“Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.” We’ve heard stories of how back in time sacrifices were offered to the different gods man would ignorantly serve and would try to please them through these gifts, (offerings). This false grossly deranged idea of appeasing the gods to keep them happy was a diabolical and delusional deception from Satan himself. Any and everything Satan does is perverted, he has been trying to redirect the purity of Almighty God’s plan of atonement for the sin of mankind into something quite evil. Through the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord we have the remission of sin (as if it never existed), not a cover up. The blood of Jesus covers all necessary sacrifices for wrong doings from the beginning of time until the last day. All sin that has ever been committed and that ever will be is under the blood of Jesus. We have atonement for our sins by accepting the work at Calvary.

“So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;”. It’s strange to me now, that we run away from justice (God) when we know we messed up. That’s the normal lower nature response of most people. Lower nature is operating as a person who doesn’t know the Lord. God is saying when, not if you mess up, that’s when you should come to me. When we go to God after missing the mark of good behavior, that’s a sign you believe He’ll forgive you if you just simply ask Him to. True repentance will always stop God in His tracks. He knows we are prone to wrong doings by nature. But once we’ve received His Son and the finished work at Calvary, that’s a game changer. The evil forces in this world are that of condemnation, brought to you by the accuser of the brethren, Satan. He, (Satan) will influence you to sin, and then turn around to God and say, look what your precious creation just did. The more knowledgeable of God’s word (bible) you are, the less evil can get to you. When you mess up and it’s bothering you a lot, go to the Lord with true repentance from the heart, He WILL forgive you, He has to, it’s in the word.

“Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.” Moral excellence seems to be a thing of the past. Morals are supposed to be an internal rule book, serving as a governor to help abstain from wayward behavior. In today’s world good morals have been thrown out of the picture. Keeping good morals is a decision each of us must make. Our deeds before God can’t be praiseworthy, noble, or good if we don’t live by moral excellence. Moral excellence is married to good character and integrity. When no one’s looking do you still do what’s right, and without others needing to know what you did. Must you always get the pat on the back for doing what God expects you to do regularly. Let the qualities of moral excellence rule your life, this greatly pleases the Lord, because now you’re acting like Him, who is your Father. Others know if you’re keeping moral excellence even when they don’t have any. Set the example, be the exception, fight the good fight of obtaining and keeping moral excellence before it becomes extinct.

“In this the love of God was made manifest (displayed) where we are concerned: in that God sent His Son, the only begotten or unique [Son], into the world so that we might live through Him.” We live like Jesus by following His earth walk. If you read the first four chapters in the new testament, you’ll have a very good idea of how Jesus lived. We are encouraged and even commanded to follow Jesus as christians. He’s the Alpha and Omega, the Author and Finisher of our faith. He walked by faith and used the word of God in His everyday life to be victorious over evil. God the Father sent Jesus into the world to collect data on how His creation, (mankind) was dealing with the struggles of life. That’s the light talk of His coming. Ultimately Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil so men and women could be freed from the sin nature holding us in bondage to habitual wrong doings. God’s love for us wouldn’t allow mankind’s mistake in the garden, where they were disobedient to God’s guidelines, and command, without Him doing something about it. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son to become a sacrifice, to satisfy justice.

“I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another.” We are commanded to love one another. A command from the Master Himself to love. You can love from a distance if necessary. I don’t have to like you to love you. Walking in love with someone has very specific differences than liking someone. I may not like you, but if I see you hurting, or in dire need of help, out of the love in my heart I can meet you at the point of your lack. Switching over to the attitude of dealing with an unruly child (you can’t beat them until you feel better), or a family member with a difficult personality, we’re still family. There’s always a way to deal with most people, and the way of God’s love is the only way. The love of God (agape love), has been shed abroad in our hearts by God’s Spirit at the new birth when you become a christian. It comes in seed form which needs development and growth. To cultivate the love of God in you, we practice showing love. Random acts of kindness and compassion, even to people who don’t deserve it. This establishes a system within you that no matter what or who you’re dealing with, you’ll stay rooted in love and its attributes and qualities. It’s a sacrificial work, so roll up your sleeves.

“So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” When we start worrying about tomorrow, we use up precious emotional and mental energy that can leave us drained. The more tried we are, our troubles seem bigger than they really are. Worry is the thief of tomorrow’s strength, joy, peace, comfort, and more. It’s almost crazy worrying about something that may not ever happen. The remedy for that is, always being ready to fight the good fight of faith for anything you’re going through using God’s word, and the name of Jesus. You must know your authority in Christ or you could stay in the worry zone. Being concerned is different than worrying. Being concerned isn’t reacting to a moment of despair, but beginning to calculate your plan of attack against the issue. Worry is designed to keep us worn out so we can’t function normally. Since worry and fear are buddies, we can use love to drive them out. “Perfect love drives out fear”, and we are commanded not to be anxious or worry about tomorrow. Why would God tell us not to participate with these two life beaters if the ability was not in us. We have these treasures in these earthen vessels (our bodies). Learn how to draw from the Lord that which is necessary for victorious living, and stop worrying now! It’ll be alright.

“For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.” This is God speaking to us today. If we can only just trust and believe He will do this for us, life would take on a whole other meaning. It doesn’t just happen automatically. It’s like being outside in the rain. As long as we stay under the umbrella, we are dry, protected from getting wet, and where we should be at that moment. His plans are conditionally based on us getting with the program. We have our own plans which may be a good plan, but not a God plan for us. The difference is you won’t be at your highest and greatest potential without acknowledging the Lord in all your ways, yes, that’s important. His plans involve peace welfare, and not evil. Many plans seem to start out fine, but in the long run, there was no secure foundation in the development of the plan you made, so it falls through. Unless the Lord builds a house, they that labor, labor in vain. Praying a short prayer before starting a project can make a world of difference for your desired outcome. You talk to God like you talk to anyone else, with reverential fear of course. God knows the plan for your life, even though you may not.

“Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths.” Once we put our hearts into trusting God, not just mentally assenting, but becoming a doer of the word of God, we leave this natural lower level of life’s experiences. We can live a supernaturally motivated lifestyle designed by God for each of us according to our make-up. You have to let it all go, the way you’ve always thought or acted must be changed to conform to a lifestyle of faith in God. The more we study to show ourselves approved (people that are not ashamed), rightly dividing the word of truth in our everyday affairs, the more you will see clearly this becoming a reality in your life. Trust can be hard to come by, even with Almighty God. It’s not easy to always trust people we can see, yet alone the invisible. That’s why we make a choice to trust the bible as being the truth, and that is called faith. Believing without seeing comes from hearing and hearing something over and over. You will develop faith in a thing told to you relentlessly. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. With all your heart, is the key.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.” Jesus is standing at the door of your soul, and is knocking for you to open your heart to receive Him. He won’t force His way into your life like the devil. The Lord wants willing people in His family. Answering the call of God in your life is the most important decision anyone can make. Because you must prepare yourself for life after death. This world has our attention so much with its distractions we can’t easily hear His voice. The Lord wants communion with His people, and He is ever growing His family with those who aren’t ashamed of Him. He is the good Shepherd of our souls. He brings peace and comfort once we accept Him in our hearts. We have the opportunity of a lifetime and beyond by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior of our lives. He not only helps us become more than conquerors now, but He prepares a place for us in heaven after finishing our course in this life. Heed His voice and open the door of your heart and let Him in.

“I know my redeemer lives.” Until we have a relationship and fellowship with the Lord, there’s no way we can know Him for ourselves, and it’s all about a personal relationship. Once we know for ourselves He lives, like the song says, “I can face tomorrow”. We have been redeemed from the curse of the law. The curse of the law has to do with us never being in right standing with God, (hell bound). It can be hard sometimes with the struggles we face in this life to stay Christ centered. Our thoughts must be governed by the word of God, not our circumstances or feelings. Once we accept God’s word as truth, which overrides facts, we raise above the boundaries of this world’s limitations. We know we have been redeemed without a shadow of a doubt once the hunger for right standing with God dominates our thinking and actions. Jesus our Redeemer is alive and well. His desire is that we live the life He died for. This standard of life, requires spiritual sensitivity to the Lord and His living word. Once the believer of God takes hold of this lifestyle, an awareness comes upon them that not only is Jesus alive today, but the life we now live we live by faith in the son of God. You can’t see Him with your physical eyes, but it doesn’t mean He’s not there.