Roots by the River

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5 KJV). “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21). “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). “They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10). The common theme in these verses is waiting . We are to ...

Here is an all-inclusive verse of Scripture. It was written to the Thessalonians, but I think it means us, too. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:23). The God of peace Himself—wonderful. Sanctify you completely—that means us. He will make us completely holy. Spirit, soul, and body—we are tripartite. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Rom. 12:1). This tells us that our bodies are living and holy sacrifices. Both of the texts teach us that our bodies will be holy. God Himself will make them holy, and we are to present them as a holy, living sacrifice. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading pla...

“As for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign LORD; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone. Since my youth, God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come” (Psalm 71:14-18). I came across this paragraph in 1979 when Bessie and I were in Vancouver, BC. It has been my life verse since then—the next generation! As I look at Christian history, it seems to be history that only takes care of the present generation, not the next one. The seventeenth century in England and Scotland was a time of revival until there was a Christian king after the glorious revolution of 1688. The next two generations were of great moral...

 One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Psalm 68:11: “The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it.” The Lord announced the word, and a great company proclaimed the word. It was a great company then; let us pray that it will be a great company now. “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (Matthew 9:37-38). Pray and proclaim and pray for more proclaimers. This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge . If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com . We would love to have you reading with us.

Here is a thought put together by the following verses: “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:10-14). “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). “For those God for...

This post falls under the category of Philippians 3:1: “ It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.” Fear and worry have a few common characteristics. ·        They are opposites of trust in God. ·        They are present feelings based upon future unknown events. ·        They are based on lies from the father of lies. ·        They are common because worry is a form of fear. ·        Both fear and worry do not come from God. ·        They are both sins against God. Here are a few related Scriptures: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, a...

“Then the word of the Lord came to me: ‘Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all?’” (Ezekiel 14:2-5). “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord . Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15-16). Do you see the parallel? · “These men have set up idols in their hearts.” (Ezekiel, NIV) · “In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.” (1 Peter, NIV) · “Enthrone Christ in your hearts.” (Knox) · “Sanctify the Lord God in your heart.” (KJV) · “Set apart, in your heart, high and lifted up, Jesus Christ as Lord.” (Irene Webster-Smith) Worship begins in the heart. Idolatry is in the heart long before a physical idol is made. Worship of Jesus ...

Years ago, I heard comparative definitions of mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting what I deserve—Hell. Grace is getting what I do not deserve—Heaven. Here are both words in a sentence or two: "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy , made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). "But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy . He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace , we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).

There are five objects of our love in Scriptures. ·        Love GOD (Matthew 22:34-40). ·        Love our neighbors. ·        Love our wives. ·        Love the brothers. ·        Love our enemies. That is a comprehensive list. The quality of love is also comprehensive. ·        With all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. That is a lot of love. ·        Your neighbor as yourself. If we loved one neighbor as much as we loved ourselves, he would be getting much love. ·        As Christ loved the church (Ephesians 5:25). ·        As Jesus loved us (John 13:34). ·        As God is kind to the ungrateful and wicked (Luke 6:3). That is very much love.

  “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’” (Luke 24:5-7). “And who through the Spirit of Holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 1:4). “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). The risen Christ is why we are here.