Women of Firm Faith

Verses 1-3, “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”   How amazing and undeserved it is that we can actually be called children of God! Being a child of God comes with blessings now, an eternal inheritance, but also responsibilities. One of which is to bear fruit of righteousness. John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”   Those who do this are children of God, but those who do not are children of the devil. There is no...

Verses 1-2, “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”   John makes it clear that we do not  have  to sin...it is our choice. In fact, we are supposed to lay aside all filthiness and wickedness. God does not make us sin either, but actually gives us the strength to resist temptation. James 1:13-15, “Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”   When we do sin, we have a covering in Jesus, if we are humble enough to repent (not just confess). The one who ...

Verses 1-4, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.” John starts at the beginning, when only God existed, in three distinct persons--the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This holy trinity is mentioned throughout the scriptures, even all the way back in the first verse in Genesis, “In the beginning God...” The Hebrew word used for God, elohiym , indicates a plurality of God. If that is not enough to convince you, look at Genesis 1:26, “T...

As Christians we need to be mindful of the truths that we have learned, lest temptors come along and deceive us into thinking that we can act like the rest of the world while the Lord tarries. We should expect that scoffers that will mock the truth about what we believe, but we need to stand firm. Verses 3-7, “...knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.' For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”   It is shocking how blatant the mocking has become. It seem...

False teachers seem to be more common today than true Godly ones. What we need to understand is that they do not announce themselves as being false teachers, but rather sneak into your head with their heresy and get you to join in with their destructive ways. Verses 1-3, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”   Their words are deceptive because they cleverly use some truth in order to make their lies sounds believable...blaspheming the way of truth. They want you to think there is another way to be received by God, but there simply is...

God gives to those who believe precious gifts including grace and peace. Verses 2-4, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” Knowing that Jesus IS the key to all things that pertain to life and godliness, it is hard to imagine why we would allow ourselves to be polluted by the world and driven by lusts, as though we can find fulfillment in them. We should rather be partakers of His divine nature and no longer need to be led away by various sin. Romans 6:7-14, “For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowi...

Elders or leaders in the church are appointed to help oversee or shepherd the flock. There is an expectation of spiritual maturity, which is not age related, and evidence of a proven walk of faith that has been tested and found to be genuine. Peter exhorts the elders in Verses 2-4 to, “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.”   I think these verses just excluded many of today's church leaders. Lording authority over the flock, and gaining in money, influence, or worldly standing seem to be more the norm. A shepherd's heart is not something you can create in the flesh. It requires a supernatural gifting from God and comes with a huge responsibility of accountability to Him who calls. Too many me...

Verses 1-2, “Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.”   Christ suffered in the flesh; so being His followers, we need to prepare ourselves for the reality that we too will suffer in the flesh. When you arm yourself with this mindset, you won't be so easily shaken by the trials. There is no room to be passive about letting your flesh rule your thoughts and actions. Jesus was committed to obeying the will of the Father in mind and spirit. He chose to suffer in the flesh for our salvation. We also need this same committment to God's will, which will require endurance through trials and suffering. After all, that is what trials are intended to produce in us...endurance; and that is why we should rejoice in them. James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it a...

This chapter continues with the idea of submission to those God has put in authority over us. Verses 1-2, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.”   Our submission is not something a husband should have to earn. We must respect the position that God has given them as the leader of the home, regardless of how obedient or disobedient they are being to the word of God. Too many women think wickedly in their heart, that they will begin submitting when their husband starts acting more loving toward them. Our command for obedience is never dependent on how godly our leader is, so long as they do not ask us to sin toward God. The chain of command, so to speak, is spelled out in 1 Corinthians 11:3, “But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the hea...

Verses 1-3, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” Newborn babies have such a strong fleshly desire to be fed. We should have this same desire for the word, our spiritual food, if we have tasted the grace of God. If you have no desire for the word, then you have no real understanding of His grace. God may have revealed Himself to you, but your heart must be changed. The word, when received in faith, will cause us to grow, the same as milk will cause a baby to grow. Evidence that you are growing in knowledge and grace is that you have left behind your old ways and no longer walk as you once did...in malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and speaking evil of others. You are no longer self-seeking, but seeking the will of God. But those who continue to do these evil things are not growing by the word an...

Verses 1-2, “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.”   Peter opens his letter to the Christians who are dispersed throughout several regions, who recognize themselves as being from away, knowing that this is not their home. Election is a much debated topic among Christians, but here's what we know from the scriptures. First, election is according to God's foreknowledge, but it is not a one way street. God does choose us, but we need to choose Him too and He's given us free will to either accept or reject Him. Joshua 24:14-15, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! A...

Verses 1-6, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!  Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.”   Those who have spent their life in pursuit of riches and the pleasures of the world will be condemned, whether or not they have actually achieved their goal. If your life is consumed with selfish desires and pleasures, it is evidence that you are on the wrong road. Acts 14:22 gives us insight into the real...

Verse 1, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” It is unfortunate that the church is full of warring and fighting among people who profess to be Christians. All this fighting stems from carnal desires that convert to bitterness and self seeking. If people were just submitted to God's will, this would not be the case. Verses 2-3, “You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Lusting and coveting lead to bitterness, jealousies, and murdering (in the heart). If these people would just seek God about what they want and give Him an opportunity to set their hearts right on the matter, they could be content in His will if the answer is "no", and might actually receive if the answer is "yes." Sometimes we ask for...