is comforting for us to know that what we have in Christ is secure and kept in heaven. We’ve been given a family according to verse three and that family will give us encouragement and strength as we face the unknown in a days like those ahead of us. We’re also told in verse three the second part of the verse that we are given a living hope and it’s this hope that sees us through the unknowns of the days that lie ahead. We do not have to fear contact with a virus, or … READ MORE

The transformation brought about by the new birth is not only an instantaneous miracle but also a lifelong process of sanctification. For those so transformed, everything changes; the old things have passed away. Old values, ideas, plans, loves, desires, and beliefs vanish, replaced by the new things that accompany salvation. The verb tense used in this passage indicates a past act with continuing results in the present. God plants new desires, loves, inclinations, and truths in the redeemed, so that they live in the midst of the old creation with a new creation perspective (cf. Galatians 6:14). That perspective, as it is nourished and developed, helps believers gain victory in the battle against sin and conforms them into the image of Jesus Christ. Way back in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel we read, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” This has been made possible by the Work of Jesus … READ MORE

2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us, “For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead.” The phrase “the love of Christ” is best seen in this context as Christ’s love for us – a love most clearly seen in His sacrificial death. As those who have passed from death to life, we have a growing appreciation for what Christ has done for us. In this passage Christ’s incomprehensible, unbreakable, unconditional life overwhelmed Paul. Christ’s love controlled Paul because he had concluded in a deep and profound way the reality of his identification with Christ. It is that identification that becomes New (2 Cor. 5:17) when we become a believer. Just as Paul was overwhelmed with gratitude that the eternal, holy God sent His Son to die as a substitute to pay the penalty for his sins, we to should allow that marvelous truth to move in our lives to live in a way that honors and glorifies the Lord. We do not do this because we are destined for heaven (although that is a privilege of the believer) we serve the Lord and His body out of gratitude for … READ MORE